[juro]

Hit a secret COlumbia trib with doublespey, bill, and northfork yesterday. Started the day with a heavy fog and overcast skies. I got lucky and connected with a nice summer hen, one of the prettiest I've seen.

In the afternoon decided to stick with topwater for a while, rolled one right away that came up and sideswiped a caddis on the surface. I felt a nudge but nothing in the wrist... missed it but talk about exciting!

Sun came up and worked some faster water, picked up another steelhead while greaselining. Nice buck, photographed and released.

Had a great day, great trip and it was awesome being back in the pacfic northwest. Full report to follow...

 

[juro]

Doublespey hooked up solid on the Elwha in a choice run. The steelhead actually straightened out his hook! The hatchery down to the mouth is reputed to be flyonly at this time.

There is streambank protection work going on right now so you might plan accordingly if you are going to fish the orchard area.

 

[juro]

Dark shadows are large chinook salmon spawning on the gravel...

Ryan lands a nice searun cutt...

 

[striblue]

Great fish Guys... and great report Juro.. really rounds your year out. Did you use the "real eel"?

 

[juro]

I was tempted to use it out in coho country (Sekiu, on the peninsula) but the herring fly I had on was serving me so well I never changed a fly all day!

Of course the salmon were so hot to trot in the morning I think any decent imitation of a sand eel, herring, candlefish, squid, etc would have done the trick.

The first hen took my version of Bill's loose-winged bunny fly, which is in the archives HERE. The surface take was on the sedge muddler you see in my profile, and the third took an unnamed caddis pupa wet fly (variant of my sedge pupa fly) that transitions from a spider-style palmered head thru three tones of scintilla dubbing with a couple of threads of gold crystal flash wrapped over the dubbing, which really shows itself when the dubbing is wet.

 

[andre]

J,

Had to make a quick run to Intel's Dupont campus Thursday. I made a quick stop in the afternoon. Missed 4 grabs on skaters, (did you know that your caddis pupa skates?)and one LDR. I'm thinking these stelhead are acting pretty trouty and will size smaller next time as I did not have anything smaller than a sz 6. One hour on the river makes one change prespective.

a

 

[juro]

You're killing me! When I heard it started to rain after I left my instincts almost turned me around like the salmon running to the stream. With the huge runs this year each taste of rain in the river will make the pools alive with antsy summer runs and fresh coho arrivals. I'm convinced that this would have been the summer run season of a lifetime for me and/or anyone who gets out enough to capitalize on it. I hope you guys are able to cash in! This is a fall I really hate to be away from steelhead country.

 

[NrthFrk16]

Juro-
You are also going to wish you were here if the rumors about the Eastside rivers pan out. NMFS is making their decision by the end of the week!!

36,000 steelies already over Priest Rapids!!!!

 

[juro]

I get itchy for wenatchee...