 |
Mitch's Fishing Report
OREGON |
|
The Clack was on fire last week oddly enough. Not only are there plentiful Silvers still below the confluence of Eagle Creek, but steelhead were very active as well. A trifecta of summertime AK guides went 7 for 8 cruising the river last Tuesday, not including the silvers that attacked swung flies. In all likelihood this spurt of active fishing was a direct result in increased flows, as well as an ideal water temperature of 54 degrees. Look for fishing to slow until the next spurt of rain at which point, be there on the drop. Point of note, the Eagle Creek bag limit has been increased to 3 silvers for the remainder of the Silver season (through 10/31).
|
|
| Silver fishing has been very good in the Sandy. The river has been mostly on the clear side and expected rains will continue to help the catch rate. Steelhead fishing is very slow however and anglers should not expect better fishing until the holiday season. Silvers are best pursued on the drift or with a stripped fly in slower water than you would typically fish for metalheads.
|
 As can be expected, the Deschutes has been "Steady Eddie" for steelhead anglers. A favored month, October continues to see fish entering the river with regularity. Additionally, larger fish become more the norm. This is a fantastic year overall for steelhead in the river, biologists estimate nearly 15,000 fish calling the "D" home for the winter.  Fish are spreading throughout the river all the way up to Pelton now with the greatest concentration downriver from North Junction. However, there are ample opportunities upriver at South Junction, Trout Creek and even Mecca. Floating line tactics continue to be productive, but sink-tip fishing is game-on as well. Carry traditional wets, skaters and leech patterns - now is not the time to hold back on the arsenal.
Trout fishing is very good now...Colder days have turned on your fall Baetis hatches and fish are found with more regularity in back eddies and slow riffles. October Caddis as well as smaller caddis are still a staple as well. Pupal patterns are "go-to". Stonefly nymphs are also an October fly as fish chow down in anticipation of winter. Additionally, our staff here has some "secret-weapons" for fall fishing on the Deschutes...if interested, just ask. Trout anglers, be advised...when nymphing in October there is a great chance of hooking chrome. I've lost count of the "steelhead on a PT" stories over the years.
|
| If you're in the mood for silvers, the coast is your oyster right now...fish are in on the North Coast and in my experience, typically far hotter fish than their Columbia tributary brothers and sisters, however remember these are wild fish. Fall Kings are coming in as well and though difficult to hook on a fly, not impossible. Also this is the best sea-run cut fishing of the year on the North Coast - fish can be caught on the swing or the drift. It's dog days for steelhead however - we're about a month - 6 weeks out on the first winter arrivals.
|
|
| Trout fishing on the McKenzie has been good. Your October staples are out in force. Be prepared with Mahogany Duns, Baetis, and October Caddis. It's hard to go wrong running an October pupa with a drabby green soft hackle or baetis emerger behind. |
|
| If you really really want to put a licking on some salmon, the Cowlitz is the place to go....great visibility, a 5 fish limit and fish are arriving continuously. Kings are also in the mix as well. The East Fork of the Lewis is off the map currently until the first push of winter fish. The Kalama is fishing well with best activity after a rain spell for both salmon. Steelhead are less of a factor now on the lower river, but can still be had. The holy water section upriver is a great place for a fall skater fish. |
|
Summer Steelhead Valhalla ... if you're into fall steel, it is time to go!!! You've already read the Deschutes report so I'll say no more, but as you follow the Columbia on out to the East you'll find good fishing all the way to the Clearwater. If you're looking for more in-depth coverage, give us a call at the shop. Suffice it to say, those who are out there are being rewarded.
|
|
The Metolius is fishing well for Bulls, a dead-drifted egg can have great results there this time of year as well. Purist fishing, I tell you.
The Crooked has been producing. Hoping this is a signal of a rebound for this cool desert fishery.
The Hood River is terrible right now. Terrible.
N. Umpqua fishing has been hot and cold; however water temps are dropping and the lead-eyed fly shackles are off. There are still great skater opportunities but sink-tip fishing is going to pick up.
Adventuresome trout anglers should find the remainder of October to be a bountiful hatchfest of Baetis in places such as the Owyhee, Rocky Ford, and other spots east. Make sure you have a couple Mahogany Duns as well.
