Skykomish Post Flood

[Denwor54]

Dennis, is Afternoon hole the long left hand bend below IRS which flows along US 2? Today the top of the pool has a nice riffle and break. The middle of the pool is a big wide flat (bull trout water). The tail of the pool is very slow and not particularly fishy.

The Afternoon/bull run is below we’re your describing and it is below were the rip rap ends about 300 yds. It was a soft riffle which in high water was really productive. There were some nice boulders in the middle that was my favorite spot. The pace was to slow for a lot of people but when the water was really cold the fish would hang out there. My largest steelhead was landed there on a Glasso silver heron and that fish was caught multiple times by friends of mine. I left the fly in it’s lip and two days later a friend reported catching a large fish with a sliver and black Spey fly in it lip. The tail out was also a sleeper spot on river right just up from the braid.

 

[Denwor54]

My very first steelhead from the Skykomish was taken from the Afternoon hole in 1965 (can that really be 60 years ago!). Over the decades have caught fish from most of the length of that "Hole" with the riffle at the top being the best but also caught fish in the "corner" (where that first fish was taken -on gear) and the tailout flat. But what really stands out in my mind was that in 1965 we ran upstream from Ben Howard in a 14' John boat with a small outboard motor. Don't think that has been possible in what 50 years?

Curt

That had to have been sporty back then also. Was there an island above there? And since we’re bringing up history what year was it when we had the flood the messed most of the runs up. I recall it was mid 90’s. I missed the riffle down below just down below Ben Howard boat launch. That also was filled in but I had some productive pre work days there in the spring.

 

[Smalma]

Late November of 1995?

 

[doublespey]

That riffle below BH was money, we used to fish it in spring and then again after the June opener for the occasional hot early Summer Runs. River left was my favorite but both sides would fish at different water levels. It used to be called Hershey Riffle because the Hershey family owned the adjacent farm off Ben Howard road (at least back in the 90s).