The river runs alternately through white-water, boulder-studded rapids, deep, quiet pools and smooth glides over a bed of rounded gravel. It passes through tiny settlements like Fortson, Hazel and Oso, hardly more than names on the map, and accepts the water of a dozen small tributaries, foremost among them Squire, French and Boulder creeks. And then, at the little community of Oso, it receives its major tributary, Deer Creek, a historic little river that once harbored one of the greatest runs of summer steelhead in the world.
And then it flows on past Hell Creek and
Cicero, a river now grown in volume but diminished
in spirit as it approaches its confluence with the equal-sized South Fork at the town of
Arlington, and together the two rivers flow as one out of their peaceful valley onto the
brief coastal plain until they slide into the sheltered waters of Port Susan Bay in Puget
Sound."-from the timeless classic The Year of the Angler by Steve Raymond
Aug. 11, 2000
Thanks to: James Sherman
report = A friend and I went out to a popular place (Fortson Hole) on the Stillaguamish River Friday (08/11/00). We arrived to the spot at about 5:30am and were the only ones there. We tried fly fishing the hole for about 3 hours with no success. I probably tried about 10-12 different fly patterns with ZERO luck. They were jumping on and off for about an hour, which was nice to watch, but we were still without a catch by the time we left (about 9am).
Mar. 11, 2000
Thanks to: Cole Saxton
Started on the Sky at first light, then moved to the Stilly. Fished the Stilly from Boulder Creek to Hazel. Light overcast with scattered rain, water was low and clear above the "slide" and somewhat chalky below. Caught a chrome hen 26" maybe 7 lbs.. For conditions and competing with the gear fishermen, felt pretty lucky. Used a bright pink GP - no it didn't spook 'em in the clear water. Don't ask me why but purple and black didn't work at all. Good Luck and Tight Lines!
Feb. 6, 2000
Thanks to: Jamie
Fished the dirty water between Oso and C-post. Caught two dollies on a teal maribou. No steelies. Vis is only about a foot but it's worth it to avoid the crowds.
Nov. 3, 1999
Thanks to: Chad Keller
Guide Dennis Dickson took 2 of us on a pontoon float down the upper Stilly. Saw fish in just about all holes - a few holes were PACKED. Fish weren't biting all that well, but we still managed to hook a half a dozen each. We had Chum, Coho, Steelhead, and sea run cutts taking our flies. The river was a little high but visibility remained decent. The rain and wind were kind enough to wait until we were done - but we could see the storm brewing most of the day. That may have helped put the bite down. Over all, we had a blast! Thanks Dennis!
Oct. 27, 1999
Thanks to: Dave Westburg
Put in at Cicero at 10:00 AM for a day fly-fishing for searuns. We caught 7 on #6 black beadhead wolly buggers. The fish were in back eddies against the bank. By 2:00 fishing was impossible. The wind made it hard to cast and blanketed the water with leaves which fouled our flies.
Apr. 17, 1998
Thanks to: Ian Mackay
I flyfished the NF of the Stilly above Deer Creek on Saturday and the water looked fishy but the fish did not agree. I hit the river at 3:00 and finished up after dark without a strike. The water is on the rise but the clarity is still holding up. I used orange, black and purple patterns through out the day with the same result. Although the fishing was poor, the weather was great and It sure beats the hell out of the offfice. I'll be back next weekend and hopefully some fish will be there too.
Feb. 20, 1999
Thanks to: Ian McAllister
We hit the Fortson hole around 11:00 and fished around there until 3:00. Nothing doing. No one else seemed to have any luck either. I figure we're between the hatchery fish and the natives though I hear a few natives are in already. The water was very clear and we had pretty clear skies until afternoon. The wind made casting a lot of fun but I managed to finish the day without catching my own backside. I'll give it another try in a week or two.
Sept. 11, 1998
Thanks to: Saul Bankaitis
Fished the North Fork of the Stilly for Sea Run Cutthroat.
Saw a steelhead break water so I fished to it with no luck,
but while on my way back, I turned up a large Sea Run Cutt
at 21 inches. It was a very brown, hooke jawed male and took
quite a while to pull in on light line. He fell for a size
6 Knutsen Spider.
August 20, 1998
Thanks to: Dennis Dickson
Nothing much has changed with the steelhead except the continued warm dry
spell has made them a little dour. Look for the fishing to pick up with the
fall rains. If you just gotta have a fix I have two solutions. Fish black,
brown, and green nymphs. "Dead drift" is the key. We are still catching the
occasional Deer Creek fish while fishing Searuns down in the lower river.
