Lone Lake - Whidbey Island

Though the weather has been less than desirable, for a few hardy individuals Lone Lake has been putting out some good fly fishing. We have spoke with a few individuals that have done fairly good with fish up to 17 inches. The fish have been taken on a number of different patterns though small leeches in black, olive or burgundy have been key to success as well as chrinomid patterns.

If we get a little break in the weather it would be a good bet!

Razor Clam Dig - Friday, Saturday & Sunday

We will have another razor clam dig this "New Years" weekend! So if you have nothing planned then this just might be something to do. Here's the rundown of this weekends dig.

December 31, Friday 3:40 p.m., (0ft.), Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Copalis, Mocrocks & Kalaloch
January 1, Saturday 4:31 p.m., (-0.4ft.), Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Copalis, Mocrocks &
Kalaloch
January 2nd, Sunday 5:18p.m., (-0.7ft), Twin Harbors

Good Digging!

Crabbing Area 9 & 10

The few guys that have been getting out crabbing have been having to work a little more the past couple of weeks to get get their critters. Though the numbers of crab seems to be less the size has been good. Most have been saying that the crabbing has slowed a lot from what it was when it opened. Remember that crabbing finishes up on Sunday 2 nd January. Make sure to send in or report your winter crab catch with WDFW - don't want to be surprised with the $10.00 penalty when you renew your licenses next year.

Richmond Beach - Blackmouth Fishing

While the weather and the fishing has been nothing to talk about on the local blackmouth fishing, we did talk with one of the customers on the water yesterday that managed to have a couple of blackmouth in the Richmond Beach area of area 10. The fish were 8 and 9 pounds respectively. Overall, we have had better reports coming out of area 10 the past couple of weeks, but nothing "Red Hot". At least there are a few fish to be had! Better than nothing!

Area 10 will remain over though January!

Steelheading - North Fork Stillagumish

Since reopening the North Fork of the Stillguamish has been for the most part very lackluster as far as the number of steelhead that it is producing. We are only hearing of 2 -4 steelhead coming out of the upper river (Fortsen Hole) area per day. We did however have one of the customers drop by yesterday to show off a nice 15 pound fish he caught. If you are going to get one, that is a nice one to get!

Steelheading - Reiter Ponds

John spent most of the day fishing the Reiter Ponds section of the Skykomish yesterday (10:00 A.M. till dark) and said that there was no lack of anglers, with over 100 that came and went during the time he was there. We said that he saw perhaps 10 landed during the time he was there. Though he spent a good amount of time there he did not manage to hook anything. One of the customers stopped by yesterday and was on the way out (with a fish) when John was coming in and mentioned that there had been a few other fish landed early, but nothing spectacular! We are in need of a little water to bring in a fresh batch of fish!

The Skykomish below the Sultan has been a little colored up as the Sultan is running high and dirty, apparently the slide in the upper river combined with Snohomish County PUD dumping a lot of water from Spada Reservoir.

Merry Christmas

I would like to take a moment and wish all of you from myself and the crew here at Ted's to wish you a "Fantastic" Christmas! Enjoy the Holiday with your family and friends! "Thank You" for all your support over the past year and we look forward to being able to help you in the next one!

"Merry Christmas"

Mike - Stephen - Shawn - John

Blackmouth Fishing - Jefferson Head

The past week we have been getting better reports coming out of the Kingston / Jefferson Head area. Most of the fish have been just over the 22 in minimum size, but at least we are starting to see some action. There are some really good sized unmarked fish in the 8 - 15 pound range that are being caught and released. We'll see Area 9 open the middle of next month, hopefully finding it with some nice sized blackmouth awaiting us.

Skykomish Steelhead

Overall, this week has seen some fair steelheading on the upper section of the Skykomish. The past few days we have had good reports coming in from the Reiter Pond section of the Skykomish. Though I wouldn't say it was red hot by any means but it did put out good consistent numbers over the past few days. We should continue to see some good fishing at least through the middle of next month.

Cascade Steelhead

Can't say that the Cascade steelheading has been hot by any means, with lots of the customers not finding any fish at all. Though some are getting skunked some are managing to find a few fish as we had one of the customers stop by today with a pair, one a smallish 4 pounds and another 11.
The water has dropped a significant amount and the water has cleared slowing the entry of fresh fish into the system. Though not really outstanding fishing at least there are a few to be caught. One might be wiser to focus your attention an the Main Skagit rather than this tributary.

