Tuesday, July 24, 2018

Summer Sublime


Your Olympic Peninsula Fly Fishing Guide.
Catch & Release, Fly Fishing Only!
Fly fishing for Coho salmon. 

      I am loving this superb, sunny summer weather! Even though I did get roasted a few weeks ago. But now that the second degree burns have healed, and the last layers of  skin have fallen from my ears and lips, I am back in action. Broad brimmed hat, sunglasses, long sleeve sun shirt, sun gloves, gobs of SPF 40 sunscreen . . . Check! I want to be able to remember how sweet this sunny warmth is four months from now, when it's cold and grey and raining.

   Salmon season opened on July 16th here this year.
Looking out on the Admiralty Inlet waters that morning at dawn, it looked like a naval invasion- Hundreds of fishing boats were working from point Wilson to the southern end of Marrowstone Island alone. And this went on for the entire first week. Last year the state closed the Chinook salmon season within a few weeks of the opener, because they had already nearly met the entire summer harvest quota. This year they closed it in one week flat. But this time they are evaluating the run size to see if it can be reopened later. We are still able to fish for coho though. Swinging flies in a tide current, wading in knee-deep water. That's the way I like to fish. We'll just have to wait and see how it goes.

UPDATED! Link here: https://fortress.wa.gov/dfw/erules/efishrules/erule.jsp?id=2175



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I'm breaking out these Bad Boys!

   Sea-run coastal cutthroat trout fishing has been up and down here so far, with our good days and slow days. I am certain that the brief extremes of heat had something to do with this. One thing that I have noticed is that we have more two-year-old and three-year-old cutthroat out in the saltchuck around here this year. And they are growing fast. Not surprising since the schools of juvenile herring here have really exploded this season.  So this fall the fishing might be really good again. The more the merrier. One of the more interesting reports came from a friend who saw a Minke whale, cruising along the edge of the beach, where he was wading and casting flies for cutthroat. I guess he got out of the water for a few minutes!  This is one of the great things about beach fishing here, we see a lot of cool stuff.

   We have had several very hot periods here so far, and we're well into the summer drought and fire season now. There are a record number of wildfires around the state right now. See: "Morning Briefing" here.  So if you are coming to the Olympic Peninsula waters to hike, camp or fish this summer, especially up in the mountains, you need to be careful about fires. Statewide Fire ban information here.   Olympic National Park will have it's own rules.


You can't have enough Clouser flies this time of year!

    When it gets this hot in the summer, mid to high 80's or higher, we can expect that some waters will warm up quickly. Dawn will be your best opportunity for trout fishing anywhere. Deeper lakes and some saltwater situations, will often have cooler water, and better fishing conditions during the day. The key is finding water at 60 degrees or cooler. Warmer water will stress the fish too much. On a bright summer day the saltwater shallows will be very warm. Find the cooler, deeper water on an incoming tide.  I have never really been a fan of heavy, deep sinking lines and weighted flies. But now is the time to be fishing deeper and slower, any way that you can do it. I will often rig two rods for a day, one with an intermediate sinking line, or sinking leader, and one with a floating line. That increases my options. It's amazing though, how deep you can drift a fly on a long leader, with a floating line. Clouser flies, bead head soft hackles, cone heads, etc., will sink like a stone with a slow enough drift, even in a current. I still much prefer surface fishing in the saltchuck, with Poppers, Sliders, Gurglers, Muddlers, etc. Many baitfish fly patterns can be tied sparsely, with no added weight, and will swim just beneath the surface with only moderate stripping action. Adding  a bit of fly floatant to a light streamer fly can really get it on top. This will work just as well in some lake fishing situations, before the bright sun gets out on the water and sends the fish down deep again.
Fly fishing for sea-run Cutthroat from a classic Swampscott Dory.
For one angler. By appointment only.


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 Cutthroat 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 and private fly fishing and fly casting instruction for beginners through advanced casters.  I would be happy to help you plan your Olympic Peninsula fly fishing adventure, for all levels of ability. Public presentations, Naturalist Guide, rowboat picnics, tide pool and  river trail day trips. Please call, write or email for booking details. Now booking through October and beyond. Please call or write for details.

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.Beach Watcher
U.S.C.G First Aid/CPR/BLS/AED/BBP/HIV Certified

Phone: 360-385-9618


   

Thursday, July 12, 2018

Mad Dogs and Fishing Guides



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


  Summer is right on time this year. I know because, after 9 hours of rowing around the bay under the hot sun yesterday, today I look like a boiled beet. There's always that one day, usually earlier in the season,when I forego the sunscreen, and I pay the price. Hopefully, I have gotten this stupidity out of the way for the rest of the year. Please remember to cover up, wear a long sleeved sun shirt, shading hat, sun gloves, and use a strong, zinc based, sunscreen, and drink plenty of water through the day. Sunglasses are mandatory.

  The summer sun has been heating up the beaches here. And the softer, shallower waters, back eddies and tide pools, lagoons etc., are warming up too. Look for the cooler water, and currents, on the incoming tides, to  provide the better opportunities to meet up with trout and salmon now. It doesn't always have to be deeper water, but often that is the case as well. Now is the time of year that I will fish sink tips, and sinking leaders. A favorite is the "Clear Poly" type leaders, and Airflow has some of the best options, 7 of them, from floating to deep sinking. Personally, I like the longer ones.

  I am hearing good things from the salty west end of the Olympic Peninsula, as salmon season is in full-swing there. They're seeing good numbers of coho, and they are bigger than they have been in the last few years. Puget Sound salmon fishing has been turning out some really good news lately too. Ocean (feeding) conditions are improving for the migrating salmon and steelhead. This year there were markedly higher than usual numbers of coho smolt counted as they moved out of their streams and into the saltwaters. So maybe now we can appreciate the utility of the closures put in place a few years ago. I am really looking forward to fishing the tides this year. Salmon season opens here in Washington Marine Are #9 on July 16th this year. It will be interesting to see how it goes. The new moon is upon us, with some serious tidal exchanges, and the tides are going to be great for the next few weeks leading up to the full moon. I like this for salmon fishing, and hot weather sea-run cutthroat trout fishing too. Bring on the cold water!

 
Were seeing some nice sea-run coastal cutthroat trout lately.

     June brought plenty of rain to make up for the dry May we had out here. The rivers got a few nice shots of fresh flows, the mountains got some snow. It's melting fast now. And the Olympic Peninsula rivers are now running low and clear. If you are into hunting for trout now, in these rivers, you will need to bring a headlamp for dawn patrol. Dawn and dusk will the best times. Smaller dry flies, ants, beetles, etc., can be very good. Patience and lots of hiking just might pay off. Whatever you do, wherever you go, savor every moment of this beautiful summer!

Fly fishing for sea-run Cutthroat from a classic Swampscott Dory.
By appointment only.


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 Cutthroat 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 and private fly fishing and fly casting instruction for beginners through advanced casters.  I would be happy to help you plan your Olympic Peninsula fly fishing adventure, for all levels of ability. Public presentations, Naturalist Guide, rowboat picnics, tide pool and  river trail day trips. Please call, write or email for booking details. Now booking through October and beyond. Please call or write for details.

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.Beach Watcher
U.S.C.G First Aid/CPR/BLS/AED/BBP/HIV Certified

Phone: 360-385-9618