Washington State Fall Steelhead
Reports
Steelhead fly fishing report 12-12-07
Chrome hatchery fish are arriving with
strong regularity, the
catching has been improving daily and the weather is co-operating.
A good mix of requirement for catching a fish or two for the
BBQ.
Not however a good time to have forgotten the camera, sorry
no new pic’s for this outing. Both Mike and myself caught
fish on the swing and Jimmy had two great days in a row nymphing
as the water is coming into great shape.
I have days available for hatchery season at $350 a day for
two anglers.
Steelhead fly fishing report 11-23-07
The holiday season is here and the steelhead action can still
be favorable. I must confess that when I arrived on the river
this morning I was not my usual highly optimistic self, toward
Steelheading success.
About ten times a year steelhead amaze me with there active
bite under tough conditions.
Twice this has happened on the Wenatchee this fall, once when
the river was rising straight up with logs flowing and the fish
still came to our flies. This time it was less than favorable
water temps, at a high of 36 degrees around 3 pm. We had a couple
of good pulls, grabs or whatever at the first hole we seriously
swung. We renewed our optimism and fished through one of my favorites
without a thing. The fish were there we seen them rolling just
not biting. The last two runs gave up three more hookups, a wild/hatchery
fish and a hatchery fish for the BBQ and the dreaded break off.
All in all I would say these fish have fully converted to cold
water life and will resume their bite.
Steelhead fly fishing report 11-4-07
The Wenatchee has continued to produce well for me. After a
slow day on Monday, the only one of the month. The rest of the
week brought good fishing on swung flies. Light tips, type 3
and any fly of confidence, swung correctly will find steelhead
through out the river. The water temp is crucial this season,
as well as were we fish in the run. Lower water and good water
temps will keep this fishery fishing well. We have some November
dates open for those interested.
The Methow is dropping and water is cooling to mid thirties
in the am. Mid day is by far the best time of day, lots of October
caddis still flitting around but no luck on skated dries. Have
not been nymphing for two weeks. The swung leach is still finding
a few only in condensed holes. Much slower this week than the
previous.
Need some warmer days. I think the Wenatchee will be the place
for the week or so, warmer and larger to accommodate a swung
fly.
Thank you for your support and keep an eye on the e-mail
newsletter for an in depth update of fishing techniques and
locations.
My uncle Gordy shot a nice buck last week in the Methow valley.
He has been hunting the valley every year for over fifty seasons
and continues to do it well.
Steelhead report: 10/29/2007
Wenatchee River literally doubled in size over three days and
with rising water came tough fishing. We managed to land a couple
of fish each consecutive day fishing the spey with sink tips
and dry tips in the evening, surprisingly good results, considering
the conditions. With diminishing return and continued rising
water I left for greener pastures and found good angling on the
Methow.
The Methow greeted me with more guide pressure
than I had seen all season. Not to be deterred we
found great
fishing on the swing. Friday the best day since leaving
the Wenatchee brought us five for seven nice fish on swung
flies and nothing on the nymph rig.
Cold weather has the water temps down under 40 deg. in the am
and freezing guides through 9am. even so, good fishing in the
am and pm with the classic sunny day slow down at noon. Found
another good bull to fill in the great Methow bi-catch results.
November steelhead should continue to show as the full moon
is filling both the Met and Wenatchee with new arrivals. Steelhead report: 10/22/2007
Sorry for the lack of fishing reports but I have been fishing
dark to dark every day and time is scarce :) ...
The Wenatchee River has finally opened with great expectations.
First light brought steelhead on a good spey cast with light
tips or dry tips with black buggers.
Fairly good action continued through the day with a slow down
in mid day, pretty normal and not the slam dunk of hopeful anticipation.
Virtually no trout as a reliable by-catch. By days end good numbers
of steelhead had come to our net and action was split between
nymphing and swing techniques. We fished among five boats and
fifteen bank anglers in 4.5 miles of river, somewhat light for
an opening and easily manageable.
The Methow continues to produce steady action for wild and hatchery
steelhead. Pressure has not slowed with the opening of the Wenatchee
but leveled off to what I would call light. The swing game has
picked up considerably using a dry line at days end and sink
tips in the AM.
Landed a huge Bull trout that tried to eat a five
lb. steelhead, he just hung on into the net! What a toad!
