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Skunked Today

1K views 10 replies 5 participants last post by  MacTFO 
#1 ·
I went to Canyon Creek today and got skunked. It help if you know what you are doing. The water was very cold, probally in the 50's. I saw no fish, but I only fished a very small portion of the creek. Water was pretty fast from runoff. Man, this fly fishing thing is frustrating. Is it common for snow melt fed creeks to be running cold the first part of the summer? :beathead:
 
#2 ·
That's not uncommon for high gradient, snow melt creeks like Canyon Creek to be running hard and fast this time of year. Given this year's lack of snow pack, conditions may easily change within the next couple of weeks. Were you nymphing or fishing a dry? In a stream like Canyon, you'll typically want to concentrate on the pockets behind boulders, the slower insides of current seams and anywhere it appears a fish may get some respite from an otherwise raging current. Another great small stream approach is to fish a large, visible, high-floating fly like a Stimulator with a generic nymph pattern (ex. Hare's Ear, Pheasant Tail, soft hackle patterns, etc.) about 12" below the dry as a dropper. Small stream trout on the westside of the Cascades are opportunistic feeders and aren't generally too picky about what they eat. This time of the year with the water temperatures being a little cooler, those little trout that are still warming up may be more apt to go for your nymph, which is drifting by at their level and thus, is harder to pass up. When that happens, watch the big dry dip like a strike indicator and the game is on. Give it some time, the mountain streams may take a couple of weeks to really get going.

On a side note, I live in Bellingham and would be glad to take you out for a day to help boost your learning curve. Fly fishing is about as enjoyable as it gets for me, but I remember long ago just how frustrating it was to figure everything out. PM me sometime.
 
#3 ·
Man, thanx for the info. I was using a small black caddis. I threw it in front of and behind rocks and in what little slack water there was. As far as going woth you, you must have read my mind. I was going to ask you the same thing. I am still not competent at casting. Email me at lwinslow73@comcast.net. I will give you my number. Talk to ya then.
 
#4 ·
Another thing to consider is getting in on some lake fishing action. I am new to this sport and spent my first 2 summers trying to fish a stream/river. This year I have fished on various lakes about 8 times so far and have been catching fish on every outing. Lake fishing will alow you to try different patterns, different techniques and practice how to set a hook and bring a fish to hand. I will be on streams/rivers soon and feel that the practice I have done on the lakes will help quiet a bit.

Best of luck :thumb:

Shawn
 
#6 ·
I'll agree with hooked. This is my first year and I started out on the Yak not know much about anything. I went camping one weekend and caught my first fish on a fly rod on one of those Quincy lakes. Then I don't know if it was a stroke of luck(what am I talking about, of course it was), I got my first bow on the yak on monday, what a great feeling. I am heading up to Bellingham to do some fishing with my brother, so maybe I'll see you guys out on the water :beer2:
 
#7 ·
Well that's our streams for you. It is funny but there just aren't many fish in these skinny waters unless you put in your time and learn a few spots. It has taken me quite a few years to learn where the fish are at and they ain't at. But I think that with all of this rain that we had raised the level of the rivers and it would be best served to let them come down a little and have another go at them.

I understand that Canyon Creek up off of the Nutsack fishes better later in the year. So it might be to soon so I would look for a small stream that doesn't get fed with snow melt. I have a few down where I live and am going to go try them as soon as I get up off my butt and away from this computer.

Jim
 
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