Well, spring has finally, grudgingly, settled in over the Olympic Peninsula. It was still snowing every few days when I wrote my last post in late April, and there was snow on the ground when I drove up to Forks to meet my last winter steelhead client on April 21. But there is Indian paintbrush on the sunny bluffs north of Kalaloch now, and we’re getting the big daytime minus tides, and I saw my first bandtailed pigeons a couple of weeks ago. The worst winter in a long time is finally over.
It’s hard to believe, but in a couple of weeks I’ll be casting Lady Carolines and Muddler Minnows on the Sol Duc and Calawah for summer steelhead.
One last note on the winter season that just ended. My last client and I were blown off the lower Bogachiel, where I really wanted to fish, and didn’t rise a fish on the Sol Doc in the afternoon. It was an odd, not particularly satisfying conclusion to a season that probably can be best be summarized as odd and not particularly satsifying. A good friend of mine, who has fished West End rivers for 60 years put it this way, “You know it’s not a very good year when the plunkers don’t catch many fish.”
Personally, I did better than I have in a long time, but that was simply a matter of proximity. I live a few minutes from the Clearwater and the Queets and can squeeze in a a couple hours at the beginning and end of the day. Other than that, the only fly fishers that I know who regularly did well last season were the nymph fishermen in boats.
I have caught a few trout in the tidal portions of the Quillayute recently. I wrote about this fishery in the spring newslwetter. The largest was probably 13 inches and the smallest was about 10. They both hit a baitfish pattern similar to Roderick Haig-Brown’s Silver Brown. I fished from the bank, but you’ll cover a lot more water if you have a boat with a motor. Incidentally, smelt move into the lower Quillayute this time of year, and the larger cutthroat are well aware of them.
I haven’t been as successful with surf-perch. On days that I have been able to get out, the waves have either been too big or unpredictable. I realize I’m trying to push the season with the fly rod a little, but some folks I know have already taken them on bait. I’ll keep you posted.
For me, May has always been a month for scouting, a time to prospect new water and to check about holes and runs I haven’t fished for a while. My goal is to add to my roster of places to fish for summer steelhead and cutthroat after the June opener. To that end, I have put in quite a bit of time bushwhacking the upper ends of some tributary streams. I will fish them for resident cutts in June. I’ve also found two promising hike-in steelhead drifts on the Calawah and Bogachiel.
I spent a day on the upper Quinault mainstem last week. I did all my fishing on the Quinault last winter by hiking into isolated, discrete spots from the North Shore Road. You get more expansive views of the river from the South Shore Road, and I was amazed by how much it seems to have changed. If you haven’t been up there since the December storm, you’ll definitely want to put in some time before you plan a trip for next winter. You’ll also be truly impressed by the amount of blowdown and road damage.
I am well aware of how daunting the price of gas is for fly fishers contemplating a trip to the West End. So from now on, I’m giving a $50 discount on all of my posted prices to anyone who lives on the east side of Puget Sound or south of Olympia. The rate is is effect until the price of gas at the 76 Station in Forks is below $3.50. The one exception is for saltwater cutthroat trips, because I have to drive to Hood Canal for them.
Finally, look for the summer newsletter a little early this time, perhaps by the 20th of May. It’ll have essays on the Elwha, which I intend to focus on a lot this summer, along with summer steelhead and sea-runs. It will also have a color photo of my new book, interview, and book review of Les Johnson’s new book
