[Niveous]

After picking up fly fishing again and this being my first winter to fish(kind of hard to do that in Montana) I wanted to open the discussion of where you guys go to fish in the winter. I know a lot of it has to do with river levels. I have yet to really try any lakes in washington but I really would like to get out and try some. I also like to know what kind of techniques people use for steelheading. I have done a lot of research but like many of you know that you learn more by doing and watching someone who is better then you. I don't really know anyone that is familiar with the area and the techniques So I really only have the research I have done and posts I have read.

I guess that would also go for SRCs too. I have not had any success on any of the Seattle beaches - Lincoln Park, Alki Beach, Carkeek Park, Golden Gardens. I am 0/20 on the beaches thus far. I started fishing again after the pink came through so I missed the good beach fishing I guess. I am reading Les Johnson's book on SRCs which is as close as I have been to one so far. I read lots of post and try to soak up all the knowledge, its just frustrating the occasional times I do get to fish I go the the beaches because they are close but fail to figure them out yet - The only really success I have had is on the Snoqualmie- 4 pinks and 1 Steelhead. Tried the sky once but skunkola. Think I was a little to far down and river was a little high.

Sorry this ended up longer then I planned on but I am up for hearing any Tips Tricks for steelies, Srcs or knowledge in general, or even some spots to try out in the winter. I'm not looking for people's favorite holes- that's cheating. It's just there are so many damn rivers and lakes here + the ocean it so hard to decide where to go - so I settle for the closer places and don't do as well as one could. I consider myself a pretty good fly fisher it's just the techniques are quite different here then where I always fished in MT(biggest part being dry vs. nymphing) I think fishing also is one of those sports where you don't really get to observe how people fish because your out in the middle of nowhere most the time. (or like me pick spots that no one is at so there probably are no fish there) Anyways thanks if you read this and I appreciate any feedback.

 

[Old Man]

Well I for one never liked to fish in the salt. But you have to hit the tides at the right time of score on the Searun cutts. I believe that is is right at slack tide and the incoming tide that is the best.

As for lakes. You just have to see what is open and what is closed. Most lakes have a public boat launch.

Also try to hook up with somebody on this site and see if they will take you out under their wing so to speak. Or hang out at one or two of the shops that sponser this site.

And I'm in Montana and I'm not having any problem finding water to play in in the middle of winter. But sometimes I'm told that I'm off my rocker.

Jim

 

[Niveous]

Thanks Jim. I have been mostly hitting the beaches an hour before high tide-- maybe that is the problem I get there to late.

 

[hendersonbaylocal]

Thanks Jim. I have been mostly hitting the beaches an hour before high tide-- maybe that is the problem I get there to late.

Niveous - It depends on the beach, but I'd say an hour before slack is probably not the best time anywhere. If I'm going out for the day, I'll generally try to hit the water a little after slack tide. The key (for many spots) is to be there for the big current push which happens sometime between high and low (or vice versa).

Hey, you caught a steelhead this summer... and some pinks! You're not doing too bad.

 

[sroffe]

For fishing the beaches it is important to watch the tides. However, I've caught resident fish closer to slack tide, but in the coves rather than on a point.

There are lots of fishing opportunity in the winter. Pass lake is open year round, and is a popular lake. If your in a float tube, prepare to freeze your lower extremities off.

 

[Kyle Smith]

There are lakes, lots of them. Check out the area East of Duvall, and don't go much higher up than 500 feet. Lots of cutthroat, some brookies as well, just make sure the lake is open. Suggested flies: Adams #20, prince (no bead) #14-18, wooley bugger #10-14.

 

[Greg Price]

Rocy Ford.

Warm water

Fish feed all year in this warm (in winter) cool (in summer) spring fed creek.

Nasty drive over the pass.

Very cold winds, but most days feature at least a slice of sunshine, you can see the trout in the cyrstal clear winter waters, and hiking around the sage brush is a great change of scenery from dreary, crowded freeways of my home here in Seattle.

Don't feel too bad about getting skunked at Lincoln Park. I live less that a mile from Lincoln but hardly ever fish it due to numberous skunings experienced over the years.

 

[wetline dave]

The Snoqualmie is kind of a love hate relationship! I fish the river quite abit below Fall City. There seemed to be some steel around all summer but as usual darned hard to find. The SRC's just didn't seem to stick around where I normally fish. Maybe they just went further up river.
To hook up on a summer run is an accomplishment. They are all wild fish and not huge numbers.
Just because no one is fishing some where does not mean there are no fish. There's a lot of water east of Duval that holds good numbers of self propagating fish. These are wild fish and just aren't like hatchery plants. They can be frustrating and lots of people fish these waters and never hook up. They expect the fishing to be comparable to put and take lakes like Pine or any of the other heavily planted lakes.
I won't name any lakes openly but there is a string of lakes I have fished a great deal in the spring. They hold some really large cutts, bass and perch. The cutts are generally well over 14 inches and every year I will get lucky and hook-up with a 20 plus. Bass can go to 7lbs and larger. Perch can go upto 14 inches. The funny thing about these lakes is that they get very little pressure and people come in and fish for a few hours and claim there are no fish and never thankfully return.
Search and you will find some pretty good water close to home!

wet line Dave

 

[Jon Brengan]

I've had good luck at Picnic point - outside of Mukleteo, look it up on Google maps. I think this beach fishes best on a high tide, but I'm sure there are others that wouldn't think so. I have caught Cutts from this beach, in fact my first came to the fly there. I've just used clousers in a aray of colors there. Good Luck!

