Small Pleasures

Of course, by "small" I mean Smallmouth. And they are a pleasure... After all, one of the prettiest settings in central Washington also offers some great fishing for mid-sized Bass. On one evening recently, I couldn't keep the fish off my line. I arrived late in the day and only had two and a half hours to fish before dark. I would be heading off for some big trout early the next morning so this brief time slot would have to satisfy me. Let's just say the results were surprising and prove why I keep coming back to Banks Lake: 18 fish in 2 1/2 hours - three of them pushing three pounds and all on various minnow and leach patterns in shallow water. Man, I love Smallies on the fly...

Goodbye to May - We Never Knew You...

The month of May is over and it was almost like we never experienced it. Oftentimes, it offered more of a late-winter feel than spring and all the fishing cycles and activity were late by many weeks. This weekend, however, that delay turned out to be a good thing. I went on a four-day road trip and met up with my eldest, Tommy, and our friend, David Dietrich. We did some fishing in the middle of the state and David talked us into spending a day on Omak Lake. The fish there were still in Spring mode and we found them cruising in relatively shallow water all day long. The water will soon warm into the mid and upper 60's and the fish will begin moving into deeper water but our late spring kept the window of opportunity open even as the month of May ended.

Big Lahontan Cutthroat prowl all over this lake and chow on the abundant bait fish. They can grow to very large sizes but average around 18-20 inches. We used minnow and leach patterns in two to ten feet of water and had steady action. Our biggest went 24 inches and maybe five pounds (photo below). Most that we caught were around 20 inches and three pounds, as seen in the photo of Tommy above. Nice fish...

It was 90+ degrees while we were on the water but the wind blew a bit to keep us cool and we almost had the place to ourselves. Definitely worth the effort and definitely a place we'll find an excuse to get back to...

Spring has Sprung

Well, I've been out four times in the last four weeks. Three times on lakes and once on a river, all in my home state. Three weeks ago things were slow and lethargic and the local fly shops have been saying that the fishing cycle is about 4-6 weeks behind. Fishing in early May was sometimes like fishing in March. But I just got back from a lake last night where Spring seemed like it was finally in gear. There were sporadic sightings of Callibaetis Mayflies, Damsel nymphs (and adults), and bomber-sized midges. Exactly what the doctor ordered in a year which, so far, has been all about high water levels, cold temperatures, and lethargic trout.

I took a friend, Gary, out on a two-man pontoon boat and rowed him through some favorite places on the lake. He'd never fly fished before in his life and he was fed up with learning to cast in the front yard. He said he wanted to finally feel the weight of a fish on the end of his line and I was only too happy to oblige him. His casts were simple but improved as the day went on and he had the skills to get the job done, as proven by the fact that he landed several nice fish - the largest, pictured above, was eighteen inches and quite fat.

At one point in the afternoon, I had us within 30 feet of a grassy shoreline and was digging through a gear bag while my partner made a short cast toward shore with a wet fly on an intermediate sink line. I looked up and, just off the end of one oar, saw a plump Rainbow Trout arcing almost four feet in the air. It hadn't made a sound and it didn't seem real until I watched and heard it hit the water with a splash as it continued pulling against the line. I shouted excitedly, "Did you see that?!"

My buddy grinned and looked back at me momentarily as he continued to fight his fish.

"Yah," he replied, sarcastically. "I saw that."

Soon, in the net was another 17-incher. What a great way to welcome in the Spring. A beautiful and warm sunny day on the water with frisky fish feeding aggressively.

Spring couldn't be more welcome.

High Desert Lake in Washington

Last Friday was one of those "I've only got one day off" trips that starts at 5am and ends at 11pm with maybe six hours of fishing in the middle of it... David Dietrich, a friend, and my son, Terry, were in the Tahoe with me cruising east over the Cascade Mountains, headed for dry desert on the east side of the state. We were pulling my utility trailer with David's new 14-foot, 3-man pontoon boat strapped on. We planned to catch some Spring trout and be back in our beds almost before anyone had noticed we were gone.

We paused on the dry side to catch breakfast just after sunrise at a little cafe in Cle Elum but otherwise didn't stop until we got to our destination. The weatherman had predicted periodic rain showers but the sky was clear and the wind wasn't blowing as hard as we expected. We rigged up our rods and got the boat situated with sunshine on our faces and maybe a half-dozen other pontoon boats on the lake.

The water was cold and we knew, with the winter we'd had, that we were early for the good fishing but since the ice had been off the lake for two weeks now, we couldn't wait any longer. We went directly for the north end and found the back cove empty. We had the water all to ourselves the entire day and had a great time - one of the best opening days I've had in terms of satisfaction. I caught several nice fish in the 15-18 inch range and so did my companions. I spent most of the day on the oars and put the guys on hole after hole where I knew the fish would be. Of course, early on it was tough going. The water was cold and the fish were lethargic but we caught a few here and there. Enough to keep us interested.

Then came the late afternoon. The sun had been on the water for a good six hours and I had the lobster burn on the top of my head to prove it. I guided the boat into the back of the north cove where we could see the lily pads growing up within a foot or so of the surface - another week or two and they would have their leaves floating on top. I had my son try a black Sealbugger right over the top of the lily pads and up against the grass in shallow water maybe three feet deep.

