Yuck... cold, too!
El Nino up to its old tricks. Fool us into thinking Spring has arrived early, then bring the dreaded Seeger Effect, extended ad maximus.
2024 Skagit Steelhead
- Thread starter Pink Nighty
- Start date
El Nino up to its old tricks. Fool us into thinking Spring has arrived early, then bring the dreaded Seeger Effect, extended ad maximus.
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Gonna fish it again, but the flows are really dropping to a trickle. I learned a unique gear technique from another angler up there last trip, and I have a variation of his presentation that I think will do pretty well in clear water situations, hope to have the same luck he did.
Grandpa Jim
Steelhead
Got back late last night after 2 days of chasing steelhead from bank on OP. Rivers very low. We need a big high water event to get a pulse of fish past the nets and up into the rivers.
Net marks from a narrow escape?
Don' t think is a gill net mark, typically one would see scaping along the leading edge of the dorsal fin.
More interesting to me is the black coloration on the nose of the fish. Was that on just one side of the head? Looks to me potential damage (nerve?) from being hooked previously. Have seen that type of discoloration/marking on a variety of salmonids as well as largemouth and smallmouth bass. Given what we can see on the nose of the fish I suspect those lose scale patches are also associated with an angler encounter (maybe line wrap?),
Curt
More interesting to me is the black coloration on the nose of the fish. Was that on just one side of the head? Looks to me potential damage (nerve?) from being hooked previously. Have seen that type of discoloration/marking on a variety of salmonids as well as largemouth and smallmouth bass. Given what we can see on the nose of the fish I suspect those lose scale patches are also associated with an angler encounter (maybe line wrap?),
Curt
The black coloration is the fly. I didn't think it was from an angler encounter because of the perfect symmetrical marks, but line wrap would make sense.
Was over there for 3 days as well. Guys complaining about crowding on the Sauk need to check out the lower rivers on the OP. The lower water has concentrated the pressure because the water's just too skinny in the upper reaches. Did pretty good for three days, two fish on the reel and I semi-intentionally released a big buck (handlining the sinktip and he straightened the hook) after an impressive fight. It was at dark in a driving rain, the only time it seemed this small productive run was empty. There are fish coming thru in pulses, but the numbers are dwarfed by the hoardes of anglers. A couple other interesting notes - there are lots of guys blatantly violating the Hoh's "fishing from a boat" rules in place this year. And from an enforcement perspective - I had an DFW enforcement guy give me the 3rd degree. Must have been showing off for the guy shadowing him. Was changing my tip when he walked up. I had my fly and sinktip coiled on a rock. I showed him the fly (still wet), then he asked that I pull my flyline in that was trailing in the water to prove I wasn't trying to dupe him. Then he asked for my license. Everything was good, then he noticed I also had an Idaho license and asked to see it. I was tempted to tell him to F*^# off but decided to be polite and ask why. He explained that some people juke the system and get resident licenses in multipe states and he wanted to make sure I was listed as non-resident in Idaho.
Guy wasn't a complete jerk, the dude I was fishing with was swinging a fly given to him and he'd forgotten to check the barb. DFW Enforcement took down his information and said if he had no other violations on his record that he was off with a warning. Supposedly the Forks DFW partnering with the Port Angeles office to get more enforcement bodies on the OP rivers, so don't be surprised if you get a visit. And in case this sounds like a rant, I'm fully 100% pro enforcement and am happy to see these folks on the river.
Guys complaining about the Sauk need to reevaluate the angler:fish ratio. Better opportunities nearby.
TylerSadowski
Just Hatched
I'm just wanting to see 5 guys in a clack throwing bobbers!
I initially read this as
and I was thinking "Damn. I guess it's getting chippy up on the Sauk..."
Another gorgeous Sauk skunking. Direct sunlight and hot weather didn’t help I’m sure.
A question to those with more experience on here: I’ve gotten to the point of steelheading where I can confidently identify 3 or 4 runs that I know for sure do put out fish. Is it wiser for me to spend serious time at those select places, or would I be better advised to just keep moving and finding more runs?
A question to those with more experience on here: I’ve gotten to the point of steelheading where I can confidently identify 3 or 4 runs that I know for sure do put out fish. Is it wiser for me to spend serious time at those select places, or would I be better advised to just keep moving and finding more runs?
