North Fork Stillagumish - Winter Steelhead Season

Remember the North Fork of the Stillagumish has a regulation change that goes into effect after Midnight tonight, with the river reverting from a "Fly Fishing Only" regulation to Bait Allowed and normal river regulations.  This has always been a traditional "Winter Steelhead" kickoff for the North Fork with many anglers going to the Fortson Hole and fishing conventional gear the second it changes over.  Some years there are a good number of winter steelhead mixed in with the left over summer run fish which usually accounts for some good fishing.  This is not a fishery that appeals to everyone, but is unique to say the least.

Fly Fishing Pass & Lone Lakes

Over the past couple of weeks we have had some very good reports coming from both Pass Lake and Lone Lake from the fly fishing portion of our customers.  Everyone has been talking highly of the action they have been having this Fall.  Most of the guys have been fishing leech type patterns on a sinking line and fishing tight on the bottom.  Lone Lake fish have been averaging around 14 -16 inches with some a little larger while the Pass Lake fish have been a tad bit smaller.  With the milder Fall weather we have been having this fishing should continue for a while until Winter finally comes.  Fly wise we have been seeing fish coming on smaller wooley buggers, bead head Canadian mohair leeches and micro leeches.  Colors have been fairly typical in the normal blacks, olive, brown and maroons.

Upper Columbia Steelheading To Close

Fishing for steelhead, whitefish to close Dec. 1
on several rivers in the Upper Columbia Basin
OLYMPIA - Steelhead fisheries on the upper Columbia River will close one hour after sunset on Dec. 1 from Wells Dam to the Highway 173 bridge at Brewster and on the Wenatchee, Icicle, Entiat, and Methow rivers.
Several whitefish fisheries scheduled to open that day will also close an hour after sunset Dec. 1, including those on the Wenatchee and Entiat rivers, as well as on the Methow River downstream of the confluence with the Chewuch River in Winthrop.
Jeff Korth, Regional Fish Manager for the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW), said the closures are necessary to keep impacts on wild steelhead within limits established under the federal Endangered Species Act (ESA).
The closures will not, however, affect steelhead or whitefish seasons on the mainstem Columbia River from Rock Island Dam to Wells Dam, or from the Highway 173 Bridge in Brewster to 400 feet below Chief Joseph Dam. Those fisheries, plus steelhead and whitefish seasons on the Okanogan and Similkameen rivers, will remain open until further notice under previously published rules.
"This year's run is smaller than in recent years and contains a relatively high proportion of wild steelhead," Korth said. "Those factors, combined with steady angler effort, increased the rate of encounters with natural-origin fish in some fishing areas this year."
Although anglers must release any wild, unmarked steelhead they intercept in area fisheries, some of those fish do not survive and are counted toward ESA impact limits.
The federal permit authorizing the steelhead fisheries sets a maximum allowable mortality of natural-origin steelhead to accommodate variations in run strength and angling effort on specific waters. WDFW closely monitors the fisheries and enforces fishing rules to protect wild steelhead.
The primary reason the upper Columbia steelhead fisheries are permitted is to remove excess hatchery fish from spawning grounds, said Korth, noting that those fisheries provide popular recreational fishing opportunities and economic benefits for rural communities throughout the region.
Specific waters that will close to fishing for steelhead an hour after sunset Dec.1 include:

• Mainstem Columbia River: From Wells Dam to the Highway 173 bridge at Brewster.
• Wenatchee River: From the mouth to the Wenatchee River at the Icicle Road Bridge, including the Icicle River from the mouth to 500 feet downstream of the Leavenworth National Fish Hatchery Barrier Dam.
• Entiat River: Upstream from the Alternate Highway 97 Bridge, near the mouth of the Entiat River to 800 feet downstream of the Entiat National Fish Hatchery.
• Methow River: From the mouth to the confluence with the Chewuch River in Winthrop.

