Extremely small well-tied flies are the rule and proper presentation is a must. There is
a very healthy population of scuds in Rocky Ford Creek. The upper mile is on WDFW land
and offers the best fishing, followed by the lower mile and a half stretch that
meanders across state land. The middle three miles are on private land and are
not accessible. An access area near the headwater springs has toilets. Disabled
accessibility - Level 1. WCT, DP, accessible fishing dock.
-Overview by various flyfishers
Dec. 10, 2000
Thanks to: Tyler Laurenti
What can be better than flyfishing out in the snow? That's what we got, and we weren't complaining. I didn't see many people landing fish, though I heard one man say that he did quite well. I got a couple of strikes off of scuds, and my good buddy Jason happened to do fairly well using terrestrial patterns.Oh, don't let the guys at the fly shop fool you--Rocky Ford Creek has just as many visitors in the winter as it does in the summer. So, expect to have company.
Aug. 26, 2000
Thanks to: Tyler Laurenti
I can't believe the size of these fish! Outstanding. However, everone I talked seemed to do only "fair" that day. A somewhat successful pattern was a small white trico. I hooked one in the late morning off of a black chronomid and my buddy lost his only cream colored scud that morning hooking another one. It appeared that the cream colored scud was the fly of choice at this time of the year as the fish idly sat in their holes and devoured these insects all day in front of us, passing our black wooly-buggers, egg-sucking leaches and the like. These fish are a lot of fun, they don't get spooked, and they're very picky. So, call up a local fly shop and get the low-down before you drive 3+ hours to get there. Good luck!
July 22-23, 2000
Thanks to: Sean & Alex
Arrived Saturday morning around 1030. Weather was hot. I'd bought a new fly rod and was looking forward to using it for the first time on the Creek. The rest of the group ooh'd and ahh'd about the great price I'd gotten on it, then we split up to do our fishing. Alex and I walked down to the lower part of the creek to check out a hole that we'd had great luck fishing back in April. I handed my new rod to Alex to let him try out. He cast it a few times. On the third cast he let it drift and was about to hand my rod back to me when a fish took the scud tied on the end and broke water. We were both so startled that it got away. So much for being the first to hook up on my new rod, dangit! Around 1pm it got so hot out that we all converged on our camp and set up a tarp for shade. I don't know how hot it was, but about all we could do was lay under the tarp and drink water. 4 hours sitting there barely even talking. And I thought seistas were for lazy people!It was incredibly hot, but then, I suppose when you're in the middle of a blasted, barren desert, that's what you should expect. Fishing was ok, watched Alex land one, Louis brought one in, I hooked one but he was such a lunker that his first run took my scud with him. That evening, the wind came up and drove us from shorts and t-shirts to jeans and coats. Definitely desert type weather. Sunday morning we got up early and tried the upper part of the creek. Not much luck there. I managed to dap one about 3 feet away from me, but he got off the hook before I could sink the steel well enough. Considering how much pressure these fish get, I didn't think that I'd stand a chance dapping. Heard from one guy fishing down by the lower bridge that a trico brought in 5 or 6 fish for him during an early morning hatch. Scuds and beadheads were the carte du jour for this trip. It got really warm again around noon. Alex and I packed up and left. The thought of sitting through another afternoon of that kind of weather was rather unsettling. Weeds were high and the creek was running about 2 feet higher than it was last April. Seems that there were less fish in the stream than there were in April, also. They were spawning last time, so maybe some came up from Moses Lake? I don't know. I'd love to get my girlfriend out there to try it, but considering how extreme the weather is, I think when I do I'll just get a group together and we'll rent a nice RV for a day or two. I'll get that lunker that took my scud next time!
May 13, 2000
Thanks to: Al Moss
Made a Friday night and all day Saturday stay at THE Creek. It was a little overcast and windy in the early morning, but became sunny and calm for the better part of the day. I had a wonderful day with 18 hookups. Four were over 4 lbs. and everything was 16" and up. I use mohair leeches size 10 - black - on a sink tip line! I even caught fish in the 12" pool right below the footbridge near the hatchery. They usually like it slow on the drift, but once in a while a quick strip does the trick. I went to Dry Falls on Sunday and fished the shallows all morning. Got 8 on an olive green damsel. They hammered it and were very active. That is a wonderful fishery and if you hit it right, they really get after what you are offering. I agree with others, that road is bad!!! But, the slow progress getting there is worth it.
