[Old Man]

From time to time I get quires from people here on this web site on places to fish. Well most of my fishing has been in the Greater Everett area. I never felt that I had to go anyplace else as there were so many places to fish here.

This will be appearing here from time to time as I think of some place new to fish.

Here is the first installment.

This is on the Foss river. You take the Foss River road off of Hiway 2 past the town of Skykomish. It in turn turns into FSR(Forest Service Road) 68. follow that road to where it crosses the Foss river. The road goes to the right a little ways past the bridge. There is a road to the left but it follows the Tye River(Later for that one).

Stay on FSR 68 for a few miles until you come to FSR 6835 (There are several roads off of that service road, don't take them unless you are into exploring).. That one goes to the left, you want to stay to the right. You will come to a small bridge, go over that one. The next bridge you come to is over the Foss river. Park before the bridge on the left side of the road. There is an unimproved CG on the right before the bridge.

Here is where the fun begins. It looks like you can't get through the brush at the side of the road. But after you break through the brush it opens up. You just have to follow your nose thru the woods to the river. Once there you can go up or down stream to fish.

The river gets Summer Runs and also some nice Cutts. They could be sea runs but this is a long way from the Salt. It is easy to wade and the river has some nice holes in it.

It has been a few years since I've been there but as old as I am I don't think that I'm going back in any time soon.

But due to the snow pack it depends on what time of the year you can get in there. I always tried to go in late July until September. Standard dries worked well for me. Caddis, Stimulators, Humpies. I never tried nymphs but I believe they would work also.

Jim

 

[orangeradish]

I'll be keeping my eye on this gold mine of a thread. You're a good egg, OMJ.

 

[bitterroot]

This should get some panties in a nice, tight twist! :rofl:

 

[Chad Lewis]

Thank you, Sir.

 

[ceviche]

Here is where the fun begins.

Oh yeah! :rofl: Clean cast, perfect presentation...

It looks like you can't get through the brush at the side of the road. But after you break through the brush it opens up. You just have to follow your nose thru the woods to the river.

:rofl::rofl::rofl: You can just see them rising to Jim's bug.

I can't wait to hear from the people who actually had the gumption to try and penetrate that wall of brush. I can just hear them saying to themselves, "It's gotta be just a little bit further. It's gotta open up any minute now... Old Man Jim said..." Sweet! That's one heck of a long cast, Jim: Across two mountain ranges to land in your old home waters. You still got it in you!

To be honest, I recently took a bike ride along the Burke Gilman Trail and the Sammamish slough. I was amazed at how much the brush has grown along the banks since the last time I went poking around there. Maybe two years? It's now like a wall along most of the trailside bank in Woodinville.

All I'm saying is that people should come with girded loins when the word, "brush," is part of the story. Yeah, yeah, "Just an Old Man talking." I know. Still, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't also taking notes.

Carry on, OMJ! We miss you out here!

--Dave E.

 

[Skysoldier]

OMJ you need to go ahead and write a book about your life as a fly fisher.

Ceviche it's funny you say that because I have been on two rivers this year that made be stop and think "where the hell did all that brush come from", I am sure it was not like that last year.

 

[wetline dave]

You might want to check the regs. before heading up that way!!!

If I am reading them correctly the Foss is closed but the Tye is open.

Dave

 

[Old Man]

Why does somebody always throw the REGS into something. I always checked the regs when I fished in Washington. And I believe that the regs say the tribs of the S/F of the Skykomosh are open from the 6th of June to the end of October. I don't believe that I would send you all into closed waters.

 

[wetline dave]

Re checking the regs it is open. Sorry about any confusion! It appears to be open until the end of November.

The steelhead must be getting trucked above the falls.

Dave

 

[Steve Call]

Thanks OMJ. I fished the Foss over 30 years ago... sh*t maybe 40. Anyway, if I remember correctly there were a lot of little cuts there - great fishing. I may have to go bush-wacking up there soon.

Steve

 

[Old Man]

They have been for as long as I have been fishing up there and it's been a long time. But I heard a little burp that they were going to quit it. Since I ain't there I never paid it no never mind.

 

[Old Man]

Oh hell here's another place on the Foss. Depending on what map you are looking at it could be the East Fork or the West Fork.

Go left on FSR 6835. You will cross a new bridge(it was new the last time I was up there), continue on until you come to the river. Don't cross the bridge. Just before the bridge there is a short turnout to the right. It goes into an old DNR CG. Go down into it and park by the big pine tree. There is a somewhat kind of trail down to the river there. In years past it used to be cleared out in there. But now it is grown up. Well just make it over to the river and fish. I got me a 21" Steelhead out of the hole there on a size 14 Black Humpy on a 4wt rod. I used to catch quite a cutts out of that hole also. Up to 14". Most of my fishing was with dries, but I believe a good nymph placed just right could do some good.

This hole doesn't have any rocks to stand on as they are not just the right kind of rocks to stand on. But when the water is low you can go up or down stream.

And if you are into exploring that area out. Just continue on down that road. There are two places off the road that I know of, but you will just have to find them.

 

[JesseC]

Jim - why don't you start an ebay auction on a washington gazetteer with all your favorite old spots marked up? That way one lucky person can get all your secrets without letting in the whole world.

You could donate the funds to the OMJ wild (turkey) fish foundation.

 

[Jim Wallace]

A lot of good this does me, living where I do. Talk about being in the wrong place at the wrong time! Sheesh! The Old Man spills the beans on the good fly fishing, and I'm out here in no man's land, third worldly as it is, groveling in the shorebreak! Dang!!!!

 

[Lugan]

OMJ, just curious: Why the sudden urge to be so generous with an entire Internet full of strangers?

 

[Buck]

Ya Jim, Most of the people on here (always) are guest. right now 7:23 am Friday, 21 members, 74 guests (trolling). Keep a tight lip Jim. The secrets (or not) spots will be littered with sand shrimp containers and beer cans, do you want that?
Shhh. Your getting old, old man.

 

[troutramp]

I'm not one to look a gift horse in the mouth, I also dont know where any of these places are but they sound pretty cool. are these bigger rivers or smaller streams?

 

[Old Man]

OMJ, just curious: Why the sudden urge to be so generous with an entire Internet full of strangers?

I don't know. Just something to do I guess. I have been fishing for a long time and I guess that I like to share where I've been.

I have met and fished with one hell of a lot of people here on this web site. Some places I will give out and some I won't. I had a marked up Gazetteer and when I moved to Montana I just gave it away. Every place I have fished I have seen human garbage left behind. Maybe, just maybe if I give out these places people will be more careful about what they leave behind.

Some people will look at this and say I've been there before, so why bother. I didn't catch anything. And to some it will cut down on the hunting out a new spot. I can't get out so I might as well help a few out. I took a spill a few days ago up on a small creek here in Montana and it takes me longer to heal than it did when I was younger. Or maybe I'm just NUTS.

 

[Old Man]

I'm not one to look a gift horse in the mouth, I also dont know where any of these places are but they sound pretty cool. are these bigger rivers or smaller streams?

These are smaller rivers. I prefer small Skinny water to bigger skinny water. Small water is easier to wade.

Where I'm talking about is the head waters of the Skykomish River.

What gets me is all the places that I have fished you can drive to. It's just getting away from the road that is the thing to do.

 

[fodf]

OMJ, you are an icon on this site. Thank you for this post..what a cool thing that an old fart living in Dillon, who prolly has more collective ff knowledge in WA than many of us combined, would share a historic haunt or 2 of his from bygone days. I, for one, thank you sir for sharing the knowledge of an old sage.