So fall is here and with every fall my mind turns to the Eastern Washington rivers and their summer run steelhead. I fish the Wenatchee, avoid the Methow and the crowds, hit the Snake or the Clearwater, but the one thing that I never miss is the Ronde. Some weeks are busy. Some weeks are slow with people.

Some weeks have been blessed with a bounty of fish and some have been the “should have been here last week” trips. All in all, no matter what week we have, its still a special trip. Fish or no fish, there is no place in middle to late October I would rather be.

Just like every year, the calls of the Skeena tribs call my name in my sleep and shout at me as im trolling the local waters in September for pinks (on the odd year) and the summer runs in the upper streches, but I still can’t avoid going to the Ronde.

The Ronde is a special river. It is not known for the record breaking steelhead you find in the Clearwater or up in B.C. It is not the kind of river where you can go expecting 17 hookups out of the boat like you might on the Methow. For myself, its not always about the size or the numbers of the fish during the trip. Its being on a river that is as rugged as it is beautiful. The lower and middle streach of the river gives you the feeling of total isolation in the wilderness. And, as you are surrounded by all the wonderment of pheasants flying above, big horn sheep scaling the rock cliffs, deer poking their heads out of the brush, and grouse and chucker thumping away in the early morning or late evenings, every fish ends up being a supprise with so much to watch around you.

Grande Ronde steelhead are unlike many summer runs that I have caught in my time. They are not big. They are not always the most acrobatic. But, for their size, they are in a way, bull dogs. Bright, early-June steelhead on the Sky in are a battle of cunning and skill with blistering runs and large leaps. On the Ronde, its a battle of braun. These fish exert sheer power from their little frames, which they should, they just traveled close to 500 miles of river and crossed 8 dams in the process of getting to your fly. I don’t know if it is this fish’s travels or just the nature of this river but they are a very aggressive fish to the swung fly, either on the surface or just below.

But the fish are not the only reason to go to the Ronde in the fall for me. For the last 19 years it is a trip with my father and, most years his long time fishing buddy. Over the years, there are many memories with past fishermen and friends that have come and gone from our camp on the river. Some years there are two of us and some there are six. But every year is rehashed around the campfire at night with our wonderful libations in hand.

Even the years where we didn’t find the big numbers of fish have a place in our hearts and minds around that fire. It is the river where I learned and grew my love of Scotch, and because this is now public record, I will not divulge my age at the time. It is somehow by magic or a gift of the gods that in all the time that I have been on this trip, with the exception of two years for me, busy or slow, we always seem to find ourselves in the same spot to camp. It is amazing how that drive down the steep little dirt road and setting up camp in the same spot every year puts a good mood on the trip no matter what happens. This year was no exception. It is these little things in life that make this trip special. It all started with the pursuit of a steelhead but has grown into so much more than that. This is the reason why I go to this little river, a great fishing trip doesn’t always involve multiple numbers of fish or a 45” fish on the beach, its a great trip no matter what happens on the water.

The overall trip this year was a great one. We found fish willing to play with us everyday we were on the river. We found very little fisherman pressure for the most part. We were able to fish our usual haunts and found some new ones this year, much like we do every year. We were in a way humbled by the Ronde fish this year. We were able to find many fish willing to grab our damp fly or dry fly on this trip, and we were able to get most of them to stick… albiet that most of the sticking was for a second or two. Even the fish that we missed outright were a “how did that happen” kind of moment. The fish that we were able to keep on for any amount of time found ways to wrigle off after a short while. In the end only two fish made it to the hand out of the almost two dozen that we found willing to grace us with there presence.

One would blame the hooks, the line, the fisherman, but out the three of us this year, there were different lines, different tippets, different hooks (just about everyone you can think of). My theory was, it was just the fish.

So as I sit and type this now, revisiting my last adventure, my mind already starts to wonder to next fall and what exciting things are awaiting me on the Grande Ronde next year.

After a recent, very unfruitful, and very long trip to B.C. that resulted in almost no fishing due to high water and catching the cold of all colds, I was anxious to take advantage of some of the E. Washington steelheading that we are blessed with each fall. On Saturday, Oct. 10th, I met up with Joe’s dad, Bill Ewing, on what has to be one of the most beautiful rivers in Washington — the Wenatchee.

