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

Chewelah Creek

Michelle delivers her own baby on I-405 Tuesday night so we headed back to Seattle Wednesday after being there Monday-Tuesday.  Thursday drove to Chewelah for a scheduled visit to Heather.  Drove to Boise today (Friday) to get stuff from Mary's mom's house (moving out) that Mary's brother is bringing in a trailer to Boise and then to bring back to the girls.  Driving back to Chewelah Saturday with the furniture and other items, then home after church Sunday.

However, even with all that driving managed to find time to fish with Heather and Simon this morning before leaving Chewelah.  Spent about an hour fishing on Chewelah Creek near their home and managed to find two browns and two rainbows.

Heather & Simon with the first Brown

Both Heather and Simon decided to try swimming in waders on the way back to the van.  Discovered a quick way to get cold and wet even on a warm day.  Also discovered that just because a creek is ankle to shin deep most of the way doesn't mean there isn't a seven foot deep hole somewhere in it around a beaver dam!

Found some Rainbows too

Pretty creek and needs a lot more exploring which I hope to do next weekend with Rick & Tom to celebrate their birthdays.

I love being scoutmaster

A backpacking trip to Horseshoe Basin with the scouts because our primary destination is aflame.  No need to worry, there are fish there too!  We camped just above Louden Lake on the side of Mt. Armstrong.  Wildflowers were stunning.

Brian amidst the Heather

Spent second day trying to find the trail into our favorite lakes in B.C. but it had been devastated by a wildfire a few years back.  We did manage to find the sign that forbade entry into the U.S. but other than short bits of trail spent 5.9 miles bushwhacking and climbing through thick timber and brush.  We did finally find a trail above timberline, but it only took us to the cliffs overlooking the lakes on the far west side of the Mt. Armstrong massif.

So close and yet so far.

If I'd been with my brothers we'd have climbed down the cliffs but since I was responsible for 8 boys I decided that might not be a good idea.

Not to be deterred, I went to the streams dropping into Horseshoe Basin and managed to find eight cutthroats in the first few holes of one dropping fast into the basin.  Then found 11 more in the one meandering at the trail junction.  Then found three more on the return to the first creek.  All this while the boys cooked dinner.

Did I say that I love being a scoutmaster?

Doubles at Little Nunya

Well, with the imminent free time that will come after August 3, I figured it was time to rise up and make a post!

Decided that a trip to Nunya and Little Nunya was in order.  Matt West accompanied me on the trip.  He quickly learned why some refer to this place as Rattlesnake Creek.  About 1/2 mile in, Matt was walking through the grass and found himself straddling a rather sizable rattlesnake.  (In this area, 4-5 feet is a sizable snake!)  Needless to say he will be investing in rattlesnake chaps the the Ex Officio Easy Wash/Quick Dry underwear in the future!

We started the day with a #8 plus OJ for good luck and arrived at Nunya to find the parking lot empty!  (Hooray!)  Fishing was slow at first and the sunlight was very filtered due to all the smoke in the air from the fires.  It didn't reach normal daylight brightness until about 11 am.  The water was VERY low.  We fished hoppers and had steady action.  I, of course, managed to break off two sizeable fish in the 20's, but both Matt and I landed multiple fish over 17 inches.  It wasn't "hot" by any means, but was a typical Nunya day.

After grabbing some late lunch, we headed to Little Nunya.  Where Nunya provides the size, Little Nunya provides the volume!  We fished hopper-droppers (with the Caddis Green Psycho Prince Nymph in size 14 being the dropper.

It is always cool to get a double when you are fishing with a buddy.  After Matt and I had several doubles, I decided it was time to take matters into my own hands!

Time to start getting doubles when I fish solo.

Little Nunya besides putting out the numbers also put out some good size.  I fought a nice rainbow that took the hopper that probably ran 17"+.  Matt also hooked a trout that took line, ran down and broke him off.  I saw bigger fish there this time than before.

The flow into the bridge hole did change, making it tougher to fish from the bridge, but the bridge fish was still claimed!

It was a good day.  A little smoky.  A little windy.  But still a good day!

Fish on!

More skinny water...

Return trip from Tacoma with three girls on a Saturday. Drove up Meadow Creek, where I had found some little cuts in the past where it crosses the main road. Creek alternates between near the road and down in a canyon. At a spot near the road I found some nice looking water, crystal clear and really cold, nice holes and runs, reasonably open and easy to fish. Found two beautiful cuts in the first hole, nothing in the next few. Fished dry dropper, one on dry, one on dropper. The dry rose up from the bottom about two feet in front of me - watched the whole thing, pretty fun. Action was not fast enough to meet my requirements to stay longer, so back to the car and on to a family favorite on the way to dropping Tory and Rachel off at home. Sometimes I find cutthroats don't warm up until later in the day, so this might be worth one more return in the full sun of mid day.