Lakes - this is the month to get out. Fish are feasting in anticipation of winter.
|
|
WASHINGTON
October is a month of myriad angling opportunities in the State of Washington. Big Coho are still returning to their natal rivers, sometimes caught snacking along the way, all around the Puget Sound, other times fooled in the rivers. Mature resident Silvers are still around our beaches, with Sea-Run Cutts moving into the rivers, as well. Add to these seasonal opportunities all the quality trout lakes that tend to liven up with fall's cooling, and the Yak, and all the improving desert summer-run steelhead fisheries, and we have ourselves a venerable bonanza of angling opportunities! The question at this time of year is not usually where fishing is "good", it is rather which "good" fishing you can manage to choose, what with so many options vying for your attention.
This being said, November will be arriving very shortly to close the window on the Silvers (only to be replaced by Chums off the beaches, at first, then in the rivers) for the most part, with most fish spawning/spawned and only immature "little guys" left to prowl the beaches (though that's still fun on 5 and 6 weights even). Desert steelhead will remain a solid option as long as the fisheries remain open or it becomes too cold (at which time tips/bigger wets can help). Most lowland lakes Close on October 31, however those that remain open should continue to fish well, again, until it becomes too cold (remember winter? She's comin...). Ditto the Yakima River - until it gets too cold (water temps into the 40's and dropping), anticipate great fishing at least for a few hours every day (normally towards mid-day as Fall grows older).
Here's a breakdown of our Heart-o-the-Fall opportunities. Hopefully you can pick one or two and get out a few times while it's all still so good! By late November, there will be options, sure, but the next handful of weeks will be about as good as it gets.
|
|
Mid-October is traditionally very late in the game for the beach fisheries. Fortunately, this year, the run was late to descend in earnest from the Strait of Juan De Fuca (so we're still inside the "window" of opportunity). Unfortunately, most fish have indeed been bee-lining to the rivers without stopping to snack. Nevertheless, the last couple weeks of the month should still find some bruiser-encounters off the beaches, and especially on the South Sound beaches, there should still be some bigger residents roaming before getting up into x-river/x-creek to spawn. Assorted candlefish patterns in the usual green, olive or chartreuse and white, supplemented with some pink/whites and a few spiders will sample what fish may still cruise looking for a meal. Low-light coinciding with tidal movement is ideal, although one without the other can still yield action. Intermediate-head Outbounds are the go-to lines, but your floater or full clear intermediates will do the trick just fine. Just be sure and have along a stripping basket to help keep your line contained and free (most times) to shoot back out.
In the rivers, Glo Bugs are a notorious fresh-water Coho pattern. Be reassured that marabous, leeches and flash flies (chartreuse, purple, & pinks) will also net results for those undyingly true to swingin and strippin (slow, short). About the time most of the Coho are in the rivers (soon), we can expect to start seeing some early Chums in Hood Canal and even along Puget Sound beaches (Kennedy Creek, south/Chico Creek, further north, for instance).
|
|
While not famous for providing delectable table fare, these ornery tackle busters are noted for their ability to occasionally "explode an 8-weight". These fish are a handful, and well worth tying into. In the coming weeks, the earlier fish should be appearing with thousands upon thousands to follow. The added bonus is that once these fish enter fresh, they'll continue to respond well to flies - notably better than the highly sought after Coho.
In the salt, little chartreuse shrimp patterns (Chum Candies, ITR Shrimp, Turds, Charlies) are the notorious go-to's, although pink and orange in the same patterns can prove an apt change-up on some days.
In the fresh, marabous, dredgers, spotlight leeches, and other classic Alaska patterns in chartreuse, pinks and purple will get you tied into one of these writhing freight-trains, and then another, and another.. One thing to keep in mind, is sooner or later, you'll be confronted with a group of Chum that aren't cooperating, alternate patterns offered, and still no play. In this case, you can either wait for the next group to move by, or walk up or down and find some players. This is ordinarily a "late-in-the-game" scenario as they reach literal spawning time, but worth noting (file it away until closer to Thanksgiving!).
Notorious beach haunts are Browns Point, Kennedy Creek, Purdy, Coulter Creek, Hoodsport and Chico Creek. Rumor has it, the same Chums have to move past other points of land en route to these "hot spots". Could be just the ticket for gaining some elbow room (having your cake), and catching these beasts (eating it too).
As for rivers, all the larger Puget Sound rivers receive good numbers of fish, although the Skagit normally gets a bit more than its "fair" share. Fortunately, the Sky and Snoqualmie get good numbers, too (and the Stilly, and the Nooksack, even the Green).