We decided to float the river in our pontoon boats and did a nice float from Cashmere to Monitor. It was a cool morning but by the time we got some breakfast, shuttled the trucks, and organized our gear, we shoved off around 8:30 and had already shed our jackets. By mid-morning, the sun was shining bright and the temperatures were getting into the 60’s.

There were lots of crusty king salmon in the river and they would occasionally launch themselves out of the

water, their dark bodies appearing even darker silhouetted against the glaring surface of the river. We had sporadic hatches throughout the day that would occasionally inspire a trout or whitefish to rise to the surface. We also witnessed quite a few “roles” on the surface that we suspected were steelhead. Overall, we got the feeling we were fishing over fish throughout the day.

We fished some of the most gorgeous water a steelheader could ever hope for. Whenever I fish the Wenatchee, I’m always a little frustrated that EVERY piece of water that looks and fished SO GOOD doesn’t produce a fish on the end of the line. This day was certainly no exception. In fact, we fished great water, fished hard, and despite the bright sun, didn’t have many excuses for a pretty slow day.

We did, however, get one grab for the day. About mid-day, when a few clouds rolled through and the sunlight died down, I found a fish on a tailout that Bill mentioned he knew held fish. Fishing a light sink-tip and a small Exasperator, I finally felt the pull of fish that quickly escalated into five or six screaming runs. I yelled up to Bill just in time for him to look downriver and see a chunky native hen screaming across the river with her back out of the water and finally jumping like a porpoise into the mid-river depths. After a pretty ugly job of trying to land her and get my hands around the wrist of her tail, we finally got her to the beach to remove the fly and get a picture or two.

Despite fishing more good water throughout the day, we didn’t touch another fish. I’m sure the next day it was on fire… but there is a big difference between zero fish and one fish when it comes to steelheading so it was nice to get to touch one.

Good Fishing,
Michael
Pacific Fly Fishers

Sorry we haven’t had a recent blog report posted in a while but we’ve been very busy. After many months of work, we have finally launched the new version of our website and catalog. Nice job by Peter, PFF’s in-house web guru, for making this new site way more technically advanced, better looking, and much more interesting.

You will hopefully notice many new features on the new site and a ton of new functionality in the catalog… such as wish lists, online gift certificates, (optional) user account creation and maintenance, and much more.

One of the coolest new features is our new Trade-In Program “toolbox” where users can create an account, then send us used fly fishing equipment, and then we will sell it and send back a gift card for the amount their used products sold for. How easy is that? Whether you live down the street or in Maine, this is an easy way to take advantage of a very popular program and get new gear!! Here is how to get more info and get started.

Well, we haven’t been working all the time. In the last couple months, I’ve been fishing for redfish in New Orleans, up to the Skeena for steelhead (despite dirty water and barely getting to fish), smallmouth fishing on local lakes, and having a ton of fun on the Skagit for pinks… oh yeah, and some trout fishing in lakes too. Ben has been guiding his butt off on Puget Sound, taking his new boat out, and targeting pinks and silvers in the salt on his few days off. Joe has been guiding for pinks in the local rivers and now steelhead in E. Washington. Peter doesn’t fish (yet) but he has hiked half of the Cascade Mountain Range in just the last few months. (He hikes a lot!).

Let us know if you have any comments on the new web site. We would love to hear your feedback.

Best Regards and Good Fishing,

Michael

So its Fathers day. Couldn’t hit the river with pops this morning which is too bad. But for the middle of June the river has been pretty non-forgiving as of late. June is the time of year on the Sky where usually a skunk doesn’t happen let alone three in a row. But today I finally got out of the foul odor of the skunk. It wasn’t a banner day on the river didn’t see anybody else with a fish. Hopefully this warm weather stretch will bump the river up to big and get those fish that have been hanging out deep in the lower river moving up and into the fly water.

With the river on the rise the last two days figured it was time to get out and give it hell again on the river. Typically I stay off the Sky during the weekend because of the boat traffic that is on it typically. And there were a few out there today that re-affirmed that for me. The fishing gods however were with me and not them. Hope Karma keeps kickin their a$$es for the stunts that they pulled today. I’m not one that thinks they own the river when I’m out there but common courtesy goes a long way. Most fisherman would come unglued had I or anybody else fished the way they did on the river. Please respect the water of others when you are out fishing it goes a long way.