Areas closing to whitefish angling an hour after sunset Dec. 1 include:

• Wenatchee River: From the mouth to the Highway 2 bridge at Leavenworth.
• Entiat River: Upstream from the Alternate Highway 97 Bridge, near the mouth of the Entiat River to Entiat Falls.
• Methow River: From Gold Creek to the confluence with the Chewuch River in Winthrop.

Areas that remain open to fishing for hatchery steelhead include:

• Mainstem Columbia River: From Rock Island Dam to the boundary markers below Wells Dam and from Highway 173 Bridge in Brewster to 400 feet below Chief Joseph Dam.
• Okanogan River: From the mouth upstream to the Highway 97 Bridge in Oroville.
• Similkameen River: From the mouth upstream to 400 feet below Enloe Dam.

When these fisheries are open, anglers must retain any legal hatchery steelhead, which can be identified by a clipped adipose fin, they catch until they reach their daily limit of two fish. Once anglers have retained two fish, they must stop fishing for steelhead.
Night closure and selective gear rules remain in effect for all areas where steelhead seasons remain open. Bait is allowed on the mainstem Columbia River. All anglers must possess a valid Washington fishing license and a Columbia River Salmon/Steelhead Endorsement to participate in these fisheries. Revenue from the endorsement supports salmon or steelhead seasons in the Columbia River system, including fishery enforcement and monitoring. The endorsement has generated more than $1 million per year to maintain and increase fishing opportunities throughout the Columbia River Basin.

Marine Area 9 - Admirality Inlet - Tomorrow Is Last Day For Blackmouth

Just a reminder that tomorrow is the last day to fish for blackmouth in Marine Area 9.  It will close after tomorrow and not re-open until January 16th.  Don't despair however as Marine Area 8.1 and 8.2 will stay open as well as Marine Areas 6 and 7.  Both the Port Angeles Area and the San Juans are both really good areas for those willing to travel.

Snoqualmie River Steelheading

Though we don't have a considerable number of our customer base that regularly fishes the Snoqualmie we have at least heard that there has been at least some fair fishing for winter runs in the "Big Eddy" section of the river.  The fish that we have heard of have been smaller 4 - 7 pound hatchery winter runs.  With the "Selective Fishery" regulations that are in place through the end of the month there has been very little pressure on the river.  I am sure this will change when these regulations go off on Saturday December 1.

At least this will give one a choice in where you might fish over the next couple of days.

Skykomish Steelhead - Reiter Ponds Area

After the high water this past week and the river dropping there was a fairly good bite for a few days, with Sunday being the best.  However, the fishing has slowed the past couple of days.  Not to say that it is non existent, but it not s productive as it was.  John was up yesterday and fished the better part of the day and managed to hook just a single fish that he landed of about 8 pounds.  All told he said that there might have been around  a dozen fish landed though out the entire day. Not bad but not exactly hot either.  We have more rain coming for the week or so, hopefully not so much as to put the river out of shape.

Whidbey Island Steelheading

Though we have been seeing some fairly good numbers of winter run steelhead on the Snohomish system now for the better part of a week it was only yesterday that we heard of steelhead being caught on the western beaches of Whidbey Island.  I have been surprised that it hadn't been turning out fish earlier, but after all it is fishing.  We heard yesterday that there were three hatchery fish taken off the beach at Lagoon Point.  All the fish were typical hatchery fish in the 4 - 8 pound range.  Though it was not an overly productive day on the beach, at least it was a very good day to be on the water with no wind and the sun out.

We should see the most consistent beach fishery for hatchery steelhead from now through mid January.

This is a very unique fishery as it is one of the few areas where steelhead are caught on a regular basis in the saltwater. 

We have everything that you will need to fish the Island.  We have rigged Bush Point Specials as well as all the components to build your own.

"New" Lamiglas Steelhead Rods

We now have a good selection of the "New" Lamiglas X11 salmon and steelhead rods in stock.  These are a "Great" value rod with most of them in the $89.99 range.  We have a full range of styles in both bait casting and spinning.  Stop by and take a look.

