[Guest]

ok so far this year i have fished the snohomish, the stilly, the sky , beckler and pilchuck creek. everytime i go i catch at least 15 fish. the problem is the are 6-8 inches. is that the norm or am i just going at bad times. i was at the stilly just under the arlington bridge today from 8-12. i caught about 8 little ones. dont get me wrong i like catching fish, but i would really like to catch something a little bigger. something that i can actually have a fight with. also i want to wade, no lakes please....any body have any help. ive talked to local fly shops and they tell me to go to the sound. i really dont want to, but im ready to give up and fish saltwater.

 

[937]

Saltwater learning curve can be pretty depressing. Best idea would be to search the archives, find out who fishes where, and send them a PM asking if you could tag along for the day. Worst they could do is say no. Pretty sure many folks here would take you up on it. I'd take you out but I'm pretty much just an A-hole

 

[Luke77]

i want to wade, no lakes please....they tell me to go to the sound. i really dont want to

These statements severely limit you. I'd broaden your horizons a little bit and you might get into some bigger fish.

 

[Gone’r]

those fish you're catching are steelhead smolt. and should be avoided if possible and treated as gently as possible when caught. sea run cutts are in all the "S" rivers at this point. run a bigger fly to avoid some of the pesky smolt and help you target the cutts. go to your local fly shop and buy a handful of white "sculpzilla" flies in both the standard size and the small size. killer SRC pattern and has a knack for sticking the piggies. the smolts try to eat it but rarely connect.

 

[Josh Huizar]

I would have to agree with what you are saying but dont loose hope, one of my buddies says cedar holds some big fish around 18 to 25 inches. Personally I have only fished Nisq/Grn and have plans to go to MF Snolq/Yak.

 

[Guest]

thats because i like fishing rivers and streams. ive fished alot of lakes and yes the fish are larger, but i dont have a boat and dont care to buy one. how come whenever i post a thread in this forum all I get is bs. i say i dont wanna fish the sound, and the first answer is get is......FISH THE SOUND. or broden your horizons...why even comment on a thread if you arent being helpful?

 

[Salmo_g]

Hondamatic88,

Answers that you think are BS might actually be helpful, if not always tactful.

Do big fish even exist? Yes, of course they do. But they don't exist everywhere, and for the most part they don't exist where you've been fishing except in the form of seasonally more abundant steelhead, sea run cutthroat, and bull trout.

The first thing someone who wants to catch big fish would do is to learn where big fish live. It's fairly apparent you haven't done any homework considering where you've been fishing and then asking this question. Think about it from our (WFF members) perspective for a moment. How much help can we lend a person who's so dumb about fishing that he can't tell the difference between BS and help?

Read the "so you're new to fly fishing" thread. Do some researching on this web site. There's a ton of information. Some useful things you can learn:

1. Large resident trout in western WA streams are few and far between because most fish in streams that drain to salt water are sea run, and are only available in rivers at certain times and places. If you want to catch one, it's your responsibility to learn where, when, and how. We can help you with some of that, but not all of it.

2. Salt water and lakes are where there are more big fish more of the time. That's one major reason why so many people fish there and why those suggestions were made to you.

3. If I just wanted to BS you, I could have said, sure there are lots of big fish in whatever river you were fishing. You just need to learn how to do it. That would be BS.

4. If you really want to fish the west side creeks and rivers, you're mostly going to catch 8" fish because that's mostly what lives there.

5. If you want to catch big fish, then you must be willing to go where big fish live and fish there. To expect big fish to come where you are and let you catch them on your terms is really stupid. Don't be alarmed, many of us started out there, but we grew out of it. As a result we drive thousands of miles each year, spending hundreds of dollars on gas (& food and lodging) to catch the big fish that we cannot catch in streams here. Be willing to fish when and where big fish are, or be content with your 6 - 8" trout. It's really that simple.

Sincerely,

Salmo g.

 

[Guest]

Because everyone is in a bad mood guy! I am too --- its hot and low water -- no rain, it sucks right now for river fishing. And Sean is right about the little guys----- stop catching them or don't fish! you are only hurting and not helping. Go fish with a couple of guys. Ask around and someone will love to help you out. Fish up a little higher in the river system and stay out of the Stilly ( nothing there ) fish the Skagit above the Sauk or the Sky above Monroe. Just remember August sucks and soon there will be Silvers, Dogs and Steel just around the corner. These guys are just rough - its tough love! You will soon be a Jedi......... Good Luck and Tight Lines.

 

[Go Fish]

If you are fishing in a high traffic area chances
are slim to none that you will find large fish.
If you are fishing someplace with no roads, a long difficult
hike into, and never spoken about, then you will find
bigger trout. Get away from the rivers on I 5 and go
East or West. Thats where I go for big trout in rivers.

Dave

 

[Guest]

Salmo_g....ur a jackass. what do you mean i havent done my homework. what can I do besides fish different areas and SEE FOR MYSELF what the water is like and what fish are in them. also I have talked to my local fly shop and asked them where to fish. I am even a member of this website and have posted threads and read numerous threads on where to fish. ISNT THAT DOING MY HOMEWORK? this is the BS that i am talking about. i get some pompus ass senior member that treats my like shit and tells me im dumb because im new at fly fishing and have lots of questions. everyone starts out small. how did you learn about where to fish? whats the point of this forum anyway? to treat new members like ass and laugh at them. or to share knowledge and maybe make some new fishing buddies. i had enough of jackasses like you. all ballsy in a forum, but your just a pansie. from now on ill steer clear of forums. im cancelling my membership

 

[Gone’r]

fishing for SRC's that range 10"-20"s is the best thing going, on a slow day expect a couple on a good day upwards of 20 fish is easily possible. they are in every river, the snoqualmie and the stilly are the easiest to fish on foot. ive successfully caught them on each trip ive been on in the last 2 weeks with a few surprises. couple big bulls and some hog rainbows. streamers are the ticket to really target the piggies. a floating line and a weighted fly like the sculpzilla i suggested or my favorite lately has been an olive over white double bunny. PM me and i'll put you on some great water that will get you started.

