Recent Fishing Reports for Washington. 8/12/04

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[size 1]Here are some recent fishing reports for your state. They come from the States report area and may include some flyfishing information as well as Salmon and Steelhead information. These reports will pick up from where the last ones left off. [/size]
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Cedar River - August 11th, 2004
supplied by: [url "http://www.fisheyesoup.com/redir.php?recKey=127,re"]Puget Sound Fly Company, LLC[/url]
RECORDED: 71 ° FISHING: Fair
The Cedar River is almost as good as it was hyped up to be! The best water for big fish can be found from Highway 18 down to the mouth. Please stop by or call Puget Sound Fly Company at 253-839-4119, if you have any more questions.


FISHING: We received a Cedar reality check this week. In the interest of fair and balanced reporting, the fishing has been pretty slow these past few days. The unusually good fishing last week can probably be attributed to that freshet of rain that we received. Since then the river has dropped and warmed slightly. Unfortunately it was enough to take the average daily total down to a couple of Suckers and a nice trout or two. Fishing very early or very late is the best option now, or better yet, more rain!

Still, it is close to home and remember, only 19 days left to fish the river.


Techniques: In addition to having been caught a few times, these fish are gettting pounded by beer enthusiasts in truck tubes. Fish weekdays, early or late. Find deep dark spots well away from the road.
Nymph fishing with a strike indicator is the most productive technique. Look for 4’-8’ of “walking speed” water with some cover.

Streamer fishing is less effective than it was in the begining. Use either a sink tip or sinking leader with a steamer fly and an erratic retrieve.

Dry fly fishing has been better than ever. If you can stay untill dark, you stand a good shot at one of the rivers famous monsters, on a dry!


Hatches: The Cedar is surprisingly fertile and has some good insect activity. Currently we are seeing some very good ‘Yellow Sally’ (small tan/yellow stoneflies), Pale Morning Duns, and Caddis. Unfortunately the fish aren’t always looking up during these hatches. Try mornings and evenings.



Flies: Nymphs: Bitch Creek, Disco Midge, Bird’s Nest, Tan and Brown Sparkle Pupa, Rubber Legged Hare’s Ear, Copper John (copper colored)

Streamers: Conehead Muddler (olive, brown, black), Rag Sculpin, Trout Bait, P.R. Spider

Dries: Yellow Sally, Tan Elk Hair, Light Cahill, PMD, Yellow Stimulator.

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Neah Bay - August 11th, 2004
supplied by: [url "http://www.fisheyesoup.com/redir.php?recKey=127,re"]Puget Sound Fly Company, LLC[/url]
RECORDED: 65 ° FISHING: Excellent
Neah Bay consistently offers saltwater anglers the best fishing in the Northwest. We at Puget Sound Fly Company hope that this report will help anglers plan their trip and prepare them with up to the minute conditions.



FISHING: Ibn, Corey, Mitch and Tyler all spent the last several days at Neah bay. Fishing was great (still). In addition to picking up great numbers, the fish are larger than average right now. Most of the anglers reported 6-7lb. averages with 8-10lb. fish mixed in. If you have a boat or the skills to navigate a rental boat, go to Neah Bay now! I can't explain this too many times, this is my favorite fishing in the State, period.

There are a few examples of fish and flies in our photo gallery. If you are planning a trip be sure to call 253-839-4119 or stop by the [url "http://www.pugetsoundflyco.com/"]shop[/url].
Be certain to stay current with updated NOAA marine weather forecasts (see below). The fishing can be fantastic but not worth dying for!



FLIES: Shock and Awe, I.C.B.N.H. Tubes, Clouser Minnow

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Skykomish River - August 11th, 2004
supplied by: [url "http://www.fisheyesoup.com/redir.php?recKey=140,re"]The Avid Angler[/url]
RECORDED: 80 ° FISHING: Fair
The Sky continues to be low and clear and fishing is generally slow. The recent rain brought the river up slightly and a very few fish were reported taken swinging flies in the surface.

I would recommend fishing early and late and using smaller buggy looking flies.

DO YOUR PART FOR WILD STEELHEAD!!!

On Saturday, August 28th, the WA Fish and Wildlife Commission will have a public hearing on the recent moratorium on retention of wild steelhead in Washington waters.

