Sammamish River!

[tsath24]

Anyone tried fly fishing the Sammamish River?...I've been up to the park in Woodinville, but don't know exactly what areas will be good to fish...What kind of flies would you suggest using on a river system like this (Targeting trout)? Any suggestions on a specific location and flies?

[NWFshHntr]

I myself have searched for some locations and tips, but all I have seen is in the reports for it. Last time I checked the further down river from woodinville you are the more trout you will catch. However, if you are looking for some sizeable fish this isn't the river. Apparently from the reports I have seen, the fish average about 6-8 inches unless you catch something along the lines of a pikeminnow or a sucker fish. good luck

[Lukethefisherman]

I have been fishing the Sammamish River for a while and I have a great time catching Pikeminnows! It is the only thing I can manage to catch. There are some big ones. However I believe that there are supposed to be trout, and I have a client who is a Fisheries Biologist and she counts all species of salmon and steelhead that run the river. I am working at trying to develop a method for catching them. There are very few spots to access the slough from the shore but I think floating it might give some good results. Good Luck!

[G-Man]

This time of year the Sammamish Slough is so warm and deprived of oxygen that the majority of the trout have left for either Lake Sammamish or Lake Washington. Pike Minnows are going to be the majority of the fish you catch in the warm months. By the way, you can keep the pike mionnows you catch in the slough just don't eat them, use them for shellfish bait instead.

[tsath24]

That's pretty much what I've experienced as it's been getting hotter. Figured the trout would fry in water that hot and would head to more cool and deep water for food and oxygen. Fishing in there a couple of months ago for trout was decent, like G-Man said, all you'd be able to hook in there now are Pike Minnows. He makes a really good point about keeping those for crab bait...I never thought to keep them until now....

[drysuperfly52]

im sold.. what do i use for a pike minnow? is woodenville or kenmore better?

[tsath24]

im sold.. what do i use for a pike minnow? is woodenville or kenmore better?

Usually just use a bead head nymph. river is probably really really low now and warm so mainly pike minnow there. there are fish all over in woodinville or kenmore. try different places out until you find fish and let us know

[drysuperfly52]

sinking line? what size of nymph? i think i will see if i can convince my decision making half to go tonnight

[tsath24]

sinking line? what size of nymph? i think i will see if i can convince my decision making half to go tonnight

No need for the sinking line, the river is really really low as well right now. At most it will be 3-4' deep. Probably can get by with a 3' leader and 3-5' tippet with a size 12-14 nymph. Haha definitely know how the other half is the decision maker...

[drysuperfly52]

thanks i will be going sunday morning i think, the other half want to catch her first bass before i first for anything else..

[oneshot]

how far can you take a smaller aluminum boat up with a trolling motor.. launching in kenmore at 168th at the Lake Wa. launch where the slough starts?? not as interested in fishing as just cruisin up the slough for an adventure

[drysuperfly52]

in augest i dont know, but i know in early summer you can make it too the golf course

[tsath24]

how far can you take a smaller aluminum boat up with a trolling motor.. launching in kenmore at 168th at the Lake Wa. launch where the slough starts?? not as interested in fishing as just cruisin up the slough for an adventure

Haha that's funny I live up the hill by the QFC from that boat launch. You would probably scape at about Woodinville where it's ankle deep...Other than that the rest of the river should be okay to ride up with your trolling motor.

[Gringo Pescador]

There is a trailer park on the slew at the east end of Bothell (right off 522). They have boat docks there, so I am sure you can get at least that far.

[oneshot]

i heard from one person that it would be tough to get past the golf course down there right before hitting Bothell.. same person said they were catching nice size pike minnows right by the golf course using a needle fish spoon, they had there canoe and went all they way down there..
the slough runs so slow, i'm sure a trolling motor could handle both ways..

having a small boat now , i'm so not interested in hitting any banks, until i have learned all things local to my house for the boat.. i live off lake city at the end of it in north seattle (maple leaf neighborhood) the slough is close enough to home.. id also like to launch at magnussen and head down and through the cut and into lake union.. just to do it. maybe fish from some bass.. which i am a failure at!!
might be looking for local companions soon as well..

sorry, didn't mean to hijack the thread..