Apr. 13, 2000
Thanks to: Jim Speaker
I made my first trip to Rocky Ford today and certainly not my last. Driving in the night before from Seattle and bivouacing in the parking lot allowed me to make it down to the creek just after sunrise. In the morning hours hooked many fish and landed four, all on surface patterns: #14 Blue Dun, #16 Cutwing Blue Dun, #16 Parachute Blue Dun, #16 Olive Dun Cripple... these three flys were well liked. Two of the fish in the morning were around 12" while the other two were 15" and 18".Around noon the fishing pretty much died for everyone up and down the creek... it was pretty warm and it seemed like the fish were just taking it easy during the heat of the day. I headed for Ephrata to try to replenish my dwindling supply of small surface patterns. The cattails and milfoil were taking their toll.
Got back on the creek at about 1:30 p.m. and the fish were beginning to feed again. The #14 Elkhair Emerger I bought in Ephrata landed me four more fish in the afternoon before it died down again at about 5:00 p.m. In the afternoon I landed an 18" rainbow, an 18" cutt-bow, a 15" rainbow and another small 12" rainbow. The cutt-bow put up a great fight.
The entire day I never witnessed a real hatch... I'd see an occasional BWO, and a few (count 'em on one hand) baetis mayflies, and three stoneflies, one of which was slurped by a large fish. Most of the surface feeding must have been on the tiny midges. I got a hold of one of the stoneflies and checked it out - all brown and about a size #10. Tried a #10 Orange Stimulator (best I could do) and got many looks but no takes.
Rocky Ford rules. I can't wait to go back and try for one of those big 24"+ bruisers I saw cruising the creek.
Mar. 30, 2000
Thanks to: Jeff Albert
Please Help - I was fishing at Rocky Ford with friend, and esteemed editor of this web site, Dave Weitl as part of our annual trip to Spokane for a volleyball national qualifier. We had a great day of fishing, but in the process I left my disposable waterproof camera somewhere along the lower section. If anyone found a camera, please contact me. In addition to the proof of our fish stories on there, I also have other vaction pictures. I would really like to get them back if at all possible. Thanks for your help. - Jeff [jeffa@kpff.com]
Mar. 30, 2000
Thanks to: David Weitl
Jeff Albert and I made our annual stop at Rocky Ford Creek on our way to Spokane. The weather was fabulous, although a little chilly in the morning. We had a great day with more fish in the creek than I have ever seen. I don't even want to tell you how many we caught, you won't believe me. Let's just say we caught a few. Most of the fish came to a scud or very small mayfly nymph pattern in the morning and a steady, albeit not thick, hatch of BWOs began around 11:00am. We fished dries until around 2:30pm and called it a day. Great time to fish the creek.
Mar. 12, 2000
Thanks to: Al Moss
Got to go to RF Sunday morning and started fishing about 10:30 a.m. Was gray overcast and mild. Got an 18" and a 21" in the morning in the upper portion and a 19" and 22" in the afternoon in the middle portion. My black leech did it again! Saw a number of fish caught on Chronimids using strike indicators, but I had no luck that way. The water was too calm most of the day so there wasn't much surface action. As Bob Farrall would say "I'll be back!"
Feb. 21, 2000
Thanks to: Brett Wedeking
Got out there late at 8:00 to find hordes of people on the banks (what should I expect, it's a holiday). I first fished the Jensiq riffle hole on the upper stretch, for about two hours. After not even a passing glance from a fish I walked down to "the creek". After about fifteen minutes I hooked my first fish but lost it. Another fifteen minutes later I landed my only fish of the day, to the disgust of an onlooking angler, a fat sixteen inches. The rest of the the day I lost at least four more all in the creek. It was very cold in the morning but soon warmed up. The water seemed very low too, so I think the fish were even more wary than usual (as if that's possible). All in all it was a good day at the Ford.
Feb. 18, 2000
Thanks to: Andy C.
Cold, near 20 degrees until noon, rod guides got fowled with ice frequently. Caught 5 or 6 huge rainbows one at least 23 inches. Green and black leaches worked best, no surface feeding, and nothing seemed to want dead drifting nymphs. Hint: stay away from the handicap dock area. It's very clear water and you can see the trout hunting for food. Unfortunately it's where all the yahoos spend all day slapping the water and convincing these fish what a fly line means. Walk a little. The fish are much bigger downstream.
Jan. 20, 2000
Thanks to: Paul Bucher
We left the western side of the state and camped beside the handicap dock. The two of us had the creek to ourselves for several hours after we awoke. This was our first flyfishing adventure in Washington and we truly enjoyed it. I grew up in Pennsylvania and spent my youth flyfishing for small brook and rainbow trout. This was the first time I had flyfished in almost ten years so there was a lot of rust to knock off, fortunately no one was around to see my first few casts except my fishing partner. I was amazed at the number and size of the fish in the creek. I must have marked at least 25 fish over 16 inches in the area around the handicap dock. We fished for about two hours before I got my first hook up on a #20 olive scud. He broke me off in about 5 seconds, I had forgetten how fragile 6X tippet is. My efforts were rewarded a couple of minutes later with a nice 14 inch rainbow. I fished all day and managed to land a beautiful 19 inch rainbow. I caught him on an olive leech pattern. He was so full of scuds that they were running out of his mouth when I released him. Rocky Ford Creek is a fantastic fishery and I hope the people of Washington appreciate it. I will return to fish this little gem and hope to find it as beautiful the second time.