The chinook are just starting to spawn and the steelhead will key in on egg
patterns if you enjoy that style of fishing.
The Searun fishing is in full swing, already. We had a really big day
yesterday, particularly for a bright and sunny. We rose fish in every pool we
fished from Arlington down to Blue Stilly park. It was just one of those days.
The presawners 6 - 12 inchers were a little emaciated, which concerns me a
little, but the adult fish were bright and strong and well conditioned. The
orange bomber took some fish including, what I thought was Mobey Searun,
turned out to be a Deer Creek native buck about 7 pounds. Bill did well with
the bead head yellow spider I decribed in the last report, and I fished the
hatches. Yellow stimulators in the morning, and my emerging caddis just
creamed them in the afternoon. The Skated bomber works well for both SRC and
steelhead, and really fun to fish. Forget the tradional frog water, the lower
O2 levels have pushed the fish into the streamer steelhead water.
Got a question? when I am not fishing, I enjoy talking about it. Find me at:
www.flyfishsteelhead.com.
August 10, 1998
Thanks to: Dennis Dickson
The Vine maples are starting to turn color in the cool crisp mornings. We
haven't had any rain to speak of but the fishing is picking up as the water
temperatures begin to fall.
North Fork Steelhead fishing is still centered around the waters of Deer Creek
up to Fortson. We had a rash of big three salt fish this last week. Landed
fish to 16 pounds and lost a couple bigger. Fish are showing a preference for
nymphs now. Clarks stone and bead head prince nymphs are both good. I like to
fish long leaders to a 4x. Its a little harder to hold the bigger fish but we
are going to let them go anyway, right?
Searun cutthroat are found from Oso down to saltwater. Lots of smaller fish
but there is some dandys too. Two new flies I have been having good success
with are; a yellow spider with a silver bead head, and an orange soft hackle
with a gold bead head. Again floating lines and long light leaders. Watch for
the Little Sally Stones around 10 am. Stimulators in 14- 16 work well then.
Grasshoppers and Craneflys are just starting.
Dolley Varden are migrating up the Sauk now. Large mature fish to 25 inches.
Find them from Bodell creek down to the Whitechuck river. Mickey Finn, bunny
leaches, and lefty deceivers will take them. Sinktip lines fished along to
bottom, in the pool tailouts are the ticket. Some day this wild char will get
a little respect, .... some day.
I wrote a story called "A cranky client" on my site. I think everyone will
like it except for George. ( The story character) find it at:
www.flyfishsteelhead.com
in the Stories and Articles section.
July 28, 1998
Thanks to: Dennis Dickson
The river is low and weather is really hot. Deer Creek fish spurted up the creek, in the
last rain. DFW is playing with their million dollar log jam at seapost so most fishing
downstream is out.
Spent the day with Louie and Keith. Fished pools from Fortson to Hazel. Seems to be one
of those years where the Kings out number the steelhead. We fished everything from
skaters to weighted nymphs. Swam a couple nice fish. Try flies in red, black, and
blue. Light leaders and long tippets. Will do the best if you treat them more like big trout.
Searun Cutthroat is starting to show in the lower river, wrote an article on SRC strategies
in my stories and articles section of my web page.
Find it at: www.flyfishsteelhead.com
July 15, 1998
Thanks to: Dennis Dickson
Fishing the last few days has been "OK". Not a good sign when the fishermen
start out numbering the fish. The steelhead are pretty much spread throughout
the entire system. The trick is finding a little water for yourself. Deer
Creek as you probably know, is stacking up with both native summer runs and
hatchery fish. The fishing there is, "Take a ticket, stand in line." (I am
waiting for the wildlife bio. to shut it down again this year). I fish
downstream. That 34" hen was probably a winter fish.
Fished a father and son team today. The water above the Hazel slide is gin
clear. The weather remained dark and drizzly throughout the day. It was so muggy
out, we hardly bothered to put on a jacket. We hiked into a pool, and found
tracks but nobody was fishing. The clear water and dark day is custom built
for fishing floating line presentations, and that's what we did. Genki fished
through first, and rose a good fish in a boulder garden just below the riffle.
The steelhead wouldn't come back. Ten feet farther down the pool, another
steelhead came up on the same rusty bomber and took with full confidence. Now
the trick to fishing waking flies is, not to strike when you see the big rise.
Not easy! Genki hung right in there, the fish took the fly down in a big
gulp. The flyline moved about 4 feet, and....nothing! I couldn't believe it! I
checked his hook and it was dinged, probably in a backcast. Bummer.
