Lower Skagit March Opener

M_D

Top Notch Mediocre Flyfisher
Forum Supporter
I've never fished the lower Skagit before and I have a crazy amount of questions but the most important is: Is it worthwhile?

I scouted around a few times after the March opener last year only to realize walking & wading didn't seem to be the way to go, so I never wet a line.

I finally got my boat up-n-running but I essentially have no idea what to expect or consider. Heck, I don't even know what species of fish should be around. After reading the bull trout articles, I'm guessing they ought to be down there but would cutthroat be present, too?

And then is chum fry timing a big consideration? Cuz I've never followed the fry before, either.

Anyone wanna throw me a bone to get me started? Or if nothing else, tell me I'd be better off doing some yard work or hitting a lake ;)

Thanks in advance,

Mike d
 
Last edited:

Wanative

Spawned out Chum
Forum Supporter
I've never fished the lower Skagit before and I have a crazy amount of questions but the most important is: Is it worthwhile?

I scouted around a few times after the March opener last year only to realize walking & wading didn't seem to be the way to go, so I never wet a line.

I finally got my boat up-n-running but I essentially have no idea what to expect or consider. Heck, I don't even know what species of fish should be around. After reading the bull trout articles, I'm guessing they ought to be down there but would cutthroat be present, too?

And then is chum fry timing a big consideration? Cuz I've never followed the fry before, either.

Anyone wanna throw me a bone to get me started? Or if nothing else, tell me I'd be better off doing some yard work or hitting a lake ;)

Thanks in advance,

Mike d
 

Rvrfisher360

Floatin’
Forum Supporter
I've never fished the lower Skagit before and I have a crazy amount of questions but the most important is: Is it worthwhile?

I scouted around a few times after the March opener last year only to realize walking & wading didn't seem to be the way to go, so I never wet a line.

I finally got my boat up-n-running but I essentially have no idea what to expect or consider. Heck, I don't even know what species of fish should be around. After reading the bull trout articles, I'm guessing they ought to be down there but would cutthroat be present, too?

And then is chum fry timing a big consideration? Cuz I've never followed the fry before, either.

Anyone wanna throw me a bone to get me started? Or if nothing else, tell me I'd be better off doing some yard work or hitting a lake ;)

Thanks in advance,

Mike d
Scott at the shop has some good info on lower skag bulls following the chum fry migration.
 

Salmo_g

Legend
Forum Supporter
March and April see bull trout and cutthroat foraging on Chinook and chum fry as they head for the estuary. There is also an "alder fly" hatch on the lower river that the cutthroat often respond to. I never have figured out what an alder fly is though; I've wondered if it's the same thing as the Skwala hatch that occurs in late winter on other rivers. Oh, and the lower river is a boat show. There are places one can wade, but they aren't often adjacent to the fish holding water.
 

kerrys

Ignored Member
Alder flies are a small black fly and is not an aquatic insect if memory serves me. I knew once what the little bugs were but have long forgotten. Any dark fly say size 12 or 14 would work. The actual ”hatch” is difficult to pin down. It really isn’t a hatch like most would think. The bug congregate on the trees and bushes lining the river and simply fall in. Cutthroat will key in on this when it happens. I have seen this once or twice in all the time I fished the lower river. Not something one can count on encountering. One old time Skagit fisherman told me the alder fly hatch happens when the skunk cabbage blooms.
 

Smalma

Life of the Party
The "alder fly hatch" happens a little later in the spring. The female alder flies come to the overhanging willows etc. to lay their eggs, as the eggs hatch the larvae fall into the water. Alder flies are a group of species related to Dobson flies that look superficially like a caddis fly thus a size 14 or 12 black or gray deer hair caddis floating under those trees will do nicely. Cutthroat catch will be mixture of sub-adults (10 to 14 inches) and kelts (12 to 18+) and later in the spring smolts.