Steelhead report: 10/12/2007 
Methow River opened on October 6th. With the opening came
the crowds, driving down the river glowing lanterns from walk
in anglers illuminated the stream bank like a very curvy roadway.
Most anglers where pleasantly surprised with a steelhead at first
light on a waked dry fly, and others found only the crowds.
The following day most of the anglers had returned to there
other routines and vacated the river.
Good to great angling is now the norm for me, with change of
light bringing a good swing bite and mid day nymphing finding
a few steelhead. Wild fish are showing with greater than previous
years' consistency and hatchery fish are moving in daily.
My favorite approach has been a Muddler on a dry line in shallow
fast water.
The Wenatchee opens the 22 nd . Not sure which I will like more,
having this river back on the fishable list or the pressure it
pull away from my beloved Methow. I see the rest of the fall season
being one of the best in the last ten. Baring a bitter cold spell
good fly fishing should continue into December.
Tip: Remember only
fish with clipped and healed adipose fins
can be retained,
and should be retained to insure the best integrity of natural
spawn. I say this because many fish have the tell tale stubbed
dorsal of hatchery fish but spawned of wild indigenous steelhead
stocks at the Wells Hatchery and considered replacement natives
intended to boost natural production.
Steelhead report: 10/21/2006
Fishery: Klickitat river, Goldendale, WA
Recent rains have refreshed the river,
we have had new runs of chinook and steelhead as well as a few
coho showing. Good color of water, snappy steelhead, and some
huge Kings have added up to great possibilities. On Saturday,
I left my favorite swinging hole after landing two steelhead and
seeing what looked like fresh coho coming through the rapids.
Time was short so I was unable to find out for sure. This week
my wife and I are celebrating our 20th wedding aniversary, I
haven't a clue about a gift, for her, but I'll be attempting
a fishing week with her at some remote local spot. She loves
the trout fishing but I will be indoctrinating her on steelhead
on a dry fly. Hopefully she's going for that!
==================================================================
Steelhead report: 10/17/2006
Fishery: Klickitat river, Goldendale, WA
Good fishing persists with some days in the great catagory. The swing
game has resumed with a fish on the surface here and
there. Sink tips to 150 gr. have been the top producer on the
swing, add a small marabou or spey style fly and all is good.
The nymphing has continued to produce with the salmon spawning.
It would appear that the Methow or the Wenatchee may not open
this season, so I am going to take a few days to travel abroad
to some old haunts in search of dry fly steelhead action.
My dry fly clock will be running on overtime with November on
the horizon.
==================================================================
Steelhead report: 10/9/2006
Fishery: Klickitat River, Goldendale, WA
October 2006 - Fishing Partners
Guy Cantrell & KC Royals Mike Sweeney with a 35lb Chinook
This last week has proven to be one of the most lopsided in
my steelhead history. Fishing on Monday starting at a bankers
9am. Four anglers caught seventeen steelhead by 5 pm.
The next day starting at 8am, same guys same stretch three hookups
one of which was a 35lb Chinook on a swung fly. How lopsided
is that? The same went for the rest of the week; two fish one
day eight the next.
We have been landing and hooking very fresh fish to the 15lb
range, with a few nicely colored summer brawlers. These fish
this year are larger and harder fighting than the last few seasons.
I expect nothing but more and better steelhead fishing to come.
I anticipate the Methow River to be of the same quality when
it opens, but we will be fishing dry fly's for the first two
weeks. There is more water this season so I should be able to
float it for my guide days. Book now - I have a few days left
open after the 16th of October
==================================================================
Steelhead report: 9/25/2006
Fishery: Klickitat River, Goldendale WA
Finally the weather has cooled to near normal conditions and
is offering us great water clarity for fly fishing. In the last
two weeks, I have had highly mixed results but have not gone
a day without some sort of steelhead opportunity. The later days
have been the best with numbers reaching 5 to 10 fish each day.
I have been having great results swinging the fly and others
have had better nymphing. Basically any day could produce the
best of the season right now, no matter which method you prefer.
I have been skating dries a little in chosen spots and did manage
one fish for one hour. Not bad, I think this will improve with
more October Caddis showing. As for now I will be on the Klickitat
river until something else comes along.
John Narver on the Klickitat September 18, 2006
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