Shinji, the dad, came through with a wet fly, but no go.
We put in at picnic and floated and fished areas, only saw a fish here and
there. Came to one of my favorite pools below Boulder and Shinji was up to
fish first. He ties very well for only doing so for two years. I just finished
explaining how steelhead loved to follow the fly, to be sure to allow the fly
to rest in the hang down. Perhaps it was because I happened to be standing
across from the prime taking spot, but as his fly was just about to be picked
up, I saw the steelhead rise and take the fly. As the line was just coming
tight, Shingi did the natural thing and he tightened. All he felt was the
pluck.
We came down to the Clay bank. Its holding both steelhead and chinook. Genki
and I were fishing in the lower section. I told Shinji, as he fished the
upper, if he saw a fish roll, just pick up and cast to it. He was fishing a
well-tied green butt skunk in a low water style. His leader was 13 feet down
to a 2x. So Genki is swimming his bomber in the lower pool, when Shinji lets
out a holler! I look up in time to see a really nice fish come blasting out of
the pool. A small chinook? This fish ran all over the pool. Seemed too fast
for a salmon. Shinji stayed with it and played it in close. Twenty feet out
and five minutes later, this lovely 15-pound steelhead comes 3 feet out of the
water, and lands right on the leader! He is gone. This fish was so hot I don't
know if I could have handled it. But that's why we fish steelhead, right?
Be sure to check out the recent article I wrote on flyfishing freshwater
for salmon. Find it in the stories and articles section.
Dennis
www.flyfishsteelhead.com
July 12, 1998
Thanks to: Charles Malmgren
Took a late afternoon trip to visit Deer Creek. Fished the slot down below the confluence
for a couple of hours. Not a rise. I did see one of the guys parked in the confluence release a
5# Deer Creek fish.
July 1, 1998
Thanks to: Doug Dunster
I joined Douglas Morell, my longtime fishing partner at Fortson's early on July 1 to see
if we could start the day with a steelie before going to work. He had piqued my interest
by catching a 34" buck in the tailout section on June 25. Arrived about 5:00 am. Fished
carefully through the hole with no action but did see a few fish rolling.
I was fishing in the upper part of the tailout with my partner downstream of me when I heard
a big fish roll in the upper part of the hole. I decided to give chase and moved up there.
Shortly after my third cast, my partner yelled at me that he was going to head on down to
Picnic Table. I looked over to him at about the same time I felt the fish hit my #4
purple spey. The fish took me way into my backing as he headed downstream to the lower
part of the tailout. He left the water in spectacular fashion once, made a couple
more runs and generally put up an excellent fight. Landed a beautifully colored 35" - 13 lb.
6 1/2 oz. buck after about 15 minutes. What a way to start the day!
Went back on July 3 and there weren't any fish in the hole. Don't appear to be many fish
yet this year. Maybe they are still holding down river as Dickson reported.
July 1, 1998
Thanks to: Dennis Dickson
Finally found the summer runs, came in on the last high water. Fish are
holding from Deer Creek down. Some of the pools have changed so if you are not
seeing fish roll while you fish through a drift, keep moving. Water level is
at 3.1 which is good for the lower river. Deer Creek has enough color to keep
the fish from line shy. I would fish your favorite fly but the OSO Special,
Greenbutt Skunk, and sparce dark marabous are working. Rose one fish to a
riffle hitched muddler, but he didn't stick, wouldn't come back. Must have
been a hatchery fish. No 3 salt fish to speak of, but the smaller 6 - 10 lbs.
steelhead are lots of fun anyway. Wrote articles on Searun Cutthroat and
Grande Ronde Steelhead if your interested.
Find them at www.flyfishsteelhead.com
June 3, 1998
Thanks to: Dennis Dickson
Fished with a couple fine gentlemen, today. I was a little nervous going in because with no
summer steelhead moving in, the wonderful flyfishing we have enjoyed the past few weeks was
bound to come to an end. This is an interesting transition, one day the river is full of
fish, and a few days later there is this mass downstream migration and they are gone. It
doesn't happen instantaneously but it's pretty fast. We fished all the right places and
the boys fished well, but other than a surface riser we couldn't coax to our flies, we
didn't do a thing. The water is very low for spring fishing. We are now in the waiting
period for the summer fish.
How did we end up with nearly twice the number of steelhead up spawning than in recent years?
