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PNW Summer Run Clave?

2K views 11 replies 5 participants last post by  juro 
#1 ·
It's time to start thinking about the summer steelhead expedition... Tony, Skookum, Andre and others have been finding fish. There has even been a little buzz out here on the east coast from folks interested in the PNW clave. We just might be able to get a few travellers to coordinate flights and spend a few days roving the northwest. Smitty (Rod Builder's WOrkshop) will be terrorizing salmon on Vancouver Island too.

This raises a couple of possibilities:

a) homesick greaseliner happily reunites with great friends and steelhead in the PNW

b) homesick greaseliner and entourage of eager anglers come to experience the ultimate trout

If there is genuine interest from folks in other regions in an expedition to the PNW, please reply to this post accordingly. If there are enough people to share a rental van and lodging, maybe even rental skiffs for ocean coho on a fly, the costs could go way down and the fun factor way up.

If not, then I will continue on my plans to visit the dry fly yard long super trout mecca to fish with the very impressive PNW contingent we have on the forum. (see Holy Grail article from spring)

I'll post details if there is interest in a group visit. Concerns about the logistics of fishing a river stretch with several people are not an issue in my mind, we could simply take shifts on different pools. There are plenty of hardcore steely schnauzers to lead small groups (of 3 or so) into various stretches and compare notes around ubiquitous quality espresso or a single malt flask.

Thoughts? Interest?
 
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#2 ·
Juro,

We have been kicking this around for a while now. Maybe we should really sit down and see if we can coordinate times to
make a journey out to the PNW. I have the vacation time but the timing itself is always tricky in the late summer/fall in my business. Should we meet and see if we can pull this together? I know you have Vacouver in your plans as well
and the RH-B estate and river Campbell would be fun too.

I would really like to hear what you think makes sense as far as places and approach and timing.

Poddy Hole here we come....!

Jay
 
#3 ·
Talked to Smitty this morning in fact. He will be on the island (Vancouver) with two spots open, no cost lodging. Unfortunately that's a bad week for me, I'd have to go last week August. That's a bit soon as well.

Brian tells me the coho season on Sekiu (inshore) opens September 1st. It's either quota based or will run until a certain date. In any case, I'd like to include a saltchuck coho flyfishing segue in the agenda.

Dryline steel only improves thru fall until the rains swell the rivers. September is great, peaking into early october until the rains and cooler weather typically start the waiting period until the winter fish appear.

I am still trying to nail down a date.
 
#4 ·
Juro,

A PNW clave sounds great, Depending on the timing I'm in for a couple days. Late August will be tough as I'll most likely be out of town the 16th-29th.

thanks

Andre
 
#5 ·
Looks tough for me then too - I have to be in town for Labor Day, but my good buddy will be out there thru the 4th. I'll have to come earlier (like next week?) or later. Later is much more likely.

I'll let you know.
 
#6 ·
I'll be outta town Sept 9-16, and also August 21 -27. Any other times and I'm there.

Recent fishing report - the waters of the Sky and Sno are fishing fabulously right now. Fished Saturday morning on the Sky with Jeff, Sunday on the Snoqualmie. The waters around Reiter are at an ideal flow and very clear. We were on the water by 545, sun hit us by 7:30.

Sunday we got the early clouds and was able to fish until about 12 before the sun came out in force. Lots of smolt both days chasing our surface flies, and I watched a steelhead roll in the frogwater below the pool I was fishing on the Snoqualmie. Talked to a bait fisher on the Sky - he'd just lost one and had watched 4-5 caught that morning. Another plug puller on the Snoqualmie had told us he'd spotted a couple fish in the pools, but they hadn't had a touch on their plugs (DUH! Like the 6lb hatchery fish in crystal clear water is going to feel aggressive enough to attach his rattling snapping Wiggle Wart).

Fish are there, and more coming in.
 
#7 ·
I'll be outta town Sept 9-16, and also August 21 -27. Any other times and I'm there.

Recent fishing report - the waters of the Sky and Sno are fishing fabulously right now. Fished Saturday morning on the Sky with Jeff, Sunday on the Snoqualmie. The waters around Reiter are at an ideal flow and very clear. We were on the water by 545, sun hit us by 7:30.

Sunday we got the early clouds and was able to fish until about 12 before the sun came out in force. Lots of smolt both days chasing our surface flies, and I watched a steelhead roll in the frogwater below the pool I was fishing on the Snoqualmie. Talked to a bait fisher on the Sky - he'd just lost one and had watched 4-5 caught that morning. Another plug puller on the Snoqualmie had told us he'd spotted a couple fish in the pools, but they hadn't had a touch on their plugs (DUH! Like the 6lb hatchery fish in crystal clear water is going to feel aggressive enough to attack his rattling snapping Wiggle Wart).

Fish are there, and more coming in.
 
#8 ·
Juro,

Have you nailed your timing yet. Looks like I'll be around most of September. Let's look to put something together. I picked up my puma so with Brian we should be able to get a number of people floating.

Andre
 
#9 ·
It's looking like the end of September, trying to squeeze in the end of the ocean coho season as well as the greaseline season. I am already suspecting that this will be WW III at home and not the best topic to raise at the brand new job; but hey you only live once and in the end the number of steelhead you meet will count for something for sure.

I really look forward to seeing the gang and spending some time reading the fluid rhythms of glacial flows that thread the valleys from mountain to sea in our beautiful pacific northwest; and dancing a fly in the shadows with the prospect of steelhead every swing.
 
#10 ·
Juro and all the PNW gang,

I will be closing out the apartment I have been keeping in Olympia the weekend of the 23rd and could extend my trip. Does it look like the clave might happen in this time frame? I will likely have no transportation and I have little more than the barest clue as to how to entice those silver bullets with a fly but I would love to meet some of the west coast contingent and sponge up some knowledge.

So should I pack the gear?
 
#11 ·
Well I might be able to hook up for a day depending on the schedule. I'll be gone the some of the week and weekend prior and might be looking at "outatown" guests that week. Don't want to push the wife to far, I still have my week for the Thompson in Nov.

andre
 
#12 ·
Hawkeye -

What a fortunate twist of fate! Well, unfortunate in that the apartment will be history but cool that we should be able to hook up for steelhead. Let me try to finalize the dates so that an extension of your time equals the start of my visit. I'm sure the PNW contingent will be supportive but if it doesn't work we might split a rent-a-wreck and tour the old honey holes. Steely season should be peak at that time.

I'll work things out at my new job and plan for the last week in September. Very cool!

Juro
 
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