Meadow Creek cut in the morning light

Stopped at a new stretch of our perennial favorite when travelling across the mountains, with reasonable parking and access at a FS road crossing. Found the stream relatively open compared to other areas we've fished. One or two in every hole, beautiful stream, beautiful fish. Pretty, but not peaceful, for those who know. The last fish was the "biggest" and came from a little run below a bigger hole. The fly hit the water, and I saw this guy flying downstream from the hole above, headed for my fly just as the fly disappeared from sight behind a boulder. I estimated the timing (if fly "A" is drifting downstream at a rate of 2 mph and fish "B" is swimming downstream at 8 mph, and they are currently 3 feet apart, how long will it be until fish "B" and fly "A" meet? - I knew Algebra would come in handy some day!). Well, I didn't do the formal calculation, but instinct was good and I blindly lifted up at the right time to hook him. The silly fish probably ran 20 feet downstream to catch the fly! Maybe that is why he was the biggest...After 45 minutes of pleasure, I headed back to the car to finish the trip home. Another successful trip across the mountains and back.

Waiting patiently to be unhooked

 

Fish sized to the stream

 

Doesn't get much prettier than this for the ultra-skinny water

 

The very hungry fish

 

Special guest on an Ellensburg area creek

Somewhere near Ellensburg....

 

A good start to the afternoon

 

I had to go to Tacoma to pick Melinda, Tory, and Rachel up from EFY. Left work and 12:40 and got into Carlynn's sister's house in Bonney Lake a little after 9 pm. The reason it took so long? About 3 1/2 hours of wonderful fishing. I met up with Patrick Gould, a fly-fisher from Ellensburg who follows our blog and made contact with me last year on the WFF board. We met at the parking area, made a quick introduction, then hit the water. After I hit several with my double nymphs in the first hole, he accepted my offer of a psycho prince for a dropper off his dry. We caught a good number of fish, not much in the pocket water, mostly in the bigger holes. A mix on the dry and the dropper. We walked into some new water for me. Patrick was much nicer to fish with than Tom - I had to encourage him to toss his dry on my side of the hole, as opposed to Tom, whose casts always seem to end up on my side if the water looks better there (OK, I probably reciprocate, but I tried to be polite with Patrick so he might be willing to go out with one of us again). After a couple hours, his leash (which was a little shorter than mine) drew tight and he had to leave. We realized we had neglected to get a picture with a fish for the blog, so I snapped this one before he left. Thanks for the great company, Patrick!

 

Patrick - a fine fishing companion!

After Patrick left, I gave up on the dry dropper after seeing many fish flashing and hitting the nymph. I also abandoned the pocket water, which had produced almost no fish despite its enticing looks, and just started walking up the creek to the next substantial hole. And it helped that soon after I left Patrick, the gradient leveled off a bit and there were a few more holes. In the last hour, I started pulling two to four out of every large hole, Including this nice rainbow. Bows and brookies were the norm, although some of the later bows had a little color in the throat and some cutthroat like spotting and could have been hybrids. 

 

Nice rainbow

 

A good run after Patrick left - he needs a longer leash!

 

Nice buck on the way back

A look up the valley walking out

Diamond Fork Was A Gem Today!

A beautiful day on Diamond Fork

What a difference a couple of days makes!  I think that the fish had been pounded by the long 4th of July weekend holiday--Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday--and were resting and recuperating when we were there Monday.  When I left this morning Livi decided she wanted to stay home and play and Ethan was still sleeping from being worn out by yesterday so it was simply me, myself, & I fishing today.

It only took until the first hole I cast into to determine that today would be different.  First fish cane out of the first hole and was a preview of coming attractions.   

First brown from first hole fished

I was fishing a size 4 or 6 (not sure which) golden stone pattern about 24" beneath a pinch-on float (again, thanks Mike) that was trailing a green Copper John that you can see resting near the anal fin on the photo below.  After landing several nice fish, all on the golden stone, I left the Copper John off when I hung up and it broke and did fine fishing with only the golden stone.

Another nice brown

The fish were holding in small pockets very near the edges where they could hide under debris or overhanging grass and I saw many of them come out and grab the fly.  Landed a couple dozen only one of which was under 11".  Most were in the 11-15" range. Missed a lot of fish including some nice ones.  Largest fish landed was 16" but unable to get a photo.  I had the camera and was holding the line to position the fish when he gave one hard thrash, broke the 4x tippet and was gone.  He was about 1.5" thick across the back.  A big fish that did take a pretty hard run when I first hooked him in a deep pocket behind a large boulder.  Ended up fishing a little more than a mile of water for a great last day of fishing.  Tomorrow I head to St. George to pack up Grandma's things into the van to take home and distribute.

A fine Diamond Fork specimen