Sunday, July 23, 2017

Tides To Dream On


Your Olympic Peninsula Fly Fishing Guide.
Catch & Release, Fly Fishing Only!


Working the top of the tide.

   The new moon tonight has been setting up some really good tides now, and for the next few weeks, and through the full moon on August 7th. Some of the lowest tides of the year occur around this time. And some of the greatest opportunities for fishing the incoming tides are upon us. It all comes down to a greater exchange of tidal altitudes and tidal current duration. In some locations, like up here on north Puget Sound this is really good for the salmon fishing on the beaches. And these deeper, colder tides, will help to moderate the shallow water temperatures this time of year, which is especially good for the sea-run cutthroat trout fishing. The bait, and the big fish, will easily avoid warmer water areas. And with all of this water moving now, the wind and waves are moderating into a normal summertime pattern, with a 5 to 10 knot onshore wind from the northwest during the day. Cool and refreshing. It works out that many of the best fishing tides coming up over the next few weeks are happening near dawn and dusk. I am loving this weather, and this season!


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It's herring time!
These are my flatwing herring flies, for salmon fishing.
Tied on #4 open-eye sickle hooks
from RvrFshr Products

    We have been seeing lots of bait, bait balls, birds wheeling and diving on bait, fish and seals crashing the bait on the surface, etc around here all spring and early summer. Right now there is an abundance of 2 to 4 inch herring. The birds and fish are gorging on them. There's the usual sandlance, smelt, etc., too. But the herring seem especially prominent this year. Make sure you have a good selection of baitfish flies, from 2 to 4 inches long, and some even longer. I like #4 hooks for coho and pink salmon streamers. But if I am tying soft hackle flies, I will use #6 hooks for salmon too. I have caught many salmon on trout flies, from size #6 down to size #10, while we were fishing for sea-run cutthroat. (The top producer has still been the #6 muddler minnow, greased and fished right on top.) You'll notice that I tend to prefer less tinsel and flash in these flies. I rarely use florescent colors. But I do carry a few. It might not matter as much with the salmon that are migrating home. But for the sea-run cutthroat trout, the fish that are being caught and released on an ongoing basis, I think it pays to tie natural looking flies, some with no tinsel or flashy materials at all. 


Simple, sparse, Clouser style bait fish flies are still some 
of  the best flies for salmon and sea-run cutthroat fishing.


Dangerous Heat Warnings!

Please heed these warnings. The next week or so is going to be scorching hot around here. And if you are planning on fishing, you should be looking at the predawn and earliest hours of the day. Remember, the water is going to get warmer too. And in many paces this is going to crush the fish, and the fishing. See more here: 


Your Olympic Peninsula Fly Fishing Guide and Instructor

  I am guiding fly fishers on the Olympic Peninsula beaches, rivers and streams. We walk and wade, fly fishing for sea-run Coastal Cutthroat trout in freshwater and saltwater, and in the rivers for trout and summer steelhead. This is strictly catch and release, traditional fly fishing only. Lunch, snacks, soft beverages, and use of some equipment is included. I also offer personalized, private and group fly fishing and fly casting instruction, for beginners through expert casters.  I would be happy to help you plan your Olympic Peninsula fly fishing adventure. I also do public presentations for civic groups, private gatherings, and fly fishing clubs, Naturalist guide, rowboat picnics, tide pool and river trail day trips. Please call, write, or email for booking details. Now booking fall 2017! 


And sometimes we row . . . One angler only.
This is the way to go fly fishing for sea-run Cutthroat!

SSShhh!!! Listen to the quiet . . . 

                                    
Bob Triggs
Little Stone Flyfisher
P.O. Box 261
Port Townsend, WA
98368

Licensed Washington State Guide 
Certified Fly Casting Instructor
Trout Unlimited Aquatic Educator Award
W.S.U. Water Watchers, Beach Watchers and Shore Stewards Graduate
U.S.C.G First Aid/CPR/BLS/AED/BBP/HIV Certified

Phone: 360-385-9618

Wednesday, July 12, 2017

Anticipation


Your Olympic Peninsula Flyfishing Guide.
Catch & Release, Fly Fishing Only!


an·tic·i·pa·tion
anˌtisəˈpāSH(ə)n/
noun
  1. the action of anticipating something; expectation or prediction.
  2. ie: 
  3. The salmon are coming!