Since the moratorium was issued there has been considerable pressure to return the regulations to a limited catch and kill fishery and the commission's purpose for the 8/28 hearing is to hear the public speak out on this issue.

We have spoken with the Wild Steelhead Coalition and they have informed us that written testimony is weighed as heavily as oral testimony. What does this mean to you? If you can take 5 minutes and draft a short letter to the Commission showing your support for the moratorium, that would be greatly appreciated by all of us who love to fish for steelhead.

The address to send your letter to is:

Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission
600 Capitol Way North
Olympia, WA 98501-1091

A short letter sent via mail has more impact than Email or a form letter signed by many. So if you support catch and release of wild fish, let your thoughts be known to the commission before August 26th, 2004. Thanks for your consideration.

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Yakima River - August 11th, 2004
supplied by: [url "http://www.fisheyesoup.com/redir.php?recKey=47,re"]The Evening Hatch[/url]
RECORDED: 95 ° FISHING: Great

Yakima River Report for Monday, August 11th, 2004

........and it continues. The fishing has been just plain good (from a boat) all week long. Fortunately, the barometer has been nowhere near stable lately and the weather patterns keep rollin' through creating fabulous fishing conditions. Unfortunately, the next few days the weather man is forecasting some EXTREME temperatures for our area which in turn could and should push the action to the mornings and evenings. Lately we have been seeing some good caddis activity throughout the lower canyon and the fish are eating both dry and pupa patterns. Lafontaine's, leviathan's, sparkle pupa's, lightning bugs, pheasant tails (CDC) and rock worm patterns have been really effective fished either in tandem with a stone pattern or dropped off the back of a big chernobyl. Although, come late in the evening, disregard everything just mentioned and throw a big dry with a little bit 'o' action tight to the bank. Last night it happened at 8:00pm sharp.

The nocturnal summer stone activity has been quite prolific lately and just because they aren't visible throughout the course of a day doesn't mean they aren't there. Yesterday, I dropped my anchor in a grassy bank and literally 40 to 50 fresh stone shucks came floating out. It definitely pays to do a little investigating along the banks from time to time to figure out just what is going on. Not everything that triggers fish activity in the insect world happens just while an angler is on the water.

Tip of the day: To effectively fish a big dry fly in close quarters to a bank, line control is key! Most often when an angler is having a hard time "sticking" fish after fish when the bite is on, the reason is simply line control. Even if an angler claims to be the greatest caster in the world, if they can't execute a proper mend, well... let's just say it can be incredibly frustrating for everybody within earshot. A "proper" mend takes place in the first 3 to 6 feet FROM the fly. If that line is not properly deposited upstream of your fly just after hitting the water, it literally takes just one second for a belly to form in your line resulting in a substantial decrease in hook setting control in the cast.

If it were easy, everybody would be doing it!

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Sol Duc River - August 10th, 2004
supplied by: [url "http://www.fisheyesoup.com/redir.php?recKey=89,re"]Fishing Northwest[/url]
FISHING: Fair
We just had a desperately needed spate of rain, however brief it was enough to raise the Sol-Duc River an inch or two and bring in a few more fresh Summer Silver Salmon. by tomorrow though this river will again be gin clear and basically un-navigable. The Hoh River was fishing "decent" up until yesterday, right now though it is out running very high and murky.


It was pretty good in here today. We ran into a good number of fish, quit the variety pack actually. 1 King, 3 Silvers, 3 Sockeye and several nice little Cutthroat. We were using ultra light spinning equipment and had our best success on the Silver Salmon using small chrome and green spinners.
Note: It is strictly catch and release on ALL Wild Steelhead.

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Bogachiel River - August 10th, 2004
supplied by: [url "http://www.fisheyesoup.com/redir.php?recKey=89,re"]Fishing Northwest[/url]
FISHING: Fair
Stream height and flow [[url "http://waterdata.usgs.gov/wa/nwis/current?type=flow&group_key=NONE&search_site_no_station_nm=Bogachiel"]click here[/url]]
Tides [[url "http://www.co-ops.nos.noaa.gov/tides04/"]click here[/url]]

We just had a desperately needed spate of rain, however brief it was enough to raise the Sol-Duc River an inch or two and bring in a few more fresh Summer Silver Salmon. by tomorrow though this river will again be gin clear and basically un-navigable. The Hoh River was fishing "decent" up until yesterday, right now though it is out running very high and murky.