Be sure and check our online reports and we'll advise on all pertinent indicators (such as, "the chums are here")!
|
|
At this point in the Fall, sea-runs have been entering the larger river systems (Skagit, Stilly, Sno/Sky/Snoq) for a number of weeks now. The lower reaches of all the aforementioned will provide the best sea-run cutthroat habitat (brackish, structure-laden haunts), hence host the bulk of those fish in the rivers. Boaters have the decided advantage here, as these haunts aren't readily approached by the wading angler, nor readily covered. Spiders, Purple Joes, Muddlers, Bucktail Coachmen and Borden's Shrimp are the classic wets for casting into the bank and stripping away from the depth/cover. The idea is to methodically cover the water, as these fish are not known for being shy - they stand firmly against anything fleeing And getting away. In other words, they are aggressive, it's just a matter of finding them. A couple opportunities that will coax these fish into more classic trout holding water are the October Caddis, and the spawning salmon/salmon laden with eggs traveling to spawning grounds. Never a bad idea to look for a sea-run behind a spawning pair, or a group of ripe fish! Of course, that'll be a Glo Bug (egg) those fish will be looking for.
If given a little more drive-able radius, the Cowlitz hosts a huge run of these fish, and should be alright for the next couple weeks still. The Sol Duc also hosts a strong run of these fish (October Caddis city!).
Now, for those stillwaters, lakes and desert summer-runs..
|
|
We are now in the welcome throes of fall on this river. For awhile (couple more weeks), the big October Caddis will still be about, albeit on the wane. Filling in the void, however, predictably centered mid-day, will be the fall mayflies just starting to get going in earnest. These are mostly going to be Tiny Blue Winged Olives (#18-#22), with some Heptagenia (#12-#14 pale creamy tan adult) sure to show up for abbreviated time-spans (15-45 minutes). If not just before the BWO's, these Heptagenia tend to otherwise appear early in the onset of our BWO emergences. Some fish will switch to the Heptagenia in this case, others will just stay on the prolific BWO's. If in doubt, split the difference with a Light Cahill dry #14 point fly, with u-pick-the-stage/pattern BWO dropper (pt nymph, whatever emerger, parachute, etc). This should expose the natural-switching individuals (trout) for who they are!
A couple other mayflies of import that have and can show up to demand a little matching are the Mahogany Duns in #16-#20, and a sub-species that is a charcoal #16 adult.
Fortunately, from here on out, the bulk of activity each day will be represented by the BWO's. On bright sunny days, expect an abbreviated emergence (45min - 1.5hrs), with fish reluctant to commit to the surface (bright light/shadows + less naturals emerging + less naturals getting stuck emerging). In this case, the bead-head mayfly nymphs in olive #18-#22 will prove indispensible, as fish will capitalize on the albeit shortened/less intense emergence, just from the safety of deeper lies closer to the seams.
On cloudy, cool, moisture laden days.. look out! These are the mayfly days of legend. Multiple-hour and rather intense emergences are not uncommon at all, provided with these magic conditions. The later in the game we go (into November), the more the onset of this hatch will get pushed past 1 pm until as late as 3:30 (to dusk), so hang in there. Until then, start looking for noses around 1, though there will be a few days in there where the hatch starts at 10am and proceeds to go through a series of waves clear until dusk(!). But here's perhaps the mother of all riddles:
If there's a 6-hour BWO hatch, and nobody's there to fish it, was that really a hatch?
Good Luck!
Desert Steelhead
There are steelhead to be had in the tributaries of the Columbia and Snake. Reports run from average fishing to darn right GOOD-and you can not asking for anything more steelhead fishing. Plus the Columbia Basin and surrounding area has yet to experience the typical cold weather that can hit this time of year. Water temperatures are warm and the fish are active. And add to fact that the long-term forecast is calling for rather stable weather. Think drylines!
Traveling up the Columbia, the Klickitat has been fair at times however the rain of last week sent the river on a steep muddy rise. The Wenatchee has yet to open although I would stay tuned if I were you. http://wdfw.wa.gov/
Reports from the Methow have been positive. Pressure has not been overwhelming and there have been a good mix of hatchery and wild steelhead in the catches.
Up the Snake, reports have been non-existent. Maybe still too warm?! However, everybody I have talked to that has fished the Clearwater has had decent fishing with enough of those famous big Clearwater fish in the mix to keep things very very interesting. The Grande Ronde has been decent according to the few reports we have received....have had a lot of "I am off to the Ronde" conversations so stay tuned for updated reports as the conversation switch to "I just got back and fishing was....."
From the good early reports as well as the strong dam counts it is safe to assume that fishing should remain consistent at the least or maybe even be darn-right good!
|
|
|
|