Northwest Fishing Reports

Here's a pink bugger I tied last night trying to practice a number of techniques before I move to smaller scales for trout flies. I bet it will at least coax a pink to bite, if not a summer steel.

I see you're down in Burien so your best bet would likely be Angle Lake or if you head north into Seattle, I would recommend Green Lake for a beginner. Lots of shore access at Green Lake and there's a big dock at Angle to fish from. Get there early because the few times I've been there it's been pac...

I'm looking into buying my first fly rod and reel and after a long search I've decided on a Ross Gunnison. It'll be the #2 model and be paired with a 9' 5wt rod. Everything I've read online says that they're great reels. Tough, made well with a great warranty/customer service, and have a nice look w...

I switched to Drennan floats a couple years ago and have never looked back. They come in three "shades" of clear (brownish, greenish, and true clear) and are a torpedo style float that, like Gringo said, seem to offer less resistance to take downs than the wider cleardrift float style. They are real...

Thanks Bob and thanks for the articles that you've written and contributed to this site.

Good ideas Amx. I like the thought of recording how I'm fishing with the tackle I'm using too, as I will often switch up my action on spoons/spinners if the bites aren't coming fast enough. It also reminds me that leader length would be a good thing to get down as well, as that can change from each ...

I am considering keeping a log/journal of all of my fishing trips this year and wondered what other anglers may do in regard to keeping an organized recording of their catches. I was leaning towards a spreadsheet-based template that records certain data points that may be helpful in the future. Thes...

I know it's a stretch but I'm wondering if any fellow anglers have had any success fishing for trout in Western Washington during January. I've had success fishing the Yakima in early spring but really want to get into some fish in the next couple months. I couldn't (and wouldn't want to) drag my gi...

That's nice information on how to properly clean a bank-caught fish, Ryan seems to know what he's talking about.

I'd suggest getting some aluminum bars or studs that you can affix to the bottom of your felted boots. Also be aware that felt boots can't be used in some of our neighboring states so if you travel and fish you'll need another option. I believe Alaska and Montana banned them and the ban has come up ...

I agree Jon. I generally only keep a wild trout or two when I'm camping or fish I catch in the salt because I've never had a tasty stocked trout and those guys have been essentially eating dog food their whole life. Smoking seems to make everything taste better. Those big trout in Beaver Lake can ho...

The brood trout stocked at Beaver Lake (2400 this year) come from “an educational display at WDFW’s Issaquah Hatchery”. As a former science teacher who has visited the hatchery numerous times on field trips and seen these fish on display, I can attest to their ability to wow and teach youth about ha...

Great thread (pun intended). If you want to avoid dealing with lead you can tie bead and pin jigs as well. I order beads in all sizes and finishes online and get pins/nails from Home Depot. Slide the nail through the bead and tie it to a jig hook. I work in tight conditions and the fumes from meltin...

I floated from Sultan to Ben Howard on Saturday and the river was low and the fish were few. Saw one boat hook four out of one hole on eggs, but not a lot of action otherwise. The rain this week should help and I'm doing the same float next weekend...should be a lot more action.

The Pen-Tac 50/50 my favorite spoon. I'll echo what others said about the finish, weight, and action being far superior than any spoon out there. Based on their still expensive bulk pricing on their website I'm suspecting that they don't budge much on their wholesale costs to dealers/stores and that...

From shore I use a rainbow or sherbet powerbait from the bottom on a sliding weight rig. I thread my 6# test mainline through a 3/8 oz cannonball and then tie on a snap swivel that my leader is attached to. I use a 3-4 foot, 4# test,fluorocarbon leader usually, depending on the bottom vegetation, an...

You'll probably get more tangles when you're jigging without the fluoro leader. The fluoro is stiffer than mono and will help keep your jig away from your mainline. Tie your leader to the jig and then the other end to a barrel swivel, then tying your mainline to that. I rarely use snap swivels but y...

I always use a fluorocarbon leader when tying on jigs. If I'm fishing from shore I spin cast 20# Pline CX Mono mainline and use a 12# leader. I find the Pline casts better than other brands as its quite a bit thinner and fish can't see fluoro, improving your jig's presentation. From a boat I use a m...

Beaver Lake in Issaquah/Sammamish area has a park that I've seen people fishing/catching from. They stock it with chunky brood-stock trout every so often too.

https://goo.gl/maps/NLiVA" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Yeah it was a gorgeous weekend in that part of Washington despite the wind. I fished the lower river, camping at Big Pines, Friday and Saturday and we got skunked (except for a white fish) floating from Ringer Loop back to Big Pines on Saturday. On Friday is was HOT and windy and the river was a bit...