Creekside Angling report 1-5

[Fishing Report]

January 5th, 2012


The Apocalypto Fishing Report

If you currently rely on the ancient Mayan Long Count Calendar, there are exactly 351 days left until the end of the world. Now I don't know about you, but here at Creeky, we are going to spend that time casting until our arms fall off, wading in beautiful rivers, visiting exotic locations and catching as many blasted fish as we possibly can before the clock runs out!

The seconds are already ticking away. So, here is a bucket list of sorts with some great options at home and abroad that will fill your last moments on this earth with plenty of fish slime and wind knots!

1) Catch a steelhead. The Washington rivers just got a bunch of rain and are now dropping into shape. You know what that means! Start your year off right and visit any of our world famous rivers for a chance at a chrome bright steelhead! Or book a trip with our head guide, Chris Senyohl. Chris has been fishing the rivers out here for steelhead all his life and guiding them for over 15 years. He has been having great success with his clients on local and coastal rivers this season! Call the shop for more info on where to go and how to hook your first chromer of the year, or to book a trip with Chris.

2) Go tropical! Tired of spending your winters holed up in the basement tying parachutes and pheasant tails? Done with standing waist deep in a freezing river, picking ice out of your snake guides and praying that there is something down there to make it all worthwhile? Give us a call here at Creekside and take advantage of our experience traveling all over the world in search of the big pull. We have plenty of favorite spots to reccomend for those of you who would like to spend some of your winter wading up to your ankles in crystal clear 80 degree water and casting to fish you can see. We would be more than happy to give you a suggestion, get you outfitted or even help you plan and book your trip!

3)Try something new. Spring will be here before you know it, and for those of you who have not experienced it yet, early spring can be one of the best times to target sea-run cutthroat in the Puget Sound. Remember the 6 million pink salmon that came into the rivers this fall to spawn? Well, the eggs will be hatching around March, and millions of little salmon fry will be pouring out of every river in the area into the salt, with hungry cutthroat waiting for their first big feeding frenzy of the year!

4) Get a trophy trout! We have our dates for Issac's ranch this spring, and there is no better place in Washington to tangle with a true behemoth rainbow! Call the shop today or go on our website for more info.

5) Head to Alaska. June and July are hot for big alaskan rainbows. Get your mouse on!

6) Run down the man. If grizzlies and mosquitos the size of sparrows is not your thing, head south to the Baja peninsula for June and July, where you can have your choice of racing down the beach after Roosterfish or cruising the inshore and offshore haunts tossing flies at dorado, snapper, yellowfin tuna, sailfish, marlin and a host of other species that will gobble a fly and try to pull you back to Seattle! Personally this is my favorite place to be this time of year. Easy access, low cost and friendly people make this a killer vacation/fishing trip any time of year!

7) Feed fish flies. If you prefer to spend your summers closer to home, July and August are prime months for fishing the forks of the Snoqualmie and all our Cascade Mountain Streams. The fish are typically eager to take whatever fly you want to feed 'em. I prefer dries! Or hop in the car and make a road trip out to Idaho or Montana, where the big bugs are in full swing and you can fish hoppers till you drop!

8) The end is near... eh? If I had only one fall left in my lifetime, I would want to spend it in BC on the Skeena system. Break out the spey rods and wait for the tug!

9) If BC is out of budget or just too far away, consider that we are smack dab in the middle of some of the best fall steelheading in the world! The Grande Ronde, Deschutes, Snake, Klickitat, Methow and Wenatchee just to name a few are all rivers that boast strong runs of summer/fall steelhead. If you miss out on your chromer this winter, you'll get a second chance at glory in the fall!

10) Come full circle. December 21st you'll find me standing in the Skagit and swinging a fly for that big trophy steelhead in the sky. What a way to end the world!

*Disclaimer* THE WORLD IS NOT GOING TO END ON DEC 21ST, 2012. This is a combination of myths that have been misconstrued by paranoid and lonely conspiracy theorists to give them something to do besides occupying various government properties and waiting for their next unemployment check.

Not convinced? Here is a link to NASA's website. 2012: Beginning of the End or Why the World Won't End?

And a quote for those of you who are to lazy to click the link-

"Nothing bad will happen to the Earth in 2012. Our planet has been getting along just fine for more than 4 billion years, and credible scientists worldwide know of no threat associated with 2012." -NASA

HEY! YOU! Send in photos of fish you've captured and we will put them on our website in our Catch of the Week section. Email your photos to info@creeksideangling.com Bonus points for a Creekside hat. Here are a few more for your perusal.