Lake Chelan Reports - Darrell & Dad's Family Guide Service - Anton Jones

   What’s hot is trolling for planter rainbow trout on Roses Lake.  Continuing hot is trolling for Lake Trout near the Yacht Club on Lake Chelan. 

    On Roses Lake, we pulled flies around for the majority of the fish.  We used #6 cone head muddler minnows with a small Mack’s Lures smile blade in front for an attractor.  We found that 1.5 to 2 mph was most effective and getting down to 15 or 20 feet produced the most strikes.  However, this is all relative.  Everybody there seemed to be catching fish.  We averaged a bite every 2 or 3 minutes for over 4 hours.  The fish are very eager and would probably bite any decent presentation.  We saw a number of bank anglers having success using dough baits on slip sinker rigs.  I would recommend Pautzke’s Fire Bait in American Wildfire to do this work. 

    On Lake Chelan we have been running up to the Yacht Club to catch our fish.  Worden Lures venerable T4 Purple Glow Flatfish has been productive as well as Mack’s Lures, Cha Cha Squidder.  Silver Horde’s Ace Hi Flies have also worked.  Speeds of 1.2 to 1.6 mph worked best. 

    Your fishing tip of the week is to remember the very productive trolling technique of idle / resume in response to a bite that doesn’t hook up.  On Roses and Chelan this was very effective the last time out.  Remember that trout and salmon try to disable their prey before eating it.  When you get a bite that does not result in a hooked fish, idle the motor for five to ten seconds so your presentation appears to have been stunned or crippled by the fish striking it.  This frequently results in the fish returning to eat your lure.   Then when you resume your trolling speed again it appears that your lure is trying to escape, once again triggering the predatory response in the fish. 

    The kid’s tip of the week is to get your kids to Roses before the thin ice period kicks in.  The Chelan Falls hatchery crew planted about 12,000 catchable size fish recently and the fishing is excellent.  These are nice twelve inch footballs that are very plump and healthy.  Dress them up warm and watch for signs of discomfort, but the hot action kept my 4 year old granddaughter and 6 year old grandson in the game for quite some time.  The bag of Trail Mix didn’t hurt either… 

    The safety tip of the week is to remember sand for launching boats at Rufus and Chelan now that we are entering winter.

Anton Jones of Darrell & Dad's Family Guide Service

1-866-360-1523 or www.darrellanddads.com

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Edmonds Pier - Squidding

If you are wanting to do a little squidding this season you just might want to give the Edmond's fishing pier a try.  We have seen a much better season this winter than we have seen in years.  We should see it continue until around the middle of January when the squid go into the spawn and then die afterwards.  When squidding don't get disappointed if you go down and spend an hour or two without getting anything as it is a waiting game.  You just have to put in the time and you will be rewarded for doing such.

Generally if you fish the last couple of hours of an incoming tide through the high slack and darker nights with either a heavy cloud cover or no moon tends to be the best.  Likewise if you have slower tide movements you will also do better.

If you don't like the crowds of the early evening then get up at 2 or 3 in the AM and go down and give it a try.  You will find that there is plenty of room for you.

If you have any questions just stop by and we'll be happy to give you a hand.  We have lots of squid jigs on hand.

Skykomish Steelheading

With the fair fishing yesterday and the first good weather that we have had in quite some time there was quite a number of anglers fishing the upper Skykomish today.  Those that were fishing the Reiter Ponds section of the river saw a number of bright winter run steelhead landed, though the numbers of fish landed versus the angler numbers did not equate to a high catch percentage.  We did have one of the regulars that managed to catch his limit this AM.  Another managed to hook a couple but did not manage to land either one.

There were a great number of anglers fishing the Wallace River section of the Skykomish playing with the last of the chums.  Those that were in the area said the fish were for the most part looking quite tired.  I would have to say the chum fishery is on it's last leg.