Sean

 

[nowhere]

Honda,
Sounds like Rocky Ford might be right up your alley. Salmo G gave you great advice...all true and he was pretty nice about it too.

 

[Salmo_g]

Hondamatic88,

Go ahead. It's your loss.

Yeah, I'm a jackass. But if you fished where you say you fished expecting big fish, then no, you sure as hell haven't done your homework. Just because you posted some threads and asked guys at a shop where to fish isn't necessarily enough in your case, or you wouldn't have fished where you did with the apparent expectations you had.

Also, I made a special effort to treat you nice, but you can't tell that from shit. This leads me to think you may have a learning disability. Unfortunately I'm not skilled at dealing with those. If you think you're going to get better quality help elsewhere, uhm, good luck with that. If I'd wanted to treat you like shit, I would have written much differently.

In case you haven't cancelled yet, read on. You asked how I learned about where to fish. Well, I learned mostly the hard way at the school of hard knocks. I didn't know any experienced people who fished except an old guy at a mom & pop gas station and country store. And he fished by plunking, either single eggs in a lake for trout or cluster eggs and a spin-n-glo in rivers for salmon and steelhead. A pretty poor beginning for a budding fly fisherman. So I stumbled around making just about every possible mistake I could think of and some that I couldn't. Sort of like what you seem to have done. I fished all the wrong ways in all the wrong places for the wrong fish. I didn't catch much, but I had a helluva' database. Eventually I pieced some bits and pieces together about what worked, where it worked, and when it worked. Then I got more data, like how many fish WDG planted and where and when those fish would be available to catch. And on and on. So thereafter I tried to fish in places where there were fish that I was interested in catching. Then I had to learn techniques that would catch them. That was a whole 'nuther matter, but like the first, it paid off with more consistent catches. In hindsight, I can't believe how stupid I was thinking I could catch a fish that wasn't even there in the first place. Which is why I suggested that you learn where the fish are that you want to target, so that you aren't wasting your time fishing in the wrong places. But what could I know; you think I'm a ballsy pansie jackass.

Sg

 

[DiejehHehdudhhe8373737]

.

 

[Luke77]

Salmo_g....ur a jackass. what do you mean i havent done my homework. what can I do besides fish different areas and SEE FOR MYSELF what the water is like and what fish are in them. also I have talked to my local fly shop and asked them where to fish. I am even a member of this website and have posted threads and read numerous threads on where to fish. ISNT THAT DOING MY HOMEWORK? this is the BS that i am talking about. i get some pompus ass senior member that treats my like shit and tells me im dumb because im new at fly fishing and have lots of questions. everyone starts out small. how did you learn about where to fish? whats the point of this forum anyway? to treat new members like ass and laugh at them. or to share knowledge and maybe make some new fishing buddies. i had enough of jackasses like you. all ballsy in a forum, but your just a pansie. from now on ill steer clear of forums. im cancelling my membership

bawling:bawling:

:rofl::rofl: You haven't seen shit yet!!

You've been "doing your homework" now, by my calculations for approx. 2 months (based on your self admitted newbie first post) and you're pissed because you're not a steelhead slayer? Then you come ask for advice, get it, and can't handle it. Guess what ricerboy, fly fishing isn't for you and neither is this forum. Please do delete your account.

 

[Preston]

Gotcher panties in a wad? Salmo has given you the straight skinny; there are opportunities for big fish in many streams around here, BUT YOU HAVE TO KNOW AT LEAST A LITTLE BIT ABOUT WHEN THEY'LL BE THERE. Sea-run cutthroat up to 20 inches are only now beginning to enter the rivers. Because of the relatively sterile composition of of the water in many western Washington streams, most fish have adopted an anadromous lifestyle. Steelhead, sea-run cutthroat, and salmon may rear in freshwater for a limited period of time, but go to salt water to feed and grow and only return to the rivers to spawn. Most of the small fish you have been catching are steelhead or salmon parr and smolts and are best left alone.

 

[Mumbles]

All this excitement. Mr. Honda sir, consider your fishing outings a success and over time you'll get them dialed in such that you are finding the bigger fish in those systems. Your success may be higher than others. Perhaps for now, while you are encountering smaller fish, fish those areas and fish lighter gear. A 6" trout on a 5wt rod is not very sporting for some, but on a 3wt or 2wt you'd be in close and having a nice bend in your rod. The search function sheds much light on places that hold fish, some are more prone to smaller fish. If the flowing water is the thing that suits you the best then adapt to make the small fish you encounter more enjoyable. If you have to have bigger fish to be happy then you might have more homework to do, as others have suggested. You don't have to buy a boat, use a big rod or bow down to any recommendation or sarcasm offered you. You asked, take the input, filter it and grow, or don't. It is all up to you.

 

[nowhere]

thats frigging hilarious Alpine!

 

[Guest]

Hey no steroids on this site pal. But you do have a pretty mouth. Get the popcorn out this is going to be a long ride.

 

[Luke77]