All the water below Mt Vernon is tidal with the combination of various flows and different tide levels make for a complex flow situation which influences where the fish will be. The Skagit estuary is fairly unique in on aspect in that there is little to no saltwater wedge on the incoming tide. Due to combination of larger freshwater flows and shallow low tide sills at low tide. As result that section will occasionally have mayfly hatchery (various burrowing species) which can be significant.

Over last 15 years or so there has been a tremendous amount of sand moving through the system is resulting in burying much of the old wood and a generally shallowing of much of the river. This has not be a benefit to the fishing and makes reading the water more difficult. Perhaps the easiest Skagit fishery to get dialed in is the pink fishery. With a forecast of a 1/2 million and roll a lot it is easy to see traveling lanes and the fish respond readily to flies. The Skagit pinks do not seem to mill outside the estuary so enter the river in a "fresher" condition that other Puget Sound rivers and are pretty sporty fish; a handful on a 5 weight.

Curt
 

M_D

Top Notch Mediocre Flyfisher
Forum Supporter
Thanks all. Good info. I was hoping for a reply or two but I was kind of expecting the Old Man Jim kind of reply.....'go check it out for yourself and tell us what you learned' 😉

I'll have to go see if I can run up on a hidden sand bar in the next week or two. (y)
 

kerrys

Ignored Member
Oh, that's pretty easy. Make sure you're hanging on to something so you don't fly out of the boat. That's not "fly" fishing.
I’ve done it. Not fly out of the boat, but I have gotten stuck on a sand bar. Aluminum sticks to sand real well. It was a bugger getting unstuck.
 

Long_Rod_Silvers

Elder Millennial
Forum Supporter
The "alder fly hatch" happens a little later in the spring. The female alder flies come to the overhanging willows etc. to lay their eggs, as the eggs hatch the larvae fall into the water. Alder flies are a group of species related to Dobson flies that look superficially like a caddis fly thus a size 14 or 12 black or gray deer hair caddis floating under those trees will do nicely. Cutthroat catch will be mixture of sub-adults (10 to 14 inches) and kelts (12 to 18+) and later in the spring smolts.

All the water below Mt Vernon is tidal with the combination of various flows and different tide levels make for a complex flow situation which influences where the fish will be. The Skagit estuary is fairly unique in on aspect in that there is little to no saltwater wedge on the incoming tide. Due to combination of larger freshwater flows and shallow low tide sills at low tide. As result that section will occasionally have mayfly hatchery (various burrowing species) which can be significant.

Over last 15 years or so there has been a tremendous amount of sand moving through the system is resulting in burying much of the old wood and a generally shallowing of much of the river. This has not be a benefit to the fishing and makes reading the water more difficult. Perhaps the easiest Skagit fishery to get dialed in is the pink fishery. With a forecast of a 1/2 million and roll a lot it is easy to see traveling lanes and the fish respond readily to flies. The Skagit pinks do not seem to mill outside the estuary so enter the river in a "fresher" condition that other Puget Sound rivers and are pretty sporty fish; a handful on a 5 weight.

Curt
You sir are a national treasure. Always appreciate your thoughtful responses.
 

M_D

Top Notch Mediocre Flyfisher
Forum Supporter
Oh, that's pretty easy. Make sure you're hanging on to something so you don't fly out of the boat. That's not "fly" fishing.
I’ve done it. Not fly out of the boat, but I have gotten stuck on a sand bar. Aluminum sticks to sand real well. It was a bugger getting unstuck.

Since the weather was so nice, I almost went yesterday morning. But then I chickened out after looking at the flow gauge and saw it was a foot or two below average. My Safety Sam side decided it would be best to wait and get some more information before doing something stupid.

Because once a half a lifetime ago, I floated the stretch from the potato plant down to the Conway launch. I was with someone who was teaching me how to run a drift boat...a whole 'nuther story by the way.....and I recall being told to pay extra attention because of the tidal influence and that he had watched someone else get hung up and have to wait for the next tide to get free.

How'd you get unstuck Kerry?
 
Last edited:

Smalma

Life of the Party
The first time I ran the south Fork upstream from Conway some 40 years ago I had to replace the shear pin twice on the way up. Was smart enough to float through the tough spots.