Jefferson Head - Blackmouth

The blackmouth fishing off Jefferson Head has been a little better than it has been most of the season. We have been hearsing of some fish being caught the past couple of weeks. Though the fishing is by no means "Hot", most which we have spoken with have had at least a couple of fish for the boat. Most of the fish that have been taken are smaller (Just Legal) blackmouth though most everyone has been lamenting over the larger (into the mid teens) wild fish that they have had to release. Most everyone that has dropped a crab pot in the Kingston area has been very happy with the crabbing that they have had. Lots of "Limits" of nice 7" plus Dungies. Make sure to fish deep 100 - 125 feet on the edge of the drop offs. Don't scrip on the bait - better to have lots than not enough. Crabbing will run through January 2nd in our local Marine Areas 9 & 10.

Reiter Ponds - Friday AM Report

With the water dropping and clearing Reiter Ponds had a "Fair" bite this AM. Shawn was up this morning and said that the fishing was alright though not as hot as what he had expected. He said that there were 40 + fishermen on the pond side with an average of perhaps a little better than a fish for every other person. The highway side had perhaps 20 fishermen with only a couple of fish landed. With the river still up a tad generally the pond side is more productive.He mentioned that the drift fishermen did far better than the float and jig guys. The fish were quite bright with some still having sea lice and many fish over ten pounds with the largest pushing the 16 pound mark.

John was going up this afternoon, so hopefully we'll get a report a little later today.

Lake Washington - Cutthroat

The fishing for cutthroat in Lake Washington has seemed to improve recently. We have spoke with a number of the customers that have had some fair fishing in past couple of weeks. The fish have been averaging in the 12 - 17 inch range with a few that have pushed the tape out to 23. Needlefish spoons fished on lead core lines seemed to the trick.

Squidding

Overall the squid reports have been fairly good. Most everyone we have spoken with have been getting good numbers of squid. Though the fishing has not been fast and furious, with a little time spent you should get 3 or 4 pounds on an average evening (3 or 4 hours). The fishing has been good enough at Edmonds that most guys are just sticking with it. No need to go further as the fishing isn't any better. We have been getting good reports from the Kingston Fishing pier, for those of you on the other side of the pond. Nice thing about this pier as there is very little pressure.

We have lots of squid jigs and components on hand.

Reiter Ponds

From what we heard from a number of our customers that fished Reiter ponds today was that there was a fairly good bite. There were good numbers of steelhead hooked, however the hook up to landing ratio was not to high due to the higher water conditions. We heard of around 30 plus hooked this AM, however most were not landed. With the water continuing to drop we should see just about ideal conditions by tomorrow.

Yesterday's Steelhead Reports

Though the water was still quite high yesterday there were at least a few fish that were landed in the local streams. We heard from Reiter that there were a few fish landed in the high water. The Wallace also turned out a few fish in the May Creek section of the river. One of the customers stopped by from the Cascade with a couple of nice bright hatchery fish. He mentioned that both of his fish came in about 20 minutes of fishing.

Though we did not here of any great numbers of fish caught yesterday, conditions were far from ideal. I am sure that the reports will be much better today and more than likely even better tomorrow.

Nork Fork Stillaguamish Re-Opens to Fishing

The section of the North Fork of the Stillaguamish from French Creek to Swede Haven Bridge re -opened to fishing today as the winter steelhead broodstock requirements have been meet. Though undoubtedly there will be quite a number of anglers up there fishing I am sure that the fishing will be quite good.

Rivers Still High - Though Dropping

The rivers are starting to drop quite nicely and I would definitely be looking at some of the smaller streams and terminal areas for some fishing today! If you have time, a trip to the Cascade, Wallace, Sultan, Pilchuck or even Reiter Ponds might be quite rewarding! With the cooling weather and the lack of any significant amount of rain the rivers should come into fishable shape over the next few days. With the rivers dropping into shape and with the time of the year we should see some of the best opportunities of the season coming up!

Island Steelheading

We have had some fairly good steelhead reports coming in from the west side of Whidbey Island over the past four or five days. With the rivers out of shape, the Island fishing is the only game in town. Stop by and we'll be glad to give you the run down on the Island.

