On the Water Log–July 26, 2007
Thursday, July 26th, 2007Saltwater Salmon–The opening day of the Marine Area 9 salmon season got off to a good start. I arrived at Point Wilson, in Fort Worden State Park, at about 6 am on the 16th. None of the eight or ten people already fishing had caught anything yet, and I was the only fly fisher. I didn’t see any bait or birds. However, there were more boats on MidChannel Bank than I’ve seen since the 1980s, and I heard later they did well there and off Point Wilson for Chinook. I fished for two hours from the beach and didn’t connect, nor did anyone else. From there, I drove over to Marrowstone Point at Fort Flagler State Park. There were about six people at 9:00 and no fly fishers. I had apparently just missed the bite, because a bait fisherman told me a half-dozen or so coho had been taken earlier. Even more salmon were caught that evening, and fly fishers did as well or better as other anglers. Sand lance were abundant. The rhinos and guillemots were working them hard, and many of the fish disgorged bait when brought to the beach. Fishing for both kings and silvers remained strong at Marrowstone for a couple days, but tailed off a little with the smaller tides, which are usually not as productive for salmon fishing. Bigger tides began yesterday and will continue through the month.
The Elwha–I have had more questions on the status of fly fishing and conditions on the Elwha River this summer than any other topic–more than all the others combined in fact. Well, a few fish were being taken by people who know what they’re doing before the big rains last weekend, but I wouldn’t make a trip to it at this time. It has dropped a lot since the deluge, but the river is still high, cold and turbid. It has flirted with dropping into shape a couple of times since the June opener, but each time we have either had a storm or hot spell that knocked it out again. I think part of the frustration with the Elwha this year may be due to the fact that the snow pack has been low in recent years and anglers have gotten used to being able to fish by mid June or early July. We had a near record snowfall last winter, however, and it’s taking a while for the river to settle into good fly fishing shape. Actually, this year’s flows are closer to normal than recent early summer levels. Most old timers consider the Elwha a late summer/fall river. If you simply have to fish it, I would concentrate on the edges, near the bank, and soft water outside the main channel. A big black weighted stonefly nymph bounced along the bottom is probably as good as anything right now, as well as Bob’s ‘Possum Stone, a local fly avaiable at Waters West. It mimics both golden stone nymphs and October Caddis larva. I drove the Olympic Hot Springs Road between the dams yesterday and saw a couple goldens over the road.
The Quillayute System–Last week’s rain was astounding for midsummer. The Calawah, which was low even after a week of drizzle and intermittent rain, went up 5 feet Saturday night. But that was nothing compared to the glacial rivers in the rain forest. The Queets and Hoh went up 8 feet. A fair number of hatchery steelhead were caught on the Calawah and Bogachiel last Friday during a day-long rain. The Calawah was 60 degrees–virtually the same as the air–on Friday, at the upper end of the optimal range for steelhead to hit surface flies. All of the rivers have been dropping quickly this week, and they will doubtlessly be in excellent shape this weekend–and possibly with bright new steelhead and cutts from the salt.
Mountain Lakes–The heavy snow and widespread damage to trails and bridges in the backcountry last winter made things rough for early season hikers this year. Most mountain lakes are accessible now, but there was still snow on High Divide and in areas of Seven Lakes Basin two weeks ago. Be sure to consult the trail conditions websites listed on the blog before hitting the trail. Because the Olympic Mountains contains areas that are managed by both Olympic National Park (mostly) and Olympic National Forest (along the east side), there is some confusion about regulations, stocking, and fees. Basically, the national park hasn’t stocked any mountain lakes since the 1970s, and all the trout in its mountain lakes are self-sustaining. Brookies are the most abundant species, followed by rainbow, and there are a few cutthroat. You must pay to enter the park, as well as a wilderness use fee and daily overnight fees if you are backpacking. No dogs or guns are allowed in the park. Most of the national forest lakes–which are primarily located in the Buckhorn Wilderness, Brothers Wilderness and Mount Skokomish Wilderness–are stocked on a rotation by the WDFW. They also contain a lot of brookies and rainbows, but the state has been focusing more on cutthroat in recent plants. There is a daily parking fee at major national forest trailheads, but no other fees, and you can bring your dog along. You can also hunt, which can make for a fine blue grouse and trout outing in September. Incidentally, the lakes in the eastern portion of the park such as Royal Lake are only accessible from trails that begin on the national forest. As a result, you have to purchase the Forest Service’s daily pass to park at the trailhead, then obtain all of the park passes after you cross into ONP. By my reckoning, a three day trip for two anglers to Royal Lake will cost $10 to park your car ($15 if the National Forest charges you for the day you hike out) and $28 to enter the park and camp.