An old time duck hunter gave me the advice that when messing around in the lower tidal portions or delta of our rivers the first time make sure that there is a high tide late in the day to assure that if you become stranded the tide will float you before dark. That advice is a sound today as it was 50 years ago.

Curt
 

kerrys

Ignored Member
How'd you get unstuck Kerry?
I had help. This happened above the tidal influenced portion. A little above Nookachamps the river is very dynamic with several braids. Every year it changes. It was fall and we were fishing for cutts. I came around the big bend and chose the middle braid. Wrong. I heard the pump starting to suck sand but couldn’t get shut down before I buried several inches of the hull in the muck. It took my fishing partner and I about ten minutes to get the boat unstuck. Mind you this was in the middle of the river. The sandbar was covered by only a couple inches of water and from all appearances looked just like the rest of the river. Must have looked odd from the shore. Two guys, in the middle of the river, walking on water, trying to drag a 17 foot sled.
 

M_D

Top Notch Mediocre Flyfisher
Forum Supporter
I had help. This happened above the tidal influenced portion. A little above Nookachamps the river is very dynamic with several braids. Every year it changes. It was fall and we were fishing for cutts. I came around the big bend and chose the middle braid. Wrong. I heard the pump starting to suck sand but couldn’t get shut down before I buried several inches of the hull in the muck. It took my fishing partner and I about ten minutes to get the boat unstuck. Mind you this was in the middle of the river. The sandbar was covered by only a couple inches of water and from all appearances looked just like the rest of the river. Must have looked odd from the shore. Two guys, in the middle of the river, walking on water, trying to drag a 17 foot sled.
Dang, between you, Salmo g and Smalma I'm starting to have motivational issues.....gonna have to give it some serious thought since Nature sometimes doesn't take kindly to idiots and newbies.

@Smalma would/do you still run a prop from the Conway launch? That was where I was gonna start...if I start....and I have a 14' Lund with a 15h prop.

and then, in general, is the river bottom mud or silt like a flatland river or Cook Inlet mudflats? I'd hate to be 'that guy' who gets torn in half by a helicopter trying to get un stuck:rolleyes:
 

Josh

Dead in the water
Staff member
Admin
Dang, between you, Salmo g and Smalma I'm starting to have motivational issues.....gonna have to give it some serious thought since Nature sometimes doesn't take kindly to idiots and newbies.
This is, in a nutshell, why I have yet to spend much time in the lower skagit. I just don't feel confident running a boat around there. I just don't feel like I have enough knowledge to not get in trouble.
 

M_D

Top Notch Mediocre Flyfisher
Forum Supporter
This is, in a nutshell, why I have yet to spend much time in the lower skagit. I just don't feel confident running a boat around there. I just don't feel like I have enough knowledge to not get in trouble.
Especially when you've attended enough autopsies or watched enough people get carted off to the hospital cuz something innocent enough went sideways. But that's my overly dramatic side that I get to deal with and somehow find a balance.

Like anything else, I suppose it's something each of us has to evaluate and determine whether or not it's worth it.

That said, I'm stopping down at Confluence today to get some more info and next week I'm planning on bringing my water wings in case I get launched outa the boat and my sleepy bag should I spend the night waiting for the next high tide. You're welcome to join me :cool:


OOOH and maybe I'll wear a helmet and cape

iu
 

Matt B

RAMONES
Forum Supporter
Especially when you've attended enough autopsies or watched enough people get carted off to the hospital cuz something innocent enough went sideways. But that's my overly dramatic side that I get to deal with and somehow find a balance.

Like anything else, I suppose it's something each of us has to evaluate and determine whether or not it's worth it.

That said, I'm stopping down at Confluence today to get some more info and next week I'm planning on bringing my water wings in case I get launched outa the boat and my sleepy bag should I spend the night waiting for the next high tide. You're welcome to join me :cool:


OOOH and maybe I'll wear a helmet and cape

iu
Sounds like a good spot to initially explore by paddling a canoe or kayak.
 
  • Like
Reactions: M_D
Top