Simple, Wildlife Department was worried because the winter hatchery returns were so dismal,
they were afraid the native fish numbers would be also. They called for a state wide "Wild
Fish Release" the first of Feb. and I know this will be a revelation to some but "
WHEN YOU DONT KILL THEM, THEY COME BACK!" Now if the N.Fork doubled its escapement
by simply cutting off the kill fishery for this year, Just think of the numbers we could
have as a result from this year's spawning. So what is the Wildlife Department planning?
They are back to a total kill in Feb. next year. Go figure. They say that this management
is what you really want. I wrote some different articles on fishing equipment and steelhead
strategies.
Find them in "stories and articles" at
www.flyfishsteelhead.com. I will be out and about, e mail me anytime.
May 26, 1998
Thanks to: Matthew Becker
We floated down the river on pontoon boats. I had never caught a steelhead, and I am a
novice fly fisherman. I hooked 4 fish and landed 3, all around 10 lbs., all native bucks.
We saw 1 other person all day. Thanks to steelhead guide Dennis Dickson.
May 18, 1998
Thanks to: Jack Beer
I spent the day chasing my first steelhead flyfishing with Dennis Dickson on the N. F. of
the Stilly. We put the boats in the water and floated to the first hole. Dennis gave me a
quick refresher on his sink-tip technique, and we choose a fly. I started working the hole
and about the sixth drift I felt something and raised the rod. Well this time it wasn't a
rock, and soon the steelhead came up to the surface. Dennis looking on was excited to see
a large chrome hen, but only briefly as she came unbuttoned. We discussed the brief encounter
and estimated the hen at 15lbs.
The next hole seemed shallow to me but Dennis assured me it held fish. Many drifts into
the hole Dennis observes a fish flash. Two drifts later I hook and land my first steelhead,
a nicely colored buck. Dennis estimates the fish at 6-7lbs. A couple of photos and we
released him to do his thing.
Two holes later in a nice run I again get a solid hook-up exclaiming to Dennis "This one
feels very strong". An extremely hot buck runs and jumps many times and is finally
photographed and released. Wow, it's time for lunch.
After lunch in another hole a get an additional 8-9 lb. hen that was beautiful. Even Dennis
was amazed at the iridescent colors on this fish, and I know he has seen a few. I want to
finish the hole and am feeling confident now. A few more drifts and I am playing a large
strong fish. This one just would not quit. We again admire a 12lb hen, photographed her
and released my fourth fish, then called it good.
Thanks Dennis, for putting me on my first (four) steelhead.
May 13, 1998
Thanks to: Steve Schwartz
Fished the N. Fork of the Stillaguamish with guide Dennis Dickson. The day was cold and dark
with an occasional light misting. River level was moderate, and very clear. After fishing
through the second pool, Dennis noticed 5 steelhead holding where my fly had recently passed.
One looked to be near 20 lbs. Missed those, but my hopes were certainly not dashed (these
are steelhead afterall).
After lunch, I managed to hook a very nice 16 lb. buck. After an extended battle, we landed,
photographed, and released the fish. This fish had striking color, green and red with very
large spots. A very native fish. Towards the end of the day, I hooked another buck that
appeared to be 12lbs. After a brief struggle, this fish went acrobatic and broke off.
It was a great day on the river, and I hope to be back soon.
May 6, 1998
Thanks to: Dennis Dickson
Have you ever taken a 17 pound winter native on a 5 weight In the Surface?
A few years ago, I was fishing with a client and a friend he invited along.
Although Ken had taken many steelhead on the Deschutes, it was his first time on the
Stilly. It was May and we were after natives. I assured him his floating line was out
of place here. He consigned himself to having to use sinktips. Floating line casters
hate sinktips. We came to a nice little run which had been productive and just as the
boys were about to wade in the pool, a steelhead rolls out front. Hal offers Ken first
shot to take this fish. Ken fishes his way down the pool but nothing. Hal says, "I
will get him," and proceeds to carefully fish his way through. Not only did he not
hook this fish, but the bloody thing has the gall to roll in the surface again! Hal says
"Dennis, what do you think". I said, "Well, in the summer, when they want
to come up, we go up with them." Ken fairly ran back to the raft and had his floating
line on in a New York second. Sure enough, first pass through on a #4 Max Caynon, and the
pretty little hen just nails him. "Ok", I thought "a bright hen I can see".
Ken of course, doesn't want to fish with sinking lines anymore, so I say "fine!"
Might as well see if it was a fluke. To make a long story short. Hal did take a fish that
day on his sink tip. Ken landed three, including a 15 pound dark male. All in the surface.