Sept. 20, 1999
Thanks to: Mike Guardipee
We arrived at the Creek at about 6AM. 2 of us fished the Handicap area off the dock and off the bridge and did not get much action until the sun hit the water around 8AM. I used many different flies, small nymphs and olive buggers and scuds. We fished pretty much the entire day, I had many chances to hook fish but the fish seem to mouth the fly very softly and spit quickly. (maybe I just did a poor job of hook setting) But I had around 15 takes and only landed 2 fish. Still in my eyes a great day. The best part is that the fish I landed were on flies that I tied myself (novice flyfisherman and very novice flytier). My first ever tied scud landed a nice 20 inch fish, and an olive Bugger that I tied landed a 24 inch Bow that hit it SO HARD, it was amazing. The fish that I caught were the first fish I have ever caught on something I tied. Good motivation to keep tying. If anyone has any info to share on this creek, what to use, how, where and why, I am new and would love some good advice. mikeg@seanet.com
June 25, 1999
Thanks to: Charlie Mastro
Got to Rocky Ford 5:30 PM Friday afternoon and had my first fish at the creek by 8:15. It was the biggest best fighting fish I've ever had on, jumped 3 ft out of the water 3 times and took about 5 minutes to get it to the bank, boy was I glad I had my new net or both of us might have ended up in the water. Got 2 more hookups but lost both. Got them all on a #16 black chironomid, my last one too. What did I do differently this time. Longer leader (12 ft.) and 5x fluorocarbon tippet and no weight on the fly. There was quite the hatch going and fish rising everywhere but no drys on the water so I thought I'd try something just below the surface and bingo. Next morning at 5 AM I'm tying some more black chironomids while the other guys are heading out to the creek. Had my first fish before 7 AM on a brown scud switched to a black chironomid and had another fish on the first cast. Got that one within 5 ft. on shore and lost him and lost one more before I left at 11 am. No wind, 70 degrees, and no crowds what more could you ask for?
June 20, 1999
Thanks to: Michael Wilson
I had a little extra time coming back home from Yakima on Sunday so I swung by Rocky Ford for about 90 minutes late on Sunday. Much to my surprise, the creek only had a few fly fisherman on it. Most probably left earlier in the day to head home but the conditions were a little tough so that might have had something to do with it. The underwater vegatation appears to be shedding last years growth and starting new growth. As a result, dead plant material and green slim was all over the surface of the water. It finally disappered down by the second hatchery but was still very limiting even by the island.I attempted to cast a streamer and some scuds off the island but the plant matter kept fouling my line every cast. I finally decided that my only chance was to go with a dry fly. I had noticed what looked like a Ginger Quill Mayfly along the shore so I tied on the only one I had of that pattern. First cast, huge splash and the fish broke me off. After frantically looking for another pattern close to the one I lost, I decided that I would settle for a dark grey mayfly pattern.
The dark grey pattern didn't seem to draw nearly the interest and I was just about ready to change it when another large fish swirled underneath it. The fight was on. I quickly got a glimpse of the fish and could tell it was the largest rainbow I had ever hooked at Rocky Ford. After a long fight that at times flirted with disaster in the submerged rocks, I landed a beautiful bronze colored rainbow that ran 24 inches and in the 6 to 8 pound range. Definetly made my Father's Day complete.
Apr. 16, 1999
Thanks to: Patrick Daly
I fished Rocky Ford on the warmest day of the year so far. Temperatures were in the low 70s, but it seems things are a little behind of where they should be. I expected some March Browns to hatch, but none showed. The small fish (8-10 inches) that were planted this year were common, and I landed 18 of them. I had success through the day with a size 14 parachute. Two days earlier, I landed a 3 pounder and two nice 14 inchers on the same setup. I watched another fisherman land a very large rainbow (6 pounds plus) on a damsel nymph. This was the only other fish I saw landed most of the day, besides mine and my girlfriends 5 fish (caught on a small beadhead pheasant tail). I did hook two very large fish on a size 20 olive beadhead, but both shook the hook free. All in all, a very fun and slightly frustrating day.
Apr. 1, 1999
Thanks to: Luke Starr
We started fishing at sunrise and we didn't start catching anything for about an hour when there was a (I think) mayfly hatch. We used small white flys and lit it up for about two hours. The rest of the day I used egg-sucking leeches and buggers (because of the wind). The weather was sunny but windy. It was pretty cold in the morning and be sure to bring something for your lips mine are in pain right now. The highlight of my trip was hooking a muskrat with a woolybugger he swam over my line got hooked he looked at me like what the hell are you doing and popped off.
