Happy Birthday to Tom!

We scheduled two days of fishing to celebrate the birthdays of Tom and Rick. For Tom's birthday, we decided to explore the Icicle River drainage. Rick had never even driven on the Icicle River Road, and Tom had never fished there, so this was all new water. We didn't expect anything big, but wanted to find fish in new places, and that we did! Eight new streams in a great day of fishing.

Started in the Icicle River at the end of the road. Long runs and shallow riffles with small fish all along them. Plenty of room to cast and work our way up the stream side by side. Most of the fish were on dries, small stimulator, humpy, foam caddis, irresistible. As we worked our way up started to find fewer fish after 1/3 mile or so, water started falling more, so we climbed out and moved on.

Pretty stream to start the day

Nice water on the Icicle

Next stop was the concrete road crossing of the tiny Black Pine Creek. We who know, know that just about any stream that has water flowing in August is likely to have fish, no matter how small. This one has a huge flood plain of boulders relative to the tiny stream. But within a few minutes, we had all landed a rainbow, and moved on downstream.

Black Pine Creek - only we would be crazy enough to fish here

Black Pine rainbow

We had to cross the Icicle to reach a couple more creeks, but first tried several holes in Chatter Creek. Nice looking small water, but found no fish, possibly due to the adjoining campground. Down at the Icicle we found a nice hole at the crossing with some nicer fish. Rick had the ticket in this hole with a small Humpy that brought fish after fish up from the bottom, watching them the whole way in the crystal clear water. Many fish today would jump out of the water and come down on the fly, we imagine this being a technique to knock flying insects into the water or something.

A good sized rainbow for the Icicle

Leaving the Icicle, we encountered Jack Creek as a side channel in the Icicle floodplain. Probably could have found fish if we went upstream into the forest, but we turned downstream instead, and no fish in this one. On down the trail to Trout Creek, which had a nice little bridge perfectly placed over a perfect little hole. We love bridge fishing! Tom pulled out the baby trout, Rick got the mama trout, and Rob got the daddy trout, all rainbows, from the small hole. Rob and Rick explored up a short distance and found a few more until the stream was completely blocked as far as we could see by alder overhanging from both sides. We met Tom back at the Icicle to cross back to the car, after catching quite a few more, of course.

Rick's beats Tom's...

but Rob wins the bridge fishing prize at Trout Creek

With thunder echoing off the walls, we next headed up the steep road to the crossing at Eightmile Creek, and stopped just long enough to pull fish out at the bridge, Tom a cutt, Rick a bow, not sure about Rob. There isn't much fishable water, as this stream is tumbling down a mountainside.



Not a bad Eightmile rainbow with thunder booming overhead

A couple hundred yards further along was Mountaineer Creek, a pretty little stream with a more gentle gradient. Rick showed his skill first by stepping into the creek next to a log, reaching for something in his pocket with the fly dangling a couple feet away, then finding the fly snagged on the log as he started to move upstream. But wait, it wasn't a snag, it was a skillfully hooked brookie! Rob broke off everything in a tree as the skies opened up, so I handed him my rod, and he caught another brook trout in the hole I was headed for. Tom was fishless down below, and we moved up to the next hole in the pouring rain. Nothing! Not even Tom could get a fish to rise (I don't know how they could see a fly with all the drops hitting the water. Finally giving up, he reeled in the fly - and a brook trout jumped on the fly and hooked itself as he was reeling it in. Yes, we are skillful.

Brookie from Mountaineer Creek

Back to Leavenworth for a late lunch of wonderful brats, a snack of tasty pastries, then on to the Peshastin to see what we could find there. Ruby Creek looked like a dry hole, or very little water and completely overgrown. Up the highway and stopped at the side to hit the Peshastin. Found some nice holes and decent fish; a nice alternative to Swauk on the other side of the hill.

Decent Peshastin rainbow

We converged on this hole and all caught a number of fish here

Further upstream to check out Scotty creek - not much in the way of water, so back to the highway and a quick stop further up on Tronsen Creek. Everybody found their trout, and we were headed back for one more stop at Negro Creek. It enters the Peshastin through a little slot, dropping in a small falls into a nice hole. Rob and Rick found fish here, Tom went upstream to find his. Pretty little place. After a few more fish in the Peshashtin, it was time to head for home and rest up for tomorrow.

Small but fat Tronsen rainbow caught from the hole just above my hand

Flying back into Negro Creek