So how is the fishing on the Stilly, Dennis? I am getting there. The snow is coming off big
time and the river is very high. Visibility is three feet. Water temps at 10am, an even
50 degrees. Lots of Brown Drakes hatching. We are fishing our heaviest lines. When the
Stilly comes up, it doesn't broaden out like its neighboring streams. It just runs
faster. So I get home from another day of throw big lines and I get a call from my
buddy Mark. Tim and he had floated and they found a pod of fish on a soft water lie. Mark's
first cast loses his fly so he took the sinktip right off, and he gets pounded by a
nickel-bright 12 pound hen. Three more cast after landing this fish and its a 14 pound
male. Both on the floating line. I said "Wait a minute, I have been here before!"
I didn't have a client trip today so I decide. Cold turkey, just me and my 5 weight and a
12 foot leader. Now, I know the fly mark was using, and he and a bunch of my clients would
kill me if I told you, but I can give you a huge clue. The river is full of hatchery smolts
being flushed out of the river. Big native steelhead don't like anything in their space,
especially no scrawny, little hatchery smolt!
Bottom line, I rose three steelhead to this fly but only hooked one solidly. A 17 pound male
that took me 25 minutes and a half mile downstream. I am definitely going back to this
floating line fishing, and I am definitely going back to my nine weight! I wrote an article
on summer Steelhead North Fork strategies come over and see it if you get the chance.
Catch me at: www.flyfishsteelhead.com
April 14, 1998
Thanks to: Dennis Dickson
Fished with a couple really nice guys today. Dan and Doug told me they had been out with a fair
number of other guides for steelhead, but never with one to target specifically "steelhead
on a fly." We spent the morning going through the "Dickson Flyfishing System."
We put in at a private launch near Seapost and floated down to Whitman bridge. My preferred
water is Oso bridge down to Cisero, but the nights rain knocked Deer Creek out (again). Just
above the canyon, there is a piece of water locals call "Mermaid." Water was running
fairly clear and a nice water level for this pool.
As I sat on a rock to watch my anglers fish this pool, I realized I was sitting in a pool of
coagulated blood. Someone had killed a fish, probably the night before. The Stilly has the
most paradoxical management I have ever seen. From December 1 until April 16, the river is
open to every gear type, this side of gill nets and triple hooks. The Skykomish, Skagit,
and Sauk native steelhead, meanwhile, are protected under selective management, barbless
hook, no bait. I have had game wardens take and shove my fly in their shirt and pull it
out, to see if it would snag a thread! Now that is a barbless restriction. Not so on the
Stilly.
These poor wild steelhead are subjected to no barbless restrictions, there isn't even a bait
restriction! Do you call this management? The local anglers that care about the Stilly's
wild steelhead, don't call this management "Wild fish release," we call it,
"wild fish RUN." For you slobs that are killing these fish and running for the
truck, keep it up and maybe you will shut down this fishery for all of us. For the Wildlife
Department, a plea, would it hurt so bad to treat the Stilly fish with the same respect we
do its neighboring streams?
Back to Dan and Doug. They both fished through the pool with dark flies. The "sweet water
" is in the upper 1/4 of the pool and this where Doug got taken down by a 15 lbs. buck.
This fish slashed the surface constantly as he tore around the pool. Doug just hung on for
the ride. Minutes later we photographed the large steelhead, his first on a fly. About ten
minutes later while they were both working the pool, Dan says, "I think that steelhead
was a fluke." About this time, we heard Doug down the pool yell, "I got another
one!" (I won't tell you what Dan said). I could see his rod pumping as I ran down
the bar to help out, but then it stopped. It was apparent from the line angle, the fish
had wrapped around a rock. We tried the usual tricks, but it was too late, he was gone.
I wrote an article on "Steelhead Flyreels - good ones and bad ones."
Flyfishing Only at www.flyfishsteelhead.com
July 26, 1997
Thanks to Rex for the following report:
Well, the weather has been so nice lately I had to get out there for my mental sanity and
wet a line or two. Temperature was 75 to 80, sunny and clear, slight breeze -- doesn't get
much better than this in Washington.
