Little Nunya

Stopped on the way to the Spokane airport with my coworker, David Lamar. Found the creek dirty from thunderstorms earlier in the week, but not chocolate brown (about 3 to 4" visibility). Water level was up higher than our first visit in the spring, but not a raging torrent. There was also a pretty strong downstream wind. Despite the less than ideal conditions, we were able to find some fish downstream, though it was much slower than normal. David caught the first fish and several others after that. I had about 15 to 20 to hand in a couple hours, biggest about 13", almost all on the psycho prince.

Logan River Cutthroats

The Logan River was running high. You can see a little color in the first photo. A pretty good thunderstorm moved through right before we started fishing. After only finding only two small cutthroat at Red Banks with two more coming up to the fly and fighting lots of current and fast water we moved to Franklin Basin where water was also high, cold (50 degrees) and though wading was difficult, we were able to find some nice cutthroat trout. Notice the sun glistening off the back of the one I caught? Nice photo Heather. I used the Renegade, Brian a Humpy, and Heather a Royal Wulff. We had a few to the hopper.

American Fork Creek

We found lots of brown trout in American Fork Creek today. We were having so much fun that we never made it to Fort Creek. Oh well, there will be other days. Brian and Heather tossed big grasshopper patterns all day and I fished the Renegade. All were successful, but we missed a lot more fish than we caught. All we caught were wild browns. Of course, Brian caught the biggest fish of the day. I think the hopper in its mouth is a size 4.

Rob

July 31, 2010 Twisp/Methow Rivers

Tom, Rick, and Brian A. took a day to look for cutthroats and more on the Twisp and Methow Rivers. Started on the Twisp at the confluence with the Methow and fished up perhaps 1/2 mile, mostly in peoples' backyards. Wilderness fishing at its best!

We found a good number of 8" to 12" rainbows and cutts, and a few nicer sized cutts in the 15" to 16" range. Rick picked up this nice cutt on a double beaded black stonefly. Brian caught a couple similar sized on a dry (caddis or stimulator - no picture as he wasn't nearby). Most of the action was on a stimulator or elk-hair caddis dry, or a smaller prince/pheasant tail nymph, but the stoneflies seems to get the bigger fish.

On the Methow in the big hole above the confluence with the Twisp, Tom skillfully hooked into the biggest fish of the day, a beautiful 18-inch cutt that fought long and hard (tilt your head if you want to watch the video). The fish took a stonefly. We moved downstream to a run off Gold Creek Road and caught or had on a couple other good sized cutts as well as a number of smaller fish on the same flies as the Twisp, and Tom even brought in a couple whitefish. All in all, a beautiful day.

Enchantment Lakes, July 29-30 day hike

We crossed the Enchantment Lakes on an extended day-hike (can you say “headlamps”?) and did have some limited time fishing the outlet of Perfection Lake (the 30 feet that wasn’t covered in snow and ice and the inlet of Sprite Lake. Tim Johnson found a 15” full bodied cutthroat (sorry, came off the hook before I could snap a photo) at Perfection on a bead-headed green hare’s ear I had given him on our last outing with the scouts and Brian took my rod and headed down the trail to Sprite Lake while I stayed with Tim.

He figured if he carried the rod, he’d get first crack at the fish. After

lots of strikes (yellow wooly worm) he finally landed two (see photos) and I asked if I could have a shot at them. “I catch two, then you catch two, then you give me back the fly rod.” (Who taught that kid anyway?)

Beautiful warm day like I’ve never experienced up there. Lots of goats, saw marmot, ptarmigan with lots of small chicks and lots of gorgeous scenery. A tough hike with 18.5 trail miles and 11,000 vertical feet of elevation change (4,400 up & 6,600 down). Michelle, Hollis, Natalie and Elisabeth came along as well. A very memorable day!

On the way to girls camp...

July 22-23, 2010

I'll admit I have a little better sense of direction than Tom, for whom the way to girls camp involves a 2 1/2 hour trip in the opposite direction from camp. I stopped at several creeks north of Ellensburg on the way to camp. Two were new for me, to add to my total of streams in Washington that I have caught fish in (which I haven't totalled yet). Any rate, brief report:

Cooke Creek: Small and brushy, difficult to fish most holes, about as big (or should I say little) as Swauk Creek; fished 3.5 miles up from the "T" in the road. Seven rainbows (some may have been cutt hybrids) in 25 minutes, about 6" length. Size 14 tan elk hair caddis.

Coleman Creek: A little bigger than Cooke, also brushy, but a little more open; fished 2 miles up from the "T" in the road (the same "T") just inside the Naneum State Forest. Fifteen in 30 minutes, again rainbows or possibly hybrids, up to 8" to 10" in length. Had to bushwack a bit between fishable areas in the area I was fishing. I'd definitely return here to do a little more exploring of different stretches. Size 14 tan elk hair caddis and size 16 caddis green psycho prince (rapidly becoming my fly of choice !).

Naneum Creek: Fished the same stretch as a couple weeks ago. Water was lower, but still pretty fast in the pocket water. Fifteen in 30 minutes, most 8" to 10", most action in just a couple bigger holes. One brook, rest rainbows. Didn't have time to walk up farther today, still on my list to do. Fished dry-dropper with caddis/psycho prince. All fish in the first hole were on the psycho prince. Switched to double nymph - all remaining fish were on the psycho prince.

Yakima (at Ensign): Fished some from Riverbend down past Locamora. Not a lot of trouty riffles, more deep, fairly fast water. Found three small rainbows and a whitefish. One on a prince, the rest on the psycho prince.

July 23, Swauk below the culvert: It's Swauk! Very overgrown, difficult to fish most places, a lot of very small cutts (3" to 4"), a few up to 6". Shut my temple fork in the door - dang it!

Nunya Business No Longer

Had a great time at the wedding dinner last night. Good food, good company, and the actual name of Nunya. Yes! I am now the only Anderton to know the holy grail of Merrill fishing lore and will probably head over there myself to be taught how to fish through interaction with its holy waters. Kind of like a pilgrimage.