Northwest Fishing Reports

I just got back from middle fork and hit all the usual spots for 5 hours without a single bite. I was up there last weekend for a short time with similar results. It seems very strange that the last time I was out I couldn't keep the fish off the line, and was told the river was stunted due to no real predators to thin out the trout. Is there something in my timing I don't know about? Are these fish spawning right now? Can anyone shed some light on why the bite has died off so drastically. The water is still cold, the river is flowing well.

I used dry flies, wet flies, spoons, spinners, in all colors/ types. Red, pink, black, silver, green, gold, yellow. I used weight and bounced off the bottom, I used a float and drifted off the top. I hit the pools, the rip rap, the fast water, the slow water and covered about a mile of river without a single hit.

What don't I know?

That's fishing? Maybe just a couple off trips.

Maybe the trout followed the salmon upriver.
Maybe the cutts went back out into the sound.
Maybe you were catching steelhead smolts and they went into the sound.
The possibilities are endless.

Derrick I was fishing above the falls, no salmon, no sound. If the fish did move somewhere I was hoping someone who has fished this river a lot could shine some light on the situation for me. Its a year round river so I had planned on fishing it through the winter, but after fishing for hours in the pouring rain, losing half dozen lures, and not a single bite, makes me think twice. I'm not sure if I should head further up into the mountains, or down stream closer to where the 3 forks come together. I'm wondering if there is some migratory instinct in these fish that only applies to that river. I'm sure I'll be back again next weekend to try some new spots, but it always helps to consult the experts first.

gian wrote: ....but after fishing for hours in the pouring rain, losing half dozen lures, and not a single bite, makes me think twice.

Heavy rain can sometimes throw the fishing off. Water temperature changes, clarity, debris in the water and glacier runoff can all have an effect on the fishing. Try it a few days after the rain lets up.

Try fishing some other nearby rivers that flow into the sound, sea run cutts should be running strong now. The Tolt should have a few.

Marc, thanks for the tips. I was having a hard time staying away from leaves and branches. On the plus side I did catch someones rapala in one spot. So if I wait for the rain to clear up I should be fishing again in March

Derrick I was debating going to the tolt/ snoqualmie merge but went high river instead. What are you using for steelies right now? I'll probably head over there this upcoming weekend. Are you fishing the tolt or snoqualmie? I've never been on tolt before, where is a good spot to start?

gian wrote:Marc, thanks for the tips. I was having a hard time staying away from leaves and branches. On the plus side I did catch someones rapala in one spot. So if I wait for the rain to clear up I should be fishing again in March

Derrick I was debating going to the tolt/ snoqualmie merge but went high river instead. What are you using for steelies right now? I'll probably head over there this upcoming weekend. Are you fishing the tolt or snoqualmie? I've never been on tolt before, where is a good spot to start?

Steelies are pretty slow right now, if you want steelhead go to streams that have summer runs in them because winter runs shouldn't be showing up yet. don't expect chrome fish. I was suggesting you fish some of the local streams for sea run cutts. I caught some nice bows there this summer along with some resident cutts. A couple years ago I was even catching jack silvers. The tolt gets little fishing pressure right now and its a way to escape the crowds and still catch some trout and even some nice sized jacks.