Terry's fish hit him as hard as any had to that point in the day and we knew the afternoon bite was on. Within the next hour, David and Terry would hook up on seven or eight fish in the cove, landing six. It was like we'd been killing time all day waiting for the bite that we knew would come. What was surprising was that it lasted a little longer than normal. We caught fish fairly steadily for almost two hours.

David took over the oars about 5:00 pm to take us back to the boat launch. He offered to stop at one grassy point I am fond of and I was glad to get to make a couple casts toward shore. The wet winter had the level of the lake as high as I've ever seen it so the rocks on the point were all submerged but I cast right over the top of where I knew they'd be. I let my black Sealbugger sink for about a five count to give it time to get down above the rocks and then I began slowly stripping it back toward me. I brought it back a little and then paused to let it sink deeper as I drug the fly out into deeper water. I did this retrieve/pause technique about three times and then I felt my line hang up and start vibrating.

Fish on!

I stripped several times to get tension on the hook and then reeled up the slack so I could fight him on the reel. He ran for deeper water and I followed with the rod. After a few minutes he was in the net. All 17-inches of him and fat like a football.

I let the fish go and made a cast to the other side of the point. Several strips later I had another one, a twin to the first.

I love Spring trout...

It's Getting on to Time

Sitting at the tying bench the last two nights, I notice that it's staying light until 8:00 now. You know what that means...

I've already booked two trips for this month with friends who are as anxious as I am to get out and do some Spring fishing. Triploid Rainbow Trout are calling my name and the almost 200 midge, scud, chironomid, and boatman patterns in my lake box confirm that I've done more than enough tying.

Five days from today and I will be on my first outing of 2009. I can't wait. I've got a couple new reels and a new rod to try out and they are ready to go. If you are luckier than I am then you've already started your new season. The winter here is staying a little later than usual this year so I haven't been in a hurry to get out. In fact, the lake we're headed to next week was frozen over ten days ago. So our timing is just about right. See you out there...

Fly Fishing Film Tour

For me, this was my second year in attendance at the Fly Fishing Film Tour's stop in Seattle - this time around at the King Cat Theater on March 8th. Admitting openly now that I am part of an older generation of fly fishers, it is still fun to see the younger set gather to celebrate what I consider my sport. It's a bit like going to the zoo - I see strange creatures that aren't like me... I bring my boys and point and say things like, "look at those guys. They are dressed poorly but wear Costa Del Mar sunglasses and drink microbrews..."

At the end of the day, the spirit of Warren Miller is alive in a new sport niche and I couldn't be happier about it. I can't think of a better way to pass a cold winter day than to sit in a small theater with a few hundred guys who love the sport of fly fishing like I thought only I did. For two hours we were treated to highlights and clips from perhaps a dozen fly fishing films. This allowed the audience to travel from New Zealand to Canada, to Alaska, to Florida, to Turneffe Flats. You name it, they showed it. They even did a segment on the ever-growing popularity of Bass on a fly. Lots of fun.

The night was full of hooting and hollering. A loud "Yes!" would erupt from the crowd when the close-up showed a fat trout sipping a dry fly and a low "Ohhhh" would follow when a fish refused. Only here could you go to a theater and shout at the film and everyone expected it instead of frowning on it.

There are plenty more stops for the Tour yet to come around the country so check out the website for the calendar and catch it if you get a chance.

http://www.flyfishingfilmtour.com/

I am still slobbering from having seen the segment by Team Fly Boys on fat Steelhead sipping dry flies on a river in British Columbia. If Steelies were ever going to develop this habit it would have to be in pursuit of the big Green Drake hatch that we saw in the film (huge Mayflies) but it still boggles the mind to think someone found it and got into it. They must have caught ten of those big monsters in an hour and they did it all on dries. Wow...

Really, there is something for everyone at this event. Don't miss it...

Winter Break

I'm officially in the winter months of my season and this is the time I traditionally take off each year to rest and contemplate. It's also when I get around to working on the journal I publish for friends and family each year. It's been such a busy year that I wasn't sure I would get it done. And while I probably won't finish before Christmas, I will get copies out to everyone as soon as I can find the time. The cover art is done (see the photo) and I think its shaping up nicely.

I'm not the only one who preaches that what a good fisherman needs is a good three months off each year. There's just something to be said for having a beginning and an end to each season. For myself, it just adds to the celebration of the sport. After all, any good tech-head worth his weight knows that puttering with the gear bag in preparation for the first trip of the year is almost an event in itself. I relish the anticipation of that first trip and I enjoy the melancholy of the last day of the last trip of the year. Life is all about cycles and this just fits...

Truth be told, I also need the downtime for tying more flies. I can never keep enough Stimulators, Sealbuggers, and Water Boatmen in the fly box. There's also a certain white and chartreuse minnow pattern the Smallies slobber after... I've never been a fast fly producer so having the quiet months to focus on refilling stock is a real plus.

However you spend the winter, whether its ice in the glass in front of the TV or ice in the guides in front of a cold Steelhead hole, I hope you find the time to look back on what was another great year of fishing. I am grateful to all the friends and family who accompanied me and I look forward to the new season after I come out of hibernation...