Nice pink salmon on a pink fly!

   This anticipation thing can be vexing. I start getting excited about the spring sea-run cutthroat fishing in late February, just around the time that they are all up in the creeks and beginning to spawn. So I start organizing stuff, tying flies, (I am always behind!), and checking rods, lines, leaders, knots, reels, etc. By the time my "opening day" arrives, I have a few flies ready, and I am always trying to find something, like that extra spool, or my newer-older leaders. Salmon season was set well enough ahead of time that you would think that I would be on top of it. And it really doesn't take much to get it together. But here I am, just days away from the opening day, and I am running around trying to find the right hooks, bucktails, etc. It's ridiculous, really.  And I have been seeing salmon crashing bait, and jumping on the surface for the last few weeks here already!  

    
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In loving memory:
Greg, with the first Pink Salmon of the year
(July  5th 2007) 

 This is the time of year that everyone in the Pacific Northwest leans toward the waters, with an expectation of the salmon runs to come. Our Admiralty Inlet /Area 9 fishing opens July 16th for salmon. The pink salmon have been seen in small numbers on the coast and here in the Strait already. We usually begin catching them here around the 4th of July, when we're sea-run cutthroat trout fishing. The coho seem to be more robust out there right now too. We usually have the best Coho fishing in later summer and  fall here. But we don't know if it will be kept open that late this year. The forecast for pink salmon and coho is low, and even though there is an opening to fish for salmon here this year, there is very limited harvest allowed for pinks or coho. Also be aware that there will be in-season monitoring of this fishery, and there may be unexpected closures at any time during the season, especially if the fish are not showing up as expected. 


Check the W.D.F.W. regulations and season updates carefully, every time that you go fishing!  : http://wdfw.wa.gov/fishing/salmon.html   

   Fishing from the beaches, we often catch salmon on our sea-run cutthroat trips. This is always a pleasant surprise, if not sometimes a bit overwhelming, as some visiting anglers have never hooked anything bigger than a small stream trout before. This time of year a six weight rod might be your best choice, especially if you decide to go for salmon from the beaches. We can fish half the day for cutthroat, usually in the mornings, and then fish for salmon too, from the beaches, after lunch for a few hours. In any case, we never harvest any of these fish. All fish- trout or salmon etc.,- are released without avoidable injury. No exceptions. Maybe it's time for you to get some anticipation of your own?


Your Olympic Peninsula Fly Fishing Guide and Instructor

  I am guiding fly fishers on the Olympic Peninsula beaches, rivers and streams. We walk and wade, fly fishing for sea-run Coastal Cutthroat trout in freshwater and saltwater, and in the rivers for trout and summer steelhead. This is strictly catch and release, traditional fly fishing only. Lunch, snacks, soft beverages, and use of some equipment is included. I also offer personalized, private and group fly fishing and fly casting instruction, for beginners through expert casters.  I would be happy to help you plan your Olympic Peninsula fly fishing adventure. I also do public presentations for civic groups, private gatherings, and fly fishing clubs, Naturalist guide, rowboat picnics, tide pool and river trail day trips. Please call, write, or email for booking details. Now booking fall 2017! 


And sometimes we row . . . One angler only.
This is the way to go fly fishing for sea-run Cutthroat!

SSShhh!!! Listen to the quiet . . . 

                                    
Bob Triggs
Little Stone Flyfisher
P.O. Box 261
Port Townsend, WA
98368

Licensed Washington State Guide 
Certified Fly Casting Instructor
Trout Unlimited Aquatic Educator Award
W.S.U. Water Watchers, Beach Watchers and Shore Stewards Graduate
U.S.C.G First Aid/CPR/BLS/AED/BBP/HIV Certified

Phone: 360-385-9618