With that vent over sorry about that; we can get back to fishing. for the most part I was able to get first rod thru the water that I intended to fish today which is always a confidence booster. The first spot one of the most productive spots on the river for me this year yielded me nothing. Figuring my fly was the problem I ran through it 2 more times with different patterns seeing if something completely different would turn the fish that wasn’t there. The next piece of water probably would have had a good chance but as I took the time at the top of the break to tie back on the dark water fly the two boats of who I spoke of earlier made there first appearance. Both proceeded to put their boats in the sweet spot of the run and then step on the oars through the entire run. Normally this wouldn’t bother me too much but the water that I am fishing is only about 2ft deep the damage was done and I wasn’t about to wait around for the water to rest so. skipping the next spot trying to get away from those guys proceeded on the the last scheduled spot on the trip this morning.

With the moron twins in the rear-view started in with the light tip swingin the shallows. Half way through them, boom goes the dynamite, and a nice 7ish pound hatchery buck explodes from the water after 15 mins it found its way to the beach and in a couple of hours from now the BBQ. Ive done my part now its time for you to go out and give our wild steelhead a chance and get yours for the dinner table.

Tight Lines, Joe Ewing PFF, Northwest Steelheading

After a 6 month hiatus for most of our local rivers they are all finally open to fishing again. That means no more traveling to the coast or the Columbia River trips to get my fishing fix in. After a brutal winter fishery with the wonderful weather we had this fall, winter and most of spring, this weekend finally showed signs of summer.

That means summer run steelhead are in full swing on a few of our local rivers. The Skykomish opened up on the first of the month and with it being at a fishable level for the majority of anglers in the state, they all showed up en mass. For as crowded the river was there should have been more fish caught. Which tells me that the low water levels we have had for the last month or so has yet to bring in the bulk of the run.

Do not fret though this warm weather weekend should help jump start the run. As it stands now the Sky is running at about 11,600 cfs a large jump from the 7,500 cfs on the opener. With that size she is carrying quite a bit of color and hopefully in the coming days quite a bit of fish.

As for the fishing the first three days as said it was slow, a very late start on the opener avoiding the heavy early morning traffic yielded us one fish only to be lost as the fight drew near to the end. After a senior moment at the take out with a pair of my rods it left me day two with really only one option of fish finder for the river. It worked as it found two but they didn’t want to stick around for a picture and just as they were there they were gone, but hey that’s fishing. That day was cut short due to driving rains and the fact that some honest people who found two of my rods found a way to get them back to me. A big thumbs up and thank you to all the guys on piscatorial pursuits for helping me find those things.

After having to go back to work on Friday I was forced to an afternoon on the river. With the proper tools in hand and only a few hours of fishing to be done off to the river for round three. With the rain and the warmer weather the river was up almost 2K cfs from the opener. Getting a little closer to perfect for these bright sunny days. Hit the first spot which has yielded 2 fish so far this year with great optimism even though it was 69 degrees and hardly a cloud in the sky.

It took about 15 casts into this spot to feel the slight tap of a fish. Giving pause waiting for it to come back a brief moment later a large heavy presence was felt on the other end of the line. The 9wt fish finder had done its job now it was my turn. Little did I know at the time it was to be a battle of brawn and little wit. Only being able to make out a shadow in the murky water after 10 min I was beginning to think that I had found a summer king that had wandered up river. After about 20 min I was able to get it close enough to see the rosy red cheek and the stripe down the side indicating the presence of a big winter steelhead. For a fish this late in season it had remarkable strength and stamina. Unlike many of the winter runs that I have hooked in June this one had not spawned at this time. To give you a better indication of the size of this fish. My right hand was unable to grasp the wrist of the fish the picture gives a nice illusion but my fingers are not on the bottom of the fish. As for the girth my left hand has a much of the fish as it can handle. For those who don’t know me in person who read this 6‘4” and able to barely palm a basket ball makes me wish I found this fish in April when it was a full, plump, fresh weight. I would have easily taken over largest steelhead of my life but for now its a tie for second. Why may you ask are we talking about a dark winter run in June, because it was a toad, thats why. And its the reason why I fish 8,9, and 10wts in early June as opposed to 6 and 7wts, along with 12 to 15lb test leaders. Shortly after releasing the fish and on the phone while fishing of course I got a similar but more agressive bump of the fly and giving brief pause again felt the line start to slide off the reel and get heavy and just like the day before, but just like the day before came back to nothing but the tension of the current. Bummer . So as the month progresses the fishing will only get better as long as we keep some decent flows in the river to continue to entice the chrome summer runs back to their home streams.