Blackmouth - Marine Area 9 Admiralty Inlet

This weekend we had a couple of good days for chasing blackmouth off the Possession Bar before it closes at the end of the month.  We talked with a number of our customers that made it out over the weekend and everyone had fish.  Not everyone had limits for the boat but at least they had enough action to be satisfied with the fishing.  Most of the keepers that were retained were in the 6 - 8 pound range.  We did talk with a number of fishermen that had released nice low teen wild fish.  It was everything from soup to nuts as far as the tackle that fish were caught on.  The guys fishing flashers with squid, coho flies or small spoons seemed to have lots of action however a lot of it was with small shakers.  Those that fished plugs or larger single spoons seemed to stay away from the smaller fish to a greater extent and also had the larger fish.

We have through this next Friday to fish Area 9 before it closes and after that we will have to be fishing other open areas.

Sage 3106 Canadian Mooching Rods

While cleaning up recently we came across 3ea Sage 3106 Canadian Mooching Rods.  They are all brand new and in the cases.  These rods are 2 piece, 10 1/2 foot, line rated 12 -25 pound and are made for a single action Mooching reel such as an Islander, Shimano or Daiwa.

These rods will run $499.99ea.

Give us a call if you are interested.  I am sure they will not last long.

Lake Washington Perch Fishing

Though it is getting a little colder, the few guys still chasing perch on Lake Washington have been doing just fine.  It is still not too late to get a bucket of these fine eating pan fish before Winter is here.  The barge mooring area out of Kenmore has been a good spot to focus your attention.  You can catch your first perch on a jig such as a Swedish Pimple and then go to small pieces of perch meat afterwards.  Remember not to keep any more than you want to clean.  Many have been greedy and once they have filleted a few have found that perhaps it's a little too much work.

This is a great fishery for the kids as long as the weather does not spoil the day.

Skykomish Steelheading

Though the river came up all day long yesterday and topped out at 12 feet at midnight last night the river is dropping fast and though high it was fishing today in the Reiter Ponds section.  We just had a couple of the guys in a few minutes ago that had four nice winter fish.  The largest a big buck with just a little color that was in the high teens.  They said there were a number of fish caught there today.

With the cooler weather and the water dropping fast tomorrow would be a good day to spend at least a couple of hours on the water.

So far the fish that I have seen this season have all been larger than normal.  Hopefully that will be the trend this season.

Last Weekend For Blackmouth in Marine Area 9 - Admirality Inlet

Just to give you a quick reminder that this will be the last weekend to fish blackmouth in the Marine Area 9.  This area will close this next Friday, November 30.  So if you are wanting to get out and do a little blackmouth fishing on the Possession Bar this will be it until it re-opens on January 16th.  The fish we have been seeing have been in the 6 - 8 pound range with a few into the mid teens.

Hopefully, the weather will cooperate and we will find some time to get out and fish.  Don't forget that crabbing is still open, so you might want to drop a few crab pots.  Overall, we are seeing a greater number of hard shelled crab in the catches compared to what we were seeing when it opened.

For those of you that are unable to make it out before Area 9 closes remember that Marine Areas 8-1 and 8-2 remains open through April 30, 2013.  Marine Area 7 San Juan Islands will open on December 1 and run through April 30, 2012.  Marine Area 10 also remains open though January 31. Marine Area 6 also opens December 1 and will stay open though April 10, 2013. So as you can see we still have a number of fishing opportunities throughout the Winter. 

Just remember to be successful on the winter blackmouth scene to keep you gear fishing within 10 feet of the bottom and fish the edges of the shelves for the best productivity.

Cascade River Winter Runs

The Cascade River on the upper Skagit at Marblemount has been turning out a few nice winter run steelhead over the past week.  Wouldn't say that the fishing has been hot but it has been good enough to say that you have a reasonable chance at least of seeing some caught by your fellow angler.  There are still a fair number of Coho in the system though the greatest number of them are well over the hill.  There is an occasional bright Coho still being caught. 