Haven't been up to the Stilly this year, so I drove up to the N. Fork of the Stillaguamish
River and found that the reports of slides clouding up the water were more than true. When I
stopped at the Cicero bridge to take a look, there was really nothing to see as the moderate
height water had virtually no visibility. Deer Creek seemed to be running clear, so it had to
be further upstream. I was thinking that slides northeast and upstream of Oso were to blame,
but when I stopped at the Hazel hole, the water was still clouded up, maybe even more so than
downstream at Cicero. I thought I'd stop at Boulder Creek and walk down the creek to the river,
but found Boulder Creek to be literally a flow of liquid gray mud. I've never seen Boulder
Creek in that condition; something drastic must have happened upstream. I checked at the Swede
Heaven bridge and the Stilly was crystal clear there. I fished downstream from the bridge for
a little ways, but saw no fish and didn't touch one. Water was a perfect 54 degrees.
Whitehorse Mountain was spectacular with it's snow and glacier really standing out against
the blue sky.
July 18, 1997
Thanks to Charles Malmgren for the following report:
Fished the North Fork one morning this week, without success. The river above Boulder was
in great shape: moderate flow and 4' visibility. Spotted about 10 fish in the Fortson
area, and a couple of Jig Fishermen working over them, or is it fly fishing when you use
heavily weighted flies and bobbers as terminal gear? May not even be legal for the fly
only area. Certainly not the most artistic of presentations. Blue Slough was beautiful,
but spotted no fish. Below Boulder the visibility went to less than a foot. Lots of clay
clouding the river. Appears that the slide is still doing its thing.
February 8, 1997
Thanks to Liam Wood for the following report:
I went to the Sauk and the N. Stillaguamish today. The Sauk was in great shape. I fished
the upper river above Darrington. The water was almost gin clear and the flow wasn't too
fast. The action was slow on flies. I only got one hit the whole day on a #4 Purple Matuka
fished on an 8 weight sink tip. The fish seemed to hold near the bank in the current seam.
I saw one drift boat that had landed only one fish (around 12 pounds). At around noon I
went to the N. Fork of the Stillaguamish. I fished Fortson, but gave up quickly when tons
of people arrived. I went down stream and fished the Picnic [table] pool hoping there were
some fish there. I saw one fish roll right next to the rip-rap by the tables. I didn't
even get a bump. I saw one very colored buck landed at Fortson by a guy fishing spinners.
The Stilly was very low and clear and just needs some more fish to be spectacular.Anyways, good fishin'!
November 7, 1996
Thanks to Ken Elsea of Steelhead Sue's
Guide Service (360) 653-5924 for the following report:
NF Stilly River . Fly guy's and gal's get out the old 8 or 9 weight rods and head up to
the NF off hwy 530 north. Look for cars parked on the side of the road and that will be your
access. fast sink lines with 24 to 36 in. of 15 or 20 lb McCoy line for tippet. Sparsely tied
chartreuse chenille on a # 1 hook will take a beating and so will you. Lots and lots of great
fighting Chums throughout the system. No salmon may be kept.
June 28, 1996
Thanks to Mike Rimkus for the following report:
What a day! I saw more fish hooked up in one day than all of last winter, and all on a
fly! The river is just right. I have to tell you we fished from dawn to dusk and hiked and
drove up and down the river to fish. But it was great! My buddy Brian hooked and landed two
fish in a hour. 75 year old George McCloud walked into the hole I was fishing and after
making only ten casts he nailed one. God he is good!
June 17, 1996
Thanks to Ken Elsea of Steelhead Sue's Guide
Service (360) 653-5924 for the following report:
North Fork of the Stilly has been fairly productive for fly fishers. Steelhead taken are
mostly natives plus a few hatchery fish. The best fly seems to be a black leech. Remember
to fish near structure, downed trees behind boulders, etc.
April 20, 1996
Thanks to Chris Tomkins for the following report:
We headed up to the N.F. Stilly and fished Fortson, Picnic table, Hazel, Mermaid, and
Swede Haven without so much as a bite. A few fish were holding under logs at Fortson, hard
to figure how to catch one though. The river has developed some major problems this year,
there is a huge clay slide below c-post bridge that has really dirtied up the water below,
and many trees are blocking parts of the river making any thought of floating down impossible
(although no fishing from a boat is allowed floating was a good way to access some holes).
If your interested in some really great fish stories I welcome anyone to come to the
Northshore Trout Unlimited meeting in Bothell. We meet at the Seattle Times building
in Bothell's Canyon Park (industrial park) at 7:30pm the first Tuesday of each month.
Our next months speaker is John Beath, he will talk about bottom fishing in this area.
Interested and need more information? Write me by e-mail at
ctompkin@accessone.com. Also check us
out at our web site
http://www.accessone.com/~atowell/.
See ya there, good luck!
