One time when I was about 18 years old in the '80s I had climbed Mt. Pugh in the beautiful region near the White Chuck. Back then I did a lot more climbing than fishing. It was late September and Mt. Pugh was as walkable as it ever gets and also the White Chuck was as clear as it ever gets.
So at the end of a long day, I wet-waded around and walked up the White Chuck a bit, casting dries.
I suppose I was pestering smolts and possibly the odd resident bow with a royal coachman, when suddenly a huge steelhead took the dry. There was no real fight, but I saw the fish.
At the time I thought nothing of it and, quite honestly did not really know how to interpret it. Years later now, I do honestly believe that it was an encounter with a rare summer run steelhead in that tributary.
If one day, during my ever so brief vacations in WA, I have the opportunity to bust my ass getting into those parts again, then I plan go to the NF Sauk above the falls and fish for resident coastal trout, not smolts, hiking and bushwhacking a bit to get to the better of them. And if I ever go to the Suiattle, then I want to combine it with a (rather long, possibly overnight) mountain bike ride to Downey Creek and see what is in there where the washed out bridge trail meets up with the creek again. I have heard of some adventurous entries into Downey Creek. This is all stuff for September and October. But bigfoot also lives there and frowns upon pesky visitors. It is good to have fly fishing goals, but I don't know if time, health and energy will allow me to get there.
I think a lot of us would be interested in any recent, hard facts about either of these two tribs. But I suppose anyone who knows anything about them keeps hush-hush about it (as well they should). I don't know anything much about them.
Sincerely, Chris.