On any given steelhead river there are few spots that reliably give up fish on the swing. Never leave productive known fly water especially if you've had success there without fishing it to find unknown productive fly water unless the known productive run is occupied. That is if your main goal is to catch fish. This is a hard rule of steelhead productivity and chromes law. Exploration is good but I like to explore when I'm less serious about hooking up and more on to get to know an area. You can always stumble on fish but on any given river the majority of fish I catch swinging come from spots I've caught fish before swinging.
Good work on finding those spots! AS LONG AS YOU CAN FISH THEM EFFECTIVELY, pound those spots. Regardless of where they're ultimately headed, all fish will concentrate in the same lies at rest. Those lies aren't always the same year to year, and finding them is key to catching whatever you're after.
Find productive water, do everything you reasonably can to get there before the flotilla, and you will almost certainly find success eventually. Showing up there in the mid-afternoon, after the hordes have passed through, can be a good backup plan...
(This from someone who's never fished the Sauk but has fished a bunch for steelhead in other places and has learned to recognize the value of fishing the right water and being among the first or last to show a fish your stuff.)
Being the 10th rod through a "known" run is not my idea of good steelheading strategy. If I can't be the first rod through, I want the water rested for a while before I fish it. Never say never, but I'd druther not follow a high liner through any run. If the runs I want to fish are all occupied, I'll fish other holding water that might be lower percentage overall, but any holding water can hold a fish. Then there's "over-looked" holding water, and that is another of my favorites. Since most holding water doesn't hold steelhead these days, I want to fish as much holding water as I can in a day, which unfortunately isn't as much as it used to be. I never make two casts to the same spot unless the first cast was defective in some way. If I'm making 2 or more casts to the same spot it's because I know for certain there is a fish there. Otherwise I keep moving.
Interesting to see two opposing strategies, both with good reason. One run specifically comes to mind, I was checking out new water and I noticed an older gentleman planting his feet like a root at a tailout into a rough riffle. I figured he either didn’t get the “cover water” memo, or knew something I didn’t. It turned out to be the latter, as he hooked a 15 something lb fish right in front of me. I’ve fished that spot a few times and boats drift right over it, maybe making a cast or two. He’s the only bank angler I’ve seen take it. The other runs that come to mind are definitely pounded to hell. I think as I learn what works and what doesn’t I’ll take both pieces of advice, aggressively fishing water I know has been passed up that day, and moving quickly through water that I suspect was pounded
Fish the 3 or 4 runs that you know put out fish. Of course, this is if you aren't waiting in line. If you can get there early or late (when they've been rested) that is the best.
If this is possible, learn those runs. This means you're learning depth and speed. You want to be able to predict where your fly or line might tick bottom. Where you might need to feed line to get it deeper. Where you might need to cast farther downstream so you don't hang up.
And learn which tip/tips are working to do that. I would highly suggest you use a S4, S5 or S6 tip that is 10-15' long and learn those runs with that tip. Maybe you don't have to spend time changing tips halfway down the run. Or maybe you do. Maybe a S4 tip with a heavy 2/0 fly gets the depth you need instead of having to change to a heavier tip. Maybe a S4 line does it with 3 different flies as you move down the run. Changing flies is faster than changing tips.
Once you get really familiar with how your line/tips fish, then you can look for decent holding water that maybe others have skipped. Pretty tough to do on a river as popular as the Sauk, but maybe possible depending on the day.
Having said all that, my confidence is WAY higher if I'm the first one through a run. On a busy river, first light is #1, even when temps are low.
If this is possible, learn those runs. This means you're learning depth and speed. You want to be able to predict where your fly or line might tick bottom. Where you might need to feed line to get it deeper. Where you might need to cast farther downstream so you don't hang up.
And learn which tip/tips are working to do that. I would highly suggest you use a S4, S5 or S6 tip that is 10-15' long and learn those runs with that tip. Maybe you don't have to spend time changing tips halfway down the run. Or maybe you do. Maybe a S4 tip with a heavy 2/0 fly gets the depth you need instead of having to change to a heavier tip. Maybe a S4 line does it with 3 different flies as you move down the run. Changing flies is faster than changing tips.
Once you get really familiar with how your line/tips fish, then you can look for decent holding water that maybe others have skipped. Pretty tough to do on a river as popular as the Sauk, but maybe possible depending on the day.
Having said all that, my confidence is WAY higher if I'm the first one through a run. On a busy river, first light is #1, even when temps are low.