Back to low and warm, the recent freshet (rain) was much needed and hopefully brought in another batch of Steelhead but I'm not on this river very often so It will be a few days before I get the skinny on what's happening in here.

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Calawah River - August 10th, 2004
supplied by: [url "http://www.fisheyesoup.com/redir.php?recKey=89,re"]Fishing Northwest[/url]
FISHING: Fair
River Level and flow [[url "http://waterdata.usgs.gov/wa/nwis/uv/?site_no=12043000&PARAmeter_cd=00060,00065"]click here[/url]]

Same, Very low, slow and just about out of water, the drought of 2004 is still upon us...if you go, use small jigs floated under clear plastic bubbles or toss small no#1 to #3 spinners.

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Hoh River - August 10th, 2004
supplied by: [url "http://www.fisheyesoup.com/redir.php?recKey=89,re"]Fishing Northwest[/url]
FISHING: Fair
River Level and Flow [[url "http://waterdata.usgs.gov/wa/nwis/current?type=flow&group_key=NONE&search_site_no_station_nm=Hoh"]click here[/url]]
Tides [[url "http://www.co-ops.nos.noaa.gov/tides04/"]click here[/url]]

We did well in here yesterday but last nights rain really knocked this river out of shape for a few days.
There have been a few very large Kings pulled out of this river recently.

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Quillayute River - August 10th, 2004
supplied by: [url "http://www.fisheyesoup.com/redir.php?recKey=89,re"]Fishing Northwest[/url]
FISHING: Fair
Tides [[url "http://www.co-ops.nos.noaa.gov/tides04/"]click here[/url]]

A good bet when the commercial netting is not in effect.

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South Puget Sound - August 7th, 2004
supplied by: [url "http://www.fisheyesoup.com/redir.php?recKey=127,re"]Puget Sound Fly Company, LLC[/url]
RECORDED: 64 ° FISHING: Good
[url "http://www.pugetsoundflyco.com/"]Puget Sound Fly Company[/url] is proud to offer current fishing reports for the exciting saltwater opportunities available in the South Puget Sound. These reports come from staff fishing trips, our friends and guide Tom Wolf. Please call us at (253) 839-4119 if you are new to the area or estuary fishing in general.



FISHING: This recent spell of “bad” weather has improved the fishing for adult Silvers. This is still hit and miss, but it seems that we may be getting our first push of big fish now. Cutthroat don’t react as well to changes in the weather, so expect the bite to slow down temporarily until the weather calms down. Cutthroat fishing is very dependant on the tide. I’d love to tell you which tide, but each particular beach dictates that. Fortunately the Silvers are easier to predict. Silver fishing right now, demands that anglers leave the confines of their comfy beds at first light and fish the first few hours of morning. For those of us who don’t want to know when the sun comes up, evening fishing can be just as productive.

BEACHES: Brown’s Point, Doc’s, Purdy etc…

FLIES: Clouser Minnow (White, Pink or Green), Bendback, Miniceiver, Muddlers, and other assorted baitfish are always good searching patterns.
TECHNIQUES: Take a 6 weight or better rod, as the wind can tear up lighter gear. Clear lines and an erratic retrieve will catch more fish, or if you prefer a floater and a beach slider can be very fun.

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Puget Sound - August 6th, 2004
supplied by: [url "http://www.fisheyesoup.com/redir.php?recKey=140,re"]The Avid Angler[/url]
RECORDED: 75 ° FISHING: Poor
Location: Fort Casey State Park

Time Fished: 7pm to dark

Summary: I fished an incoming tide for several hours and caught one juvenile blackmouth and that was it. There was very little pressure and I saw no other fish taken.

I would plan on hitting the salt hard this month and next. Silver fishing will only continue to get better. Also, if you consistently fish the salt, you will run into some pods of silvers and have a banner day. Get after it!

Patterns Fished: I fished Pacific Herring, Sand Lance and attractor flatwing baitfish patterns.

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