Northwest Fishing Reports

As the snow continues to melt, and the wind starts to dry things out, the ice on the lakes and rivers is starting to melt. Tulips, daffodils & pansies are sprouting and showing their bravery against the last remnants of winter. It's still cold in Eastern Washington and too cold for my old bones. However, when it warms enough to start waving my stick around and singing "Here Fishy Fishy" I'm wondering what flies I'm going to start with. I've decided to use my Orange Blossom Special, my Flash Back Copper John, Olive Wooly Bugger and even my Dragon Fly Nymph. I'll be fishing lakes mostly, but when I start on the rivers I'm sure to take Elk Hair Caddis, Royal Coachmen, Humpys and the ever present Adams. So, what are y'all planning on starting out with?

House flies, and soon horse flies. Dragon flies will arrive later, GREAT Bass bait. I've used them on a fly rod years ago. Yes, real dragon flies. Hard to cast, but a great bait.

Joe, I have been "Geared up" for years with fly gear, but I am lazy for sure. I don't care to fly fish on these West side lakes. I really like to do so in the alpine lakes for those hungry alpine brookies.
I did though last year purchase some really CRAZY looking bass flies. "Fly" is a misnomer here. These are poppers, and mice, and a lot of just crazy looking stuff.
Have you ever fished bass with this kind of stuff. (Big feathers, etc.) I wish I had pics. loaded.
It's way to early I think for these sorts of flies and bass. I am wondering what type of line? I would assume floating line for the poppers and top water mice (fly) Intermediate sinking tip for which bass flies?? Maybe I can add a pic. later.

Sinking line for streamers for bass. Forwards sinking for shallow, or full sinking for DEEP water fishing the streamers.

Water Boatman and leeches. Chironomids work good this time of year, I don't have the patience for watching a strike indicator very long. Too early for any hatches other than midges, so I'm fishing below the surface.

I never put my gear away for the winter! I fished Rocky Ford 4 times and used my RF standbys. Silver/white streamers and scuds for the lazy ones. Fished 2 days at Omak sight fishing for cutts. They aren't fussy at all about what they'll eat. Both days the fishing ended at 10 am when the wind started to howl. Fished another 2 days at Lenice. WEhen the wind blew too much to anchor I trolled wooly buggars. As usual olive was the best color. When it wasn't too windy it was anchor up the toon and bobber watch fishing chironimids. Fished mostly chromies and bloodworms. Brought a box with 300 flies in it but never fished anything but the chromies and bloodworms.

The Quadfather wrote:Joe, I have been "Geared up" for years with fly gear, but I am lazy for sure. I don't care to fly fish on these West side lakes. I really like to do so in the alpine lakes for those hungry alpine brookies.
I did though last year purchase some really CRAZY looking bass flies. "Fly" is a misnomer here. These are poppers, and mice, and a lot of just crazy looking stuff.
Have you ever fished bass with this kind of stuff. (Big feathers, etc.) I wish I had pics. loaded.
It's way to early I think for these sorts of flies and bass. I am wondering what type of line? I would assume floating line for the poppers and top water mice (fly) Intermediate sinking tip for which bass flies?? Maybe I can add a pic. later.

I'm kind of partial to weight forward lines. I think you nailed it for floating and sink tip lines, and if your throwing big flies you'll need a big line. For some of the bigger bass flies I think an 8 weight would be appropriate.

If it was me (and it's not, because everything is still frozen here!), I'd fish bloodworms, small black zebra midges, red/black snowcone patterns, skip nymphs, hare's ears and PT nymphs under indicators in shallow, warmer water. Once that quit working, I'd drop anchor and fish those same patterns straight down, near the bottom, with a type VI or VII sink line line in 30' of water. I'm a wuss when it comes to cold feet, and I like to keep my feet out of the water early season! I can only stay on the water as long as my feet allow.

I also learned a trick from a guy on Medical last year. When chironomid hatches are thin, try using a black micro leech pattern under an indicator, about 10' down in 12' of water, on a sloping weedy bank. It was the ticket for several days in late March and early April!

Selectivity in the early season is typically not an issue as water temps remain low and insect hatches remain sparse to non-existent, although sometimes you may encounter an early season midge hatch that gets the fish moving and feeding selectively. What pattern you fish is generally a secondary concern to location - where the fish are feeding, which is usually oportunistically. A wide variety of patterns can be successful, especially those which are suggestive and could resemble any of of a number of food sources that trout normally would recognize in a given body of water, especially early season food sources like scuds, leeches, dragonfly nymphs, immature damsels,chironomid larvae (bloodworms) etc.

With that, Gary's suggestions cover those "meat and potatoes" food sources that trout will be looking for in the early season when feeding opportunistically, and, in the case of a midge hatch that leads to selective feeding, small and black is usually a good place to start, adjusting color and size as needed to "match the hatch". Micro leeches (12-16) are a "go to fly" when fishing the warmer, shallow water, as are chrironomid larvae (bloodworms) which move from their deep water haunts of winter to the shallower, warmer water where they are easy prey for the trout.

Rickard's Stillwater nymphs, large "chromies", and Bionic worms are three patterns I would add to the list. If I was fishing a lake where the primary food sources where minnows, shiners, etc.. I would fish larger baitfish types of patterns (large clousers, articulated leeches, etc.)

I've got a number of new or hybrid patterns I've been tying over the winter that I'm going to try. Several variants of blood worms, chironomids and scuds for the lakes. Also I have tied up some wine colored rabbit leeches and a number of different buggers. My old standbys: Stayner Ducktail and Sheep Creek Special are great all purpose patterns that work well around here as well.

I usually go the the local lakes with two complete setups: one rigged with 15 to 20 feet of leader and floating line and the other with a 500 grain 24' sink tip. I find that I can fish all depths and styles with these.

A little later I will break out the damsels nymphs and adults as well as raccoons and humpy's to match some of the adult chironomid hatches around here. Mix in some Teeny Nymphs and the classic Pheasant tails and Hare's Ears and that's about all I take with me.

Streamers and Skwalas for the next month then Streamers and Green Drakes!

Black bead head leech with a red tail with silver tinsel, olive hairsear with red bead eyes, this is more of an attractor fly, but works great in Wa lakes both west side and east side..size 12

I'm getting a couple pink flies together and have an old fishing buddy that is going to go out with me in a week or two for pinks to get me more into what to do.
Gotta make sure I'm not totally inept with pinks on the fly LOL (0 for 2 maybe 4 hours fished so far although not like fly guys were ripping them up while I was there).
Looking forward to it! Been over 20 years since fishing with this guy.

Anyhow, pink clouser minnow tied with calftail size 6 or 8 so pretty small. Fast retrieve.

I'll report back here when results are in. Like I said tho it may be awhile before we both get time coordinated.
Woohoo! Nothing like catching up with an old fishing buddy.

Anybody else have some pink salmon favorite fly patterns?