Rivers - Still High

Most all of our rivers are still quite high to say the least. They are on a downward progression, but it hasn't been fast. Hopefully, over the next couple of days with the subsiding rain and the lowering of the temperatures we should see the rivers dropping back into fishing shape. With them coming back into shape we should see some good numbers of fish in virtually all of our streams. Try some of the smaller streams first such as the Wallace, Cascade, Pilchuck or Sultan as they will drop in and clear faster than the larger waters. When they come in we should see some good fishing - better get your gear ready!

Reiter Ponds - Another Good Day

Reiter Ponds put out good numbers of hatchery fish again today. Though perhaps not quite as good as it was yesterday. Shawn was up this AM and managed to get a fish and saw perhaps 20 landed around him in the time that he was there. The way the weather looks, tomorrow just might be the last day that we might get to fish for a few. We'll have to wait and see if the weather comes in the way that Mr. Weatherman has predicted.

Reiter Ponds - Skykomish

We had good reports from the Reiter Ponds section of the Skykomish today. We spoke to a number of folks that had caught limits of nice bright hatchery fish. Though the river was still on the rise and beginning to take on a little color it did nothing to deter the fishing. There was no really hot item and fish were landed by those fishing floats and jigs as well as conventional drift fishing techniques. The next couple of days should see some really good fishing. If you can get out tomorrow or Saturday I would do such - this just might be a couple of the better days this winter season. Most of the fish landed were the typical 2 salt fish in the 5 -8 pound range, though there were a couple 3 salt fish in the mid teens landed.

Great Deal! - Temple Fork 4 Piece Salmon & Steelhead Rods

Here's a really "Sweet" deal on Temple Fork 4 piece Salmon & Steelhead rods. We have a limited number of these rods in 81/2 - 9 foot versions in 8-12 & 8-17 pound test ratings in both spinning and casting. These would make a great travel rod where space is an issue. $89.99ea

Wallace River

With the rise in the water over the past couple of days there has been a push of steelhead into the Wallace River. Shawn happened to fish there yesterday and managed to find some fish. Might just be a good place to fish for the next couple of days before the next big front hits us Saturday evening and Sunday. If this one comes in the way they say we will more than likely have very little fishing opportunities for a little while - but it might just bring in a good mess of fish with it.

New Scotty 2106 Downriggers

We have received our first shipment of the "New" 2106 Scotty Downriggers. These are the "High Performance" version of the popular 1106. Here's a little rundown on the the features.

Fastest retrieval rates in the World
20lb. weight - 260 ft/min
15lb. weight - 295 ft/min.
12lb. weight - 304 ft/min.
10lb. weight - 312 ft./min.

Pre spooled with 300' of 180lb. test High Performance 316 grade stainless steel extra heavy duty downrigger wire

1/2" Kevlar drive belt by Optibelt - the same belts used by High Performance European auto manufactures

Lighted, resettable hermetically sealed digital line counter

Adjustable stainless steel jacketed gimbal slotted rod holder

Plus all the same great features of the standard 1106


COST: $599.99ea

Stop by and we'll give you an information sheet!

Squid Fishing - Edmonds

Though the weather was far from ideal last night for squiding, a few braved the elements and did fairly well for the time that they spent. We have been hearing of some fairly good reports coming out of Edmonds for most of the season. Though it's no Slam Dunk if you put in the time most everyone has done alright, getting enough squid for a meal or two.

Cascade River

Had one of the guys stop by this afternoon coming from the Cascade and mentioned that there was a good bite there today with around 20 fish landed while he was there. In talking with the guys that were there yesterday, they mentioned that there was not any bite at all yesterday. He mentioned that the river was on the rise today and that it was just plain pouring! Evidently, the rise in the water brought some fish in from the lower stretches of the Cascade as well as the Skagit. We'll have to wait and see how far the rivers will come up. But if I had to guess I would say they will top out tonight and will be on the drop tomorrow. Take a look at the USGS just before you go to see what's happening on the height.

Reiter Ponds - Skykomish

The river is on the rise today, didn't get any reports in so far today. Hopefully, the rise in water will bring in a "New" batch of fish. The fishing the past few days has been a little on the slow side though John had a fairly good day up there yesterday hooking four and landing three. He saw a couple of other fish landed while he was there. Floats and jigs were the ticket for him.

Whidbey Island Steelhead

There have been a number of steelhead being caught from the western beaches of Whidbey Island recently. I wouldn't say that the fishing has been hot by any means but at least there are a few being caught. One of the regular beach fishermen was in this AM and mentioned that he had hooked five and landed three in three trips. Not Bad! A fish per trip average. Though there has been some better steelhead fishing in a few places so far this season, overall this fishery has produced better than average. This is a very unique fishery and the setting is nothing but outstanding as far as the view. There are few places that are as picturesque as the Island on a clear winter afternoon with the sun setting over the Olympics.