Don’t miss out on a great fishery because the water volumes are intimidating come in to the shop or book a trip to learn how to fish these things this time of year.

Tight Lines, Joe Ewing PFF, Northwest Steelheading

Those of you that frequent Pacific Fly Fishers know that there are few days when Ben and I both have the day off. Well, that’s the beauty of major holidays when the shop is closed, and we took advantage of Easter Sunday to try and repeat our success at a local bass lake.

Sawyer Lake is located near the town of Covington and is the perfect size for a couple of fly-chucking bass chasers. We launched the boat around 8:00 a.m. and quickly found the one other boat on the lake right where Ben landed a solid 4-pound smallmouth last year. So, we headed to our second favorite spot from last year, a shallow flat that dropped into a creek channel.

The water was still pretty cold for bass, ranging from 49- to 55-degrees. I was fishing a new pattern I created last year called the Mega-Craw (hopefully available in the store in 2012). Ben primarily threw a Sheila’s Sculpin, but fished a ton of different flies. Both of us fished fast sinking lines nearly all day, trying to walk our flies on top of the weeds, down drop-offs, and through submerged timber.

About an hour into the day, something felt a little fishy on the end of the line and I set the hook in a way that would make Bill Dance proud. Up from about six feet of water came a nice little largemouth, angry as hell after a long, cold winter and early spring. Just a few casts later, Ben stuck a fish that would turn out to be a beautiful native cutthroat. We were pumped. We had a couple fish to the boat and the day just started!

We fished with new enthusiasm but didn’t find any other action except the action of putting on our rain jackets for the rest of the day. We stuck it out until about 3:00 and decided to call it a day so Ben could make it back in time to watch the Canucks game.

If we could get a few more warm days of weather around here, the bass should really start to turn on. Once the surface temps reach the 55- to 60-degree mark, look for the fish to start staging close to spawning areas and for the fishing to get excellent!

When I arrived at Lenice and opened the door of my truck, it was immediately pulled from my hand, blew open and

 shook the truck as it reached the maximum limit of the hinges.  “Whoa, it’s a bit windier than I thought it was”, I said to myself.

In the parking lot, a customer and friend of PFF watched me roll in and came over to say hello.  He regrettably informed me that the lake was fishing pretty slow and that it had been windy all morning and he was heading home.   I could certainly see the wind hadn’t let up as I began packing my boat with the eight million fishing goodies I like to have with me in a day of fishing.

I had heard Lenice had been a little tough lately but decided to head over anyway.  Slow on Lenice is usually still pretty decent and today wasn’t much different.  Even the ubiquitous wind isn’t out of the norm, but you still hate to deal with it all day.

Based on the parking lot report I had just received, and the lack of chironomids on the surface of the water, I didn’t breakout the chironomid rod at all.  Instead I used what I am most comfortable with, my trusty type IV sinking line and various leeches, damsels, and other subsurface critters.  The wind had actually died down and right out of the gate I hooked four fish and put three in the net.  “Slow fishing, pshhh, it’s going to be an awesome day”, I thought!  Well, within minutes the wind was back in full force.  This wasn’t the “barely able to stand up straight” kind of wind I’ve seen over there, but it was definitely the “this wind sucks” kind of wind.  Each time that wind started howling, the fishing would shut off.  Fortunately, though, there were a few periods when the wind died down and the fishing was good.  I was lucky to find two spots, one of which has been good in the past and the second a new find, which gave me some pretty good action in spurts. 

The best fly I could find was the Gold Bead Bouface in black.  Usually I do better with olive on Lenice, but I won’t argue with the fish and they definitely seemed to want this one over the others I tried.

In the late morning hours when I finally made it on the water, the water temperature was 51-degrees and most of the fish seemed to be in the 12 to 15-foot depths.  That’s were I found some success early.  By noon or so, they seemed to move shallow and I was hooking fish in depressions close to shore or off drop-offs in the far west end of the lake.  There was less wind over there too!

So, overall I netted 14 or 15 fish and lost a few more.  Not too shabby, but I was working hard for them, covering lots of water and kicking my fins so hard at times it felt more like I was riding a bike than kicking a pontoon boat.

Michael

Pacific Fly Fishers