Mar. 25, 1999
Thanks to: David Weitl
Fished with friend and fellow volleyball coach Jeff Albert on Thursday. We were traveling to Spokane to compete in the Pacific Northwest National Qualifier so we thought a stop at Rocky Ford Creek would be in order.Jeff is fairly new to flyfishing so I thought what a great place to cut his teeth [ha ha]! We arrived at about 7:30 am and there were only about a half-dozen rigs there from others that were either caming in tents or sleeping in their RVs. As discouraging as that seemed, we still were able to get first water in my favorite spots.
I rigged Jeff's rod with my typical RF system and showed him where and how to cast. After about 3 casts, there was a hook-up! I handed the rod to Jeff for him to play and land the fish while I set up my own.
As has been reported recently, there seems to have been a large plant of smaller (7-10 inch) fish in the creek. This was good for both of us really as it gave us much more consistent action all day and the smaller fisher are much less particular about fly or presentation. This gave Jeff the chance to hone his presentation and timing skills enough to hook several larger fish. The biggest of which (probably at least 24") got off after racing upstream to the next run while Jeff and I tried to reconnect his Lamson reel to the Sage SP he was using.
We ended the day around 3:30 and caught lots of fish. Most of my 30+ fish were caught on dries (Griffith's Gnat mostly). It was very very crowded toward the middle of the day. I wish we had more options for quality flyfishing here in Washington because the experience at RF these days is far from exclusive or pastoral.
Hatches witnessed were the typical micro midge, some limited PMDs around 1-2pm and a small gray mayfly I would hesitate to call a Callibaetis because of its small size. I hooked my best fish with a very small PMD spinner pattern (from Silver Creek).
Mar. 11, 1999
Thanks to: Luke Starr
Rocky Ford got stocked with a lot of fish, mostly 7-10 inchers. They would bite on anything small; beedheads, scuds, and dries. The Big ones were liking white beadhead rabbit leaches, Weighted egg-sucking leaches, and occasionally a scud. But if you put on somthing small
you will catch the small ones, so I put on something bigger than their mouths. It was sunny all day and alot of fishers for a Thursday.
Feb. 20-21, 1999
Thanks to: Corey Rasmussen
Sunny, cold, and light rain at night. Fishing was good, had to fight the wind at times but still managed to pull in 7-10 fish every 4 or five hours. Most fish were between 16-22 inches. One snakey rainbow was 25 inches taken on a leech pattern. Blue wing olives hatched around mid afternoon the first day. Caught a couple nice fish on #20 midge dries, and other midge patterns (disco midges, brassies, etc.) Scuds worked well. I was suprised to hook two fish on a grasshopper used as a strike indicator. Fishing was good but there were a lot of people on the river.
Jan. 29-30, 1999
Thanks to: Corey Rasmussen
The weather was beautiful. Fishing was average. I caught 5-8 fish for every 5-6 hours of fishing. The rainbows averaged between 12-24 inches. 2-4 fish a day were over 18 between 1-4 lbs. Leach patterns such as woolly buggers, maribou leaches and rabit strip streamers work well. Scuds, brassies, and small dry fly midge patterns worked well also. Please remember that this is a flyfishing area only and that no fish are allowed to be taken from the stream and no snagging. CATCH AND RELEASE ONLY. Check the regulations.
July 5, 1998
Thanks to: Fly boy
I thought I would share this letter to guide Rod bush of River Otter guide service with
everybody. I frequently get info from this page and Rod's letters to it so I thought I
would reciprocate.
Rod:
I never thanked you for sending me the pictures from our steelhead and lake fishing trips.
I owe you. You are the classiest guide I have had the pleasure to fish with.
I just came back from fishing Rocky Ford creek. That place has some nice trout. The
fishing is supposed to be tough because of the spooky fish and technical water. I thought
it was medium to easy until the idiot crowd showed and put every fish down for miles.
Even then, you could hook a trout every 20 minutes or so with the proper nymph. I got
there at 4:30 am and what looked like a trico hatch was already in full swing. I caught a
23 and 21 incher on literally my first two casts! I then hooked and lost the next seven in
about one hour. I had some of those fish ready to go until I tried to pull them over the
weeds. (you can't legally step off the bank here) One fish snapped my size 18 hook at
the bend with a head shake as he lay on a weed bed just out of reach. That fish was a
real monster.
Anyway, at about 7:00 am the crowd started to roll in and I got tired of looking for a
private place to fish so I took off for the spacious Yakima River.
In case anyone cares, I hooked the first two fish and two more with a plain old size 18
Griffeth's Gnat. After breaking the hook, I matched the