Creekside Angling report 12-15

[Fishing Report]

December 8th , 2011


The Window of Opportunity Fishing Report

Winter Steelheading is all about hitting your window of opportunity. For those of us who aren't lucky enough to be on the river every day, success comes with patience, careful planning and a little bit of luck! Experienced steelheaders watch weather patterns and river levels closely. When storms come in and the water goes up, they bite their nails with anticipation, knowing that bright fish are coming in with every fresh rain. The key is hitting it just right.

Get too anxious and you will find yourself in a chocolatey mess, wait too long and the river will be low and clear. The fish might be there, but they will be less agressive, overpressured by other anglers and much less likely to pounce on a swung fly.

As predicted, the 1-2" of rain that dropped on us weekend before last brought fresh fish into many of the river systems surrounding Seattle. For the first week or so after the rain anglers who were in the right place at the right time hooked up. By now the rivers are dropping and clearing, but the fish are in and from now through January every freshet will bring the promise of a steely on the swing!

In other news, Creeky just got a big shipment of books and gifts right in time for the Holidays. We have all kinds of great titles, including DVD's like "The River Why," and the new "Connect," film as well as coffee mugs, humidors and even some cute baby gear for that aspiring Tim Rajeff in your family!

We understand that fly fishermen are very particular creatures and at times it can seem downright impossible to shop for them. If you can't find that perfect gift, remember that we also offer gift certificates for any dollar amount.

We also have an array of great class options from advanced fly tying to private spey casting. Classes make great gifts for the fly fisherman or woman in your life and can be a great way for fishers to hone their skills for the upcoming season, or learn some new hot patterns to tie and fish. Don't know their availability? No sweat! Just get them a gift certificate for the amount of the class and they can choose a date that works for them.

From all the staff here at Creekside (and Max a.k.a. Milksy), we wish you and your families a safe and happy holiday season and best of luck in landing that steelhead of your dreams!

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 Its cold outside, but the smile on this young fisher-lady's face should warm the hearts of the scroogiest, most grinchy anglers out there. And its nice to see a Western Washington rainbow that isn't ten sizes too small!
#2 Brats are in on the coast! I stuck this chrome bright hatchery fish on a trip out to the O.P. this past weekend.
#3 Just in case you didn't realize it is steelhead season, here is another beauty caught by Felton Jenkins on a recent trip to the Skeena.

Oh yeah, and for all of you that actually read our blog, check our first video addition to the popular "Fly Tying: 101," segments. This one is a little rough given it was shot on an i-phone, but look for more clarity and better editing in the future as we work out the equipment and nail down our methods! Either way, we are pretty excited about it! check it out here.



Yakima: With the fairly consistent weather we have been having the Yakima is fishing quite well, which is no surprise for those anglers that fish it consistently throughout the winter. Fish have definitely switched into winter mode now on the Yak, podding up in the slower water and deeper seams. Go low and slow with a double nymph rig under an indicator on light flourocarbon tippet. Stoneflies, midges and small mayflies will be your best producers this time of year. Don't forget to bring a few midge emergers and dries. On warmer than average days the fish will feed just under the surface on midge pupae and even rise to dry flies! It doesn't happen every day but if you are prepared you won't regret it! 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: There are chum around in the Skagit, though not many. There are also some nice chums being caught in the Sky. The big draw right now isthe steelhead that are showing up right now in Western Washington rivers. Locally we've had good reports from the Snoqualmie and the Sky. If you have time for a weekend trip get out to the coast. The bogachiel and Sol Duc both got a decent shot of fish during the last rain and guys are catching them. At the moment most of the rivers are going to be low and clear, with the exception of the Cowlitz which Tacoma Power is running at about 10,600. The Cow is tough for fly fishers above 10,000cfs but the fish are there and it will be worth the trip once the flows drop a bit. For the rest of the rivers, low clear water will make fishing a bit tough, but the fish are in. Fish deeper runs, pockets and slots with good bottom structure, also don't overlook the fast choppy water at the head of the run. Fish a very slow swing with lighter leader and smaller flies in drab colors or, dare I say it, switch to a nymphing rig with a small stonefly and an egg pattern or bead. Flies to try: Small to mid sized 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: Beaver Lake was planted recently and has been fishing well for huge stocker 'bows. If you like to fish in the rain go drag a wooley bugger or leech around and have fun! Rattlesnake Lake is open year round and still producing some fish. This time of year deep sinking lines and slow retrieves are your best bet. 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. Scuds and midges on fine flourocarbon tippet are the key to success with these fat, chunky 'bows. If all else fails, throw on a black or olive zonker, sculpzilla or similar baitfish pattern and strip it slowly. You will be surprised how the fish respond! 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 fishing well right now. Focus your attention on the South sound, where cutthroat hang around and feed throughout the winter. Cutties will respond to a variety of flies, but I like to focus on small herring, smolt and sand lance imitations and/or crustaceans. Clousers, epoxy head baitfish, marabou sand lance, rolled muddlers, foul free herrings, west's imitators and spiders will all produce. On certain South sound beaches you may even stumble upon a pod of resident coho!