Skykomish Winter Run Steelhead

For the few of you that were able to get out and steelhead fish on the upper Skykomish yesterday there were a few dime bright winter steelhead caught.  John (who works for Ted's) managed to land a nice 7-8 pound winter fish for the couple of hours he put in.  We also had another regular that managed to land a pair of winter fish yesterday, the largest 10 pounds.  John also saw a few other fish landed up in the Reiter Ponds section of the river while he was there.

Traditionally, Thanksgiving Day has always been a time to start your winter run pursuits on the Skykomish with enough fish in the system to say you have a reasonable chance of catching one.

Hamilton / Lyman Area Skagit River

We have been getting some decent coho reports coming from this middle section of the Skagit the past couple of days.  Most of the fish have come from boaters tossing plugs into the slack water areas which the coho tend to favor.  The plug of choice has been the Brad's color BW29, though fire tiger, flour red herringbone, flour red and flour pink have all accounted for fish.  Twitching jigs, tipped with a small piece of sand shrimp or prawn has been productive also.

Winter Blackmouth Fishing

The reports that we have been getting from the saltwater has been fairly good for blackmouth.  We have heard good reports coming from both Possession and Satchet Head areas of the Possession Bar.  Jefferson Head down in Area 10 has also been kicking out good numbers of fish.  Most of the fish we have been seeing are in the 6-8 pound range with a few fish pushing into the mid teens.  Most of the guys we have spoke with have been fishing Tomic or Silver Horde plugs in both the 4 and 5 inch models.  Colors have been tending toward the 600, 602 and 603 models in the Tomics and the color 60, 61 and 62 in the Silver Hordes.  These colors are all basic "Glow" plugs of the Mother of Pearl varieties with Chartreuse or Lime Green enhancements.

Spoons fished either by themselves or in conjunction with a flasher have also been productive.  Give a White Lightning Cream, Cookies and Cream, Irish Cream or Lemon/Lime Cream a try.  I generally fish them by themselves without a flasher.  By doing such I am able to fish lighter gear, making the fight more enjoyable.

Skykomish River Chums

We are still seeing good numbers of chum salmon being caught in the Skykomish.  Fish any of the slower even flow water in the 4 -6 foot depths.  There have been good numbers in the Wallace flats area, as well as the Afternoon hole and the Al Borland Park areas.  Most of the bank anglers have been fishing 1/4 -1/2 ounce marabou or rabbit jigs tipped with a small piece of sand shrimp or prawn.  Try colors such as Cerise, Purple/Cerise, Purple/Black or Chartreuse to entice them.  Boaters have also been fishing jigs as well as back trolling plugs such as Kwickfish in the K-13 or K-14 sizes as well as the 3.5 Maglips by Yakima Bait Co.

There are still a few Coho around but they are few and far between, we have heard of an odd winter steelhead but also few and far between.

Fresh Sand Shrimp

We just received a limited supply of fresh sand shrimp this afternoon.  If you are needing some for the weekend give us an call and we can put them away.

If you are going to be needing shrimp for over the Thanksgiving weekend, put in your order.  We will have the order delivered on Wednesday.

Cascade River Coho

The Cascade River out of Marblemount put out some good fishing for coho today.  We have had a couple of the guys that took the trip this morning and both did extremely well fishing this upper Skagit tributary.  Fishing floats with eggs or just conventionally drift fishing with corkies, yarn and eggs were both very productive techniques. 

The upper Skagit was also in shape to fish today but the middle and lower portions are still a few days away.  Hopefully the rains will not continue relentlessly and keep the river out of shape.