 

[Batt B]

The Snoqualmie is kind of a love hate relationship!
To hook up on a summer run is an accomplishment. They are all wild fish and not huge numbers.
wet line Dave

There were 28,800 summer-run hatchery smolts planted in the Snoqualmie in 2007...most of which would have returned this summer (the survivors, that is). This is not to say they are easy to catch.

http://wdfw.wa.gov/fish/harvest/07-08/smolts.htm

 

[Preston]

As a matter of fact, the only native summer-runs in the Snoqualmie system are those which return to the Tolt River; they are few in number and the native stock has probably been seriously diluted by years of hatchery plants. All summer-run steelhead upstream of the Tolt are of hatchery origin.

 

[salt dog]

If you're 0/20 in the salt, definitely something wrong, most likely its the water you're fishing. Lincoln Park, Alki Beach....hmmm...these beaches are generally pretty slim for Coastal Cutthroat except for the occassional straggler, and ok when salmon are running, and the other two you mention are fair to mediocere but see a lot of traffic. Try rocky beaches with a stream of any kind running near it. More important than tides is to fish heavily pressured water at first light.

 

[Old Man]

At first light, Hell I'm still sleeping at first light. Here where I fish the fish bite at all hours. So no getting up at O dark Thirty. I have to wait until the sun comes up so I can warm up my old bones. And I have also lost my web feet.

 

[Olive bugger]

I'm with you Jim.

Charlie

 

[wetline dave]

Matt. thankyou for the plant up date. Those fish must have been shipped in from another hatchery. Tokul Creek Hatchery is a winter fish facility as far as I know.
However just for the record I have never caught a fin clipped summer run in the Snoq. But then I generally fish well below Fall City.
Preston is correct in that "most" of the wild summer runs are of Tolt origion. But not all. I have witnessed summer run fish spawning in a couple of runs in the main stem in the past few years. There are still a few fish that make their way up the Raging and a few that for reasons known only to the fish that go up Griffin Creek. It would not surprise me if some still go up Cherry Creek and maybe Tokul too.
From my discussions with biologist it is believed that maybe somewhere around 1000 plus or minus wild summer runs are returning to the Snoq. Depending on who I talk to some think the returns are up and others think they are stable. so your quess is as good as mine.

wet line Dave

 

[Old Man]

Getting back to Fishing in Washington in the winter time got me into thinking. While I do miss a few things in the winter time in Washington, rain isn't one of them. I kind of miss fishing with the guys. Hell I have fished with many from this site. So I never had to fish alone.

But since I don't see much rain where I live now. It's the snow. It snows and then it sticks around forever. We had some snow about a week ago and none since then and it's still on the ground.

 

[Batt B]

The summer-runs stocked in the Snoqualmie were generally from Reiter. Some folks believed a lot of them went right back there as adults, too.

Enjoy your Snoqualmie steelheading now, as we may not have that option in the near future. While that would suck, I would love to see the wild fish in the system make a comeback. I would also love to see a genetic study on the fish in the system. Lots of speculation about how wild the stream-origin fish are.

 

[rwbailey05]

i have some friends who own property right on the river up from Fall City, they say 15 years ago when they built the home that the salmon and steelhead runs would be overwhelming. You could see the fish from the windows of the home. But i recently was tlaking to the home owner and he said that he can see that the fishcount is down, simply just by looking out his window.

Does anybody know the plans for the snoqualmie and the actions taken to help the fish return?

 

[wetline dave]

This past summer a section of the dike was removed downriver from Carnation. Supposedly this is going to in time improve spawning water in that section of the river.

One of the real big problem on this, and maybe a lot of rivers, Is that people wade all over the spawning beds. It is rampant up off David Powell Rd. and many other areas accesible to waders. Redds become nearly invisible after a period of time. And if a person can see a few redds how many are not visible for any number of reasons. It only takes on misplaced step to wipe out a bunch of spawn. At times the fisheries people will actually mark redds with orange tape. And guess what, I have seen fly guys standing on top of the tape!!
It is wonderful thinking to believe there is a magic wand that will restore wild fish populations. But until people become more aware and NOT wade in spawning water the problem will not go away.

OK that is my rant for the day.

wet line Dave