#1 Chris Senyohl with his client Brook Trout who caught this super clean Forks area buck. Chris is now booking trips for the Wynoochee and Olympic Peninsula rivers in February, March and April. (Note- The fish appears to be out of the water in this picture but Chris assured me that the left side of the fish's head is in the water.)
#2 Dave McCoy sent me this picture of client and friend Eric Soper with a big dog GT he caught while fishing with Dave in Christmas Island. Keep an eye out because we are considering heading here next winter with a group!
#3 University of MD Estuarine Environment Professor Ken Paynter with a great looking hatchery buck from the Wynoochee on a recent trip with Chris Senyohl.

For more pics and updated fly tying instruction/videos check out our blog here.



Yakima: The Yak' is fishing decent for those that know where to look for fish. Swinging big streamers and sculpin patterns slowly on a sink tip is the ticket right now. With the water this cold and a bit colored up from the rain, fish will be hunkered down, but are still susceptible to a big meal placed right on their plate! Flies to try are: Olive or Natural Sculpzilla #4, Mini Loop Sculpin in Olive or Black, Weir's Sculpin, The Gonga in olive, Pat's Stonefly #6-10,Curtis's Thunder Emerger #18-22, BH Pheasant Tail nymph #16-20, WD-40 olive, brown, gray #18-22, Lightning Bug Pearl #18-20, Micro Mayfly #18-20, Zebra Midge #18-20 in black or red, Brassie in copper or red #16-20, Griffith's gnat #16-20.

Steelhead/Salmon: With all the rain we have had in the past week the rivers here in Western washington are a bit high, but by this weekend look for good fishing conditions on the Skykomish and possibly the Snoqualmie. There are plenty of fish in both rivers right now and it is prime time to swing a fly on the 2 handed rod. With the water on the drop and a bit off colored, swinging something big that pushes water is a good way to get athe attention of a sulking steelhead. The Forks area rivers along with the Wynoochee, Satsop and Chehalis are also producing well. There are plenty of hatchery brats around as well as a few wild fish beginning to show up. Learning to cast a 2 handed rod and swing flies takes time and dedication, but it is by far the most enjoyable way to fish the rivers out here in Western Washington. Give us a call here at the shop if you are interested in learning how to spey cast and swing flies, or to book a steelhead trip on one of the rivers out here. Flies to try: Large marabous in black, purple, red, orange. Traditional winter steelhead/atlantic salmon spey flies. Intruders and Guide intruders in Black/Chartreuse, Black/Blue, Black/Red, Purple/Pink and other contrasting colors. Guide Intruders in the same colors. Egg Sucking Leeches, Big MOALs and Loop Leeches in black and purple,Pick Yer' Pockets and other large profile winter steelhead flies. Fot the bobbicators use big, dark stoneflies and egg/beads. Pat's stonefly (4-10), Jumbo John in black or copper (6-10), Dragg N' Fly (4), Tungsten Retriever nymphs, BH Lifters, Lingerie Eggs, Veiled Eggsare all good bets.

Lakes: Rattlesnake has been producing a few fish for guys slowly dragging leeches and buggers around. Not much to report here. Flies to try: Hale Bopp Leeches in Olive and Black, Olive or Black Wooley Buggers, Thin Mints all in size 8 and 10, Water Boatman, Chrome Chironomid, Ice Cream Cone. Note to all hardcore lake fishing junkies: Jay Robeson is back from Alaska and is now booking dates for Issac's Ranch in 2012! Available dates are: April 13th, April 14th, May 12th and May 13th. Jay can take up to 10 rods per trip and the cost is $225.00 per rod. These fill up fast so if you are interested give us a call at the shop and sign up for your chance at some serious gagger bows in 2012!

Rocky Ford: Rocky Ford is fishing well right now. Try a black or olive zonker, sculpzilla or similar baitfish pattern and strip it slowly. Nymphing under a small indicator with tiny midges and scud patterns is also Producing. Flies to try: Zebra midge in Black, Olive, Red #18-22, Softex scud #14-18, Flashback Scud's Olive, Tan #14-18, Kaufmann's BH Scud Olive, Tan #12-18, Hot Spot Scud #14-18, WD-40 Olive, Tan, Gray, Black #16-22, Pheasant Tail Nymph #16-20, Sculpzilla Olive, Black, Natural size 4 or 8.

NaCl Water: The Puget Sound is one of the most consistent fisheries in Washington, and it is fishing quite well when weather conditions permit. Small baitfish and shrimp patterns are dominating right now, with South Sound beaches being your best bet. I even saw a bunch of resident coho jumping around right out in front of the Fauntleroy ferry terminal while taking a walk at Lincoln Park a couple days ago. Remember to look for signs of bait or fish working the surface. If there is nothing moving and you are not having any luck, move on, the fish are somewhere else. Flies To Try: Wests Imitator, Foul Free Herring, Seth's Sand Lance, Muddlers, Wooley Buggers, Miyawaki Poppers, small Crazy Charlies and Gotchas.

