2023 Skagit/Sauk season is a go
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JS
Mankie Old Chum
Many years ago now @Creatch’r took one out of my pocket, quite literally…if I remember right he had barely gotten his skagit short out his rod tip. Fish had to have been 3 feet from my feet at one point. Embarrassing
Had a guy low hole me on the Thompson. He stood on the bank about thirty feet down from me, unhooked his fly from the hook keeper and flopped it into the water in front of him. Instant hook up.Many years ago now @Creatch’r took one out of my pocket, quite literally…if I remember right he had barely gotten his skagit short out his rod tip. Fish had to have been 3 feet from my feet at one point. Embarrassing
Sounds like a Jerry Wintle story. I had something similar happen to me on the Clearwater 30+ years ago. I was wading up past my nutsack throwing a type 3 tip. Jerry slid in below me without getting his feet wet, and caught a large 2+ salt fish with a short cast on a cane rod with a floating line. Important life lesson!
Damn, that's a name from the past! I remember running into him on the Thompson's Graveyard pool early one morning. Very polite guy, we recognised him and and offered to let him fish thru first. He was tall with grey hair and was moving very slowly and deliberately at first, getting his cane rod and wading staff out of the car. After our offer of first water he thanked us and transformed. I don't think Bigfoot could have kept up with him as he strode across that gravel bar and down to his chosen spot in the tailout. I still chuckle when I remember our surprise.
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JS
Mankie Old Chum
He probably took a swim after….remember those stickers from Spey pages??? I have one still on my rafts dry box. Terrible design for a sticker, but awesome slogan #lowholersswimforever
I didn't mean to imply that Jerry low holed me. He appeared from the brush, and I waved him in below me. The humorous thing was he picked the pocket of his fishing partner without getting his feet wet. His partner seemed a little miffed at me for following down through the run, but was more than irritated that his buddy picked his pocket.Damn, that's a name from the past! I remember running into him on the Thompson's Graveyard pool early one morning. Very polite guy, we recognised him and and offered to let him fish thru first. He was tall with grey hair and was moving very slowly and deliberately at first, getting his cane rod and wading staff out of the car. After our offer of first water he thanked us and transformed. I don't think Bigfoot could have kept up with him as he strode across that grave bar and down to his chosen spot in the tailout. I still chuckle when I remember our surprise.
Brian - I'm one of those rookies
that really didn't* know how to read "steelhead" water versus other water. Sometimes I (used to) get a sense of where a steelhead might or might not hold but in truth, it was a guess. At least a guess until I got familiar with a river. I knew where fish would hold on the Car Body Hole as over the years there was some consistency to where I'd hook fish.I watched a guy fishing the Thompson in a spot I never would have suspected would hold fish; the pocket might have been 20' long, narrow with water that seemed too fast, too turbulent upstream, downstream and beyond. AND: he fished it with a floating line..... it certainly wasn't the classic "Graveyard Run" or "Top of the Y".
* Past tense - I really should sell my Orvis CFO-VI and spey rod.
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I love learning those spots, and even more so I love knowing a river well enough that you can make a day of stringing those spots together.
There is a small slot on the NF Stilly that one would never fish
It holds at least one steelhead pretty much every day
Difficult to fish with a fly - even if nymphing
It doesn’t hold bull trout as far as I know
It holds at least one steelhead pretty much every day
Difficult to fish with a fly - even if nymphing
It doesn’t hold bull trout as far as I know
kerrys
Ignored Member
I’ll bet there is more than one of those on the stilly.
You’d be correct Kerry
JACKspASS
Life of the Party
There are the drifts with names that everyone knows, the slots that are iffy but can be productive, then there are the spots that 'look' fishy at first blush which arent @DanielOcean
Matt Burke
Steelhead
I will be there Friday in my homeless van complete with authentic rust patina. Nothing of value in it but a dirty mattress with lock and chain around steering wheel. I figure 12 days to fish by the 30th. I do have to come out for VA appointments but come right back to the river. This might be the last time. Ever. Suicide is not an option if you don't go. L8r fkrs
Scudley Do Right
Life of the Party
@CougarZeke agreed to take me out yesterday armed with the info that I know fuck all about steelheading. I had never been on a river in a boat before. I showed how green I am when I took a spill in the river launching the boat. It was cool being out there having him row my fat ass all over the river while using his shit. I got to feel one on the end of a plug rod for a few seconds. I got to see a few caught and saw one dart under the boat while we were drifting. It was a fun day even with not landing one. To try and make me feel better about the morning he took a spill while we were taking the boat out. He is a good dude and I appreciate him spending the time to take me.
I think I saw you driving back. Was it your van with the tribute to Old Man Jim?
Seattle City Light Commits To Fish Passage On Upper Skagit -
In a major announcement this afternoon, Seattle City Light is committing to adding up- and downstream fish passage around its three ladderless dams on the Skagit River as part of federal relicensing.
nwsportsmanmag.com
Bruce Baker
Steelhead
I saw a news story about this on King5 last night.
Wraps up my first year of Winter Steelheading. Hopefully I am fortunate enough to be able to fish for these wonderful fish so close to home next year as well. Even if I didn’t hook into any, plenty of people I ran into on the river had, and I heard someone catch one downstream of me. It honestly is enough for me to just know they still exist. Bonus photos:Wild Steelhead smolt I sampled with my internship at the Hood Canal Salmon Enhancement Group.