[tsath24]

i heard from one person that it would be tough to get past the golf course down there right before hitting Bothell.. same person said they were catching nice size pike minnows right by the golf course using a needle fish spoon, they had there canoe and went all they way down there..
the slough runs so slow, i'm sure a trolling motor could handle both ways..

having a small boat now , i'm so not interested in hitting any banks, until i have learned all things local to my house for the boat.. i live off lake city at the end of it in north seattle (maple leaf neighborhood) the slough is close enough to home.. id also like to launch at magnussen and head down and through the cut and into lake union.. just to do it. maybe fish from some bass.. which i am a failure at!!
might be looking for local companions soon as well..

sorry, didn't mean to hijack the thread..

Wow, super close to where the wife and I just moved to. I'm not sure what the boat launch is called by the mouth under the 68th AVE bridge (by Rhododendron Park) is but it's fairly close to both you and I. Definitely would be up for a ride in the boat , never ever have fished from a boat period... No worries about hijacking, more of sharing and taking resources here...

[Gringo Pescador]

I was at the landing in Bothell over the weekend and there was a 16-18' bayliner style boat (inboard pleasure boat) motoring up the canal and that is past the golf course so you should be good to go. I was talking to the woman that rents canoes and kayaks there, she said she didn't think fishing was allowed in that stretch at all because the WDFW had been down a couple times and asked if she had seen anyone fishing. I haven't checked the regs though. Thought I would check and rent a canoe to get my daughter into some of those pike minnows..

Maple Leaf.. Maybe run into you sometime at Judy Fu's ,(been regulars there for 15+ years) though I probably wouldn't recognize you without your fishin horns.

[oneshot]

Maple Leaf.. Maybe run into you sometime at Judy Fu's ,(been regulars there for 15+ years) though I probably wouldn't recognize you without your fishin horns.

never eatin at Judy Fu's, only order take out and delivery


what i dont get is "internal combusiton prohibited" but you have all these people that live down there with gas motors docked up. and i too have seen them coming up and down..

SAMMAMISH RIVER (Slough) (King
Co.) from 68th Ave. NE Bridge to Lake
Sammamish
All species - selective gear rules. Internal combustion motors prohibited.
TROUT Jan. 1-Aug. 31 Catch-and-release.
Other Game Fish Jan. 1-Aug. 31 Statewide min. size/daily limit.


also note: the regs say Lone Lake on whidbey Island is no internal combustion motors but half the houses on the lake have ski boats docked up and 3 boats came in while i was there on sunday and ran their motors around, pulling tubes and motoring around.

so? for the sammamish, what it is? i'd prefer to bring troller and my gas motor if either of them are ok.. i don't get it

[Gringo Pescador]

Maple Leaf.. Maybe run into you sometime at Judy Fu's ,(been regulars there for 15+ years) though I probably wouldn't recognize you without your fishin horns.

never eatin at Judy Fu's, only order take out and delivery

what i dont get is "internal combusiton prohibited" but you have all these people that live down there with gas motors docked up. and i too have seen them coming up and down..

SAMMAMISH RIVER (Slough) (King
Co.) from 68th Ave. NE Bridge to Lake
Sammamish
All species - selective gear rules. Internal combustion motors prohibited.
TROUT Jan. 1-Aug. 31 Catch-and-release.
Other Game Fish Jan. 1-Aug. 31 Statewide min. size/daily limit.


also note: the regs say Lone Lake on whidbey Island is no internal combustion motors but half the houses on the lake have ski boats docked up and 3 boats came in while i was there on sunday and ran their motors around, pulling tubes and motoring around.

so? for the sammamish, what it is? i'd prefer to bring troller and my gas motor if either of them are ok.. i don't get it

My daughter loves to watch Judy make dumplings...

My guess is that there is some kind of residential permit issued to those that live on the slew/lake, but that is just a guess. If I were you I would take the gas motor off if you were going to go up there. At least there is a little water flow if your battery dies to get you back to the ramp... e v e n t u a l l y...

[Bodofish]

The Slough is closed to all motorized traffic upstream of the where the Burk Gillman crosses (the bridge) just before the big interchange. Personally I wouldn't go much past the boat launch with a motor, the rafts of Algae can clog your cooling system bad.