Snohomish / Skykomish Silvers & Chums

With the rivers dropping and clearing after the high water event of last weekend and the first part of the week we have see some fairly good fishing for Silvers and Chums on both the Snohomish and Skykomish today.  The plunkers down on Douglas Bar did quite well today.  We also heard good reports coming from both the bank and boat fishermen fishing the Skykomish.  The river from the confluence to the Wallace flats section produced well.  Even though we are seeing a little rain coming back into the picture this evening I am sure it is not enough to put the river back out of shape.  We should see some good fishing this weekend for those that want to get out.

For the bank fishermen, give the Tualco, Lewis Street, Al Borland Park, Sultan or mouth of the Wallace River a shot.  A float and jig combo tipped with a piece of sand shrimp or prawn a try.  For jigs give a 3/8 or 1/2 ounce twitching style a try in purple/black, purple/cerise, cerise or chartreuse colors a try.

If you have never fished Chums you are in for a tussle, as pound for pound they are as strong as any salmon.  They are very good sized with the average fish being 11 -13 pounds and we have seen some pushing the 25 pound mark this season.

Stop by and we'll be happy to help you out on getting geared up.

Squid Fishing - Edmonds / Seattle

We have been hearing nothing but good reports coming from the squid fishing scene off the Edmond's Fishing Pier as well as the piers in Seattle.  Most everyone we have spoke with has had good results this season.  Some evenings are considerably better than others with some being quite good from the start while others you just might have to work diligently just to get a few.  But unfortunately there is no rhyme nor reason to any fishery other than put in your time and you will eventually be rewarded.  Overall, I would have to say this is the best squid fishing that we have seen in a number of years.

This year there has been a trend for most to fish two jigs with a slightly larger weighted one on the bottom of your line and about 18 inches above a smaller non-weighted version is tied.  Another trend has been scenting the squid jigs with shrimp scent.  The Pro-Cure paste or Smelly Jelly Sticky Liquid have been the favorites.  This is the first year that I have heard of guys doing such.  I've asked a number of fishermen if they think their productivity is increased by scenting and everyone has said that it does.  I suppose that I will have to give it a try in the near future.

Bayside Salmon Derby - November 3rd & 4th 2012

Bayside Marine's 21st Annual

Salmon Fishing Derby

November 3rd & 4th  2012

$2,000 1st Place

Ticket price is $30.00 for 2 days of fishing

View Derby Rules Here 

 Also the

 2^nd Annual

Bayside Derby

 Team Tournament

 Winner Takes All!!

$50.00 per Boat

Team Boat 2 Day combined

Total fish weight

No limit on anglers per boat

All Anglers must also have a Bayside Derby Ticket

And follow Bayside Derby rules

Blackmouth and Silver Salmon only

Proud to part of the Northwest Salmon Derby Series

http://northwestsalmonderbyseries.com/

This is a "Great" local salmon derby and all the proceeds go to the local food banks.

November's Here

November has arrived!  Though the weather has finally turned to the blustery, rainy Fall that we usually expect there are still many great fishing opportunities for those who are willing to brave the elements.  Here's a few things that come to mind for November!

Blackmouth fishing here in Puget Sound.
Coho fishing on most of the Puget Sound rivers.
Chum salmon fishing on the Skykomish.
Chum fishing at Hoodsport, Chico Creek, Kennedy Creek,  Mud Bay and various other spots.
Crabbing here in Marine Area 8-1, 8-2 and 9.
Cutthroat fishing on Lake Washington and Lake Sammamish.
Perch fishing on Lake Washington.
Trout fishing on many Puget Sound Lakes.
Salmon fishing on the upper Peninsula rivers.
Salmon fishing on the Grey's Harbor rivers.
Saltwater steelheading for winter run steelhead off the western beaches of Whidbey Island. (Yes, it has started!)
Winter Steelheading on a great many coastal, Puget Sound rivers and Columbia River tributaries.
Squid jigging off many central and southern Puget Sound docks.
Smelt jigging at Coronet Bay and Oak Harbor.

These are just a few of the multitude of fisheries that one can partake of this month.