Classes/Events:

Intermediate Steelhead Fly Tying- Articulated steelhead flies:

Due to high demand we are offering additional dates for this class!

For those of you who prefer to spend your winter standing balls deep in a freezing river while waiting for a mythical creature to manifest itself at the end of your line, fret not when the rains come and blow you off the river for weeks on end. For your humble friends at Creeky have the answer: Learn to tie your favorite steelhead flies and spend those dreary winter days fantasizing about the next giant Hoh river buck that is going to crush your perfectly tied Intruder or Articulated Leech. Learn the secrets to tying in stinger hooks, working with Waddington shanks, using dubbing loops and tying with materials such as ostrich, rabbit and arctic fox. This is not a beginners class and you will need to have a solid understanding of basic tying techniques. Students will need to bring a vise and tools. All materials will be provided at the shop. $50/person, maximum 5 people.

Where and when:

Jan 11th, 2012 6:30-9:00 PM at Creekside in Issaquah

Private Spey Casting Instruction-

Winter steelhead time is here and there is no better way to fish for steelhead than with a two handed rod! If you have never fished with a spey rod you are missing out on one of the most fun ways to cast and fish with a fly. Contrary to what the elitists and internet experts would like you to think, spey casting is easy and fun for beginners and will make any level of fisherman a better angler. The concepts and specific casts you learn are invaluable tools that can be transferred over to single handed casting, improving your game on all levels! Learn to cast and fish with a two handed rod by signing up for a private lesson with one of our highly qualified casting instructors. We will walk you through the basics of the single spey, double spey, snap-T, perry poke casting off the right and left shoulder, with an upriver or downriver wind and basic fly presentation for steelhead.

Classes are $100/person for a two hour session. Please call the shop for additional information.



MASTERING WESTERN RIVERS & LAKES
with Rick Hafele and Skip Morris


Saturday Feb 25 & Sunday Feb 26, 2012 Issaquah, WA
Nationally known fly-fishing authors/instructors Skip Morris and Rick Hafele will
take you to a new level of understanding for fishing trout rivers and lakes. During this
two-day workshop they will teach you about the insects that move the fish (Rick has
been fly fishing for over 45 years, and has a degree in aquatic entomology), how to
imitate those insects with the right flies (Skip is a skilled and versatile fly fisher
with almost 50 years of experience, and a true fly- tying master who will demonstrate how
to tie some of his favorite patterns), the techniques for fishing the flies effectively,
how to read the water, and more.

Saturday is all about the hatches, patterns, and tactics for fishing streams.
Sunday is all about the hatches, patterns and tactics for lakes. You can sign up for both
days or only one of the two.

Skip and Rick have taught together for years and have an easy and friendly style.
Their programs are also clear and professionally produced--the information will
be understandable and useful to both beginner and experienced fly fishers. Between them,
they have written 17 books on fly-fishing topics, have played host on numerous
instructional fly-fishing DVDs, and are frequent speakers around the country.

The dates, again, are February 25 & 25, 2012. The place is the Hilton Garden Inn, in
Issaquah, Washington (1800 NW Gilman Blvd). Each day begins at 9:00am and ends at 5:00pm
with a break for lunch and a few minutes between presentations.

Cost: $145 for both days, $80 for either day (members of sponsoring fly clubs pay
$125 for both days and $70 for one day).
Class size limited and pre-registration required.

For more information and to register, go on-line: http://hookednow.com/events

NEW!! Featured Product for 1/5/2012:

Umpqua Feather Merchants Ultimate Boat Box

You may have notice that Umpqua has been stepping it up in the fly box department, with tons of new and exciting box configurations. New items are their Ultimate Boat Box and Baby Boat box, designfor those fishermen who like to have it all laid out in front of them. These boxes are ideal for mega storage in boats or for the traveling angler. These boxes will hold hundreds of steelhead or saltwater flies, and even more trout flies! A novel addition to this series is a foam sheet on the outside of the box, which we at Creeky have found useful for holding "on deck," flies for quick access, or for drying out flies that have become soggy before putting them back in the box. These boxes are also treated with Zerust, a rust inhibitor that keeps the hooks on your expensive saltwater flies shiny and sharp for future use! These boxes come in two sizes: Ultimate (13 1/4" x 10 x 3"), and Baby (10" x 8 x 3").

Come on in to Creekside and check them out today!

Feed Fish Flies.

Charlie Robinton
Creekside Angling Company
Seattle & Issaquah, WA
info@creeksideangling.com
www.creeksideangling.com


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Creekside Angling Company
1410A NW Gilman Blvd
Issaquah, WA 98027
425-392-3800

1308 4th Ave. At Rainier Square