Classes/Events:

"TYING AND FISHING FLIES FOR MAYFLY HATCHES"
with Skip Morris

Last chance to sign up for this event before the 13th!!

On Tuesday December 13, Skip Morris (author of ten fly-fishing and -tying books
including FLY TYING MADE CLEAR AND SIMPLE, WESTERN RIVER HATCHES, and TROUT FLIES FOR RIVERS to name but a few) will return to our shop to conduct a 2 ½-hour tying/fishing
clinic. The title of the clinic is "Tying and Fishing Flies for Mayfly Hatches," and that pretty much says it.

Skip will provide you a handout with dressings and photos of the flies and information on the major mayfly hatches of the West. During the clinic he will switch from a Powerpoint presentation to tying (with a videocamera and a television to really show what he's doing) and back throughout the evening. The
photos show the insects and the imitations as Skip explains how the hatches work and how
to fish the flies effectively. During the tying segments you'll see his technique close
up projected on a screen from video camera live. Skip's been performing and polishing
photo/tying clinics for years and they're very effective learning tools and entertaining.
Ask questions, take notes, enjoy the show.

Clinic starts at 6pm. Cost is $35 per person and space is limited. Please call Issaquah @ 425-392-3800 for more info or to sign up.

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:

Dec 16th 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 2/25 and Sunday 2/26/12 Issaquah, WA
During this two-day workshop (or you can sign up for only one day), fly-fishing
authors/instructors Skip Morris and Rick Hafele will take you to a new level in fishing
trout rivers and lakes--they’ll teach you about the insects that move the fish (Rick is a
bonafide entomologist), hw to imitate those insects with the right flies (with some
demonstration on tying them, though this is not primarily a fly-tying workshop), the
techniques for fishing the flies effectively, how to read the water, and much more.
Skip and Rick have taught together for years and have an easy and friendly style.
They’re also concise--the information will be clear and useful.
The first day is all about rivers, the second day is all about lakes. You can sign up
for both days or only one of the two.
Between them, Rick and Skip have written 17 books on fly-fishing topics and have played
host on several instructional fly-fishing DVDs. They’ve also done radio, television, and
have spoken all over North America and overseas.
The dates, again, are February 25 and 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).
For more information or to register, go on-line: hookednow.com/events



1410 NW Gilman / 1308 4th Ave Seatle, WA, Issaquah, WA 98027 / 98101
About
Creekside Angling Company opened it's doors in 1994 and has everything for the Fly Fisher... expert and novice alike. Founded by Peter Corbett, Hugh Pastoriza, John Hess and Scott Lisle
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Phone
Issaquah - 425 392 3800 / Seattle - 206 405 3474
Website
http://www.fishcreekside.com