Methow River opens for steelhead, first time in 9 years

[FlyFishDan]

Apologies to @FlyFishDan , that was a bit strong....

Hope you stick around for a bit. Although, if I ever see you hotspotting Lake Merwin....

All good! I hope you have a great Thanksgiving!

 

[Buzzy]

It was pretty cold, I found myself slurring a bit which ran the 't' and 'h' together again

When I was a teenager I pumped gas at Skwim's Texaco station. I heard that little towns name pronounced See-kwim by travelers more often that its proper pronunciation. I can't begin to recall how many times I've heard "SnowqualAmee" pass spoken.

Glad you caught iron on the Mettthow.

 

[Irafly]

I did, never thought of a chironomid pattern as a "lights out" steelhead fly. I'd be suprised if I was the only one.

Out of 8 billion people on the planet, I’d be surprised about anyone having any unique thoughts, but those upper Columbia steelhead are very trouty and as such tiny nymphs and yes chironomids work great on them. So does just about anything else.

 

[BDD]

I certainly was surprised to learn that myself, the source was highly credible since he manages the fishery and knows his local river. I'll being tying that on as a dropper from now on!

I have no beef with your guide. One time he pulled in and anchored right behind me with his client as I was unstringing my rod. This was the last run before the take out and he was going wait for me to fish through, a gesture I appreciated. He admitted being skunked, which guides will rarely do and asked how I did. I had a great day and told them how many fish I had caught. I thought his client was going to fall out of the boat; the look he gave his guide was one I'll never forget. I restrung my rod and asked them to fish through first. He appreciated the nice gesture and his client hooked a fish about 5 casts later. I was happy for them and called it a day and pulled my anchor. As I was leaving he called out a very sincere thank you, which was nice. But I would not say he "manages the fishery". I know a lot of locals there that don't like his guide practices but my one encounter was positive.

Using midges as droppers or even a single fly is nothing new there. Buzzy was catching fish over 20 years ago doing the same thing.