If you are interested, stop by and we'll fill you in on the details and show you how to rig up.

Fishermen - Please Look Over The WDFW Emergency Regulations

Just a reminder for everyone out there to look over the WDFW Emergency Regulations before going fishing! There are a number of emergency steelhead closures that have been put in place in order to get the required number of hatchery steelhead back to the hatcheries for propagation. Please make sure to check over the emergency regulations before fishing as not only was it implemented for the protection of the fish but it will save you a bit of money if you do happen to get caught!

So for those of you that have been fishing the North Fork of the Stillagumish from Swede Haven Bridge downstream to French Creek - this section of the river is "Closed"!

Chelan Area Fishing

Though winter has really taken a grip on Eastern Washington and the temperatures have dropped there is still "Lots" of good fishing going on in this section of the state. Anton Jones of Darrell and Dad's Family Guide Service emailed with some nice photos of some recent catches from his next of the woods. For you steelheaders there is some fine steelheading going on in the Columbia as you can see from the photo in the Bridgeport to Brewster section of the river. Floats and jigs tipped with shrimp fished as shallow as 4 feet to as deep as 23 accounted for the fish.

Lake trout fishing has been good in Chelan with the "Trench" area on Kingfisher "Lite" spoons by Silver Horde as well as Worden Flatfish. Anton mentioned to size down the size of your flatfish as smaller sizes have been accounting for a great number of the fish.

The Omak Lake Lahontan Cutthroat are also being accommodating with good catches being landed.

Anton still has his "Winter Special" going for those who want a good deal. Give him a call!
(866) 360-1523
(509) 961-5342
www.darrellanddads.com

Squiding

The Edmonds squidding has still been quite good! Most everyone that we have spoke with has not been complaining. Though it isn't a reel hot fishery, if you put in the time you will end up with enough for a few meals. For those who think you can go down and in a quick hour or two fill your ten pound bucket you might want to stay home as you definitely have to work for them. The seals and sea lions have been a problem at times when they come in to feed of the squid and disperse the schools and in turn shutting down the squid.

We have heard of squid being caught at Shilshole, Pier 91, 86, Seacrest, Des Moines, Brownsville and Illahee.

We have lots of squid jigs as well as components to build your own.

Bogachiel River - Steelhead

This is perhaps the best fishing that we have heard of this season! The harchery fish going to the Bogachiel and Calawah have been making up the lions share of the catch. The reports tat we have been recieving have been nothing short of steller! Many that we have spoke with have had double digit days! Even with the water to the point of low and clear the fishing has held up well for those scaling down their gear. The fish have been the typical hatchery "brats" weighing between 4 -7 pounds.
Don't think you will be by yourself as there has no lack of both boat and bank anglers.

This fishery will hold up well for the next few weeks.

Cowlitz River - Blue Creek Area

We have been getting good reports coming out of the Blue Creek / Trout Hatchery Boat Launch area this week. Many of the bank anglers are fishing the launch area and doing fairly well. Most have taken to fishing at night to eliminate the competition between the boat anglers and the bank fishermen. Due to the number of fish stacking up in this area there has been lots of angling pressure with the boat fishermen dragging in front of the bank fishermen and casting toward the bank and the bank fishermen casting toward the boats. Needless to say there have been a few words! If you do happen to fish here you will have to "Chill Out" and take it easy as it is what it is and everyone is competing for the same fish! Anyway, there are some nice fish being taken with some into the mid teens!

Skykomish Steelhead

Winter steelhead season started on December 1st. We have been getting some fairly good steelhead reports coming out of the Skykomish the past few days. John (who works for us) was up at Reiter yesterday and during the time he was there said that he say perhaps 30 fish being carried out. He managed to land two and lost another. Along with the better fishing there has definitely been quite an increase in the number of anglers. When we opened yesterday one of the customers was sent a photo of three nice winter fish that two of his buddies had already landed, needless to say he was quick to get his gear and bait and get going up there himself.

The reports that we have been getting from the plunkers in the Snohomish has been very good the first pat of the week, but has slowed with the lower & clearer water that we have experienced with water levels dropping.

Hopefully, we will get a little warmer weather and some rain to increase the water flows in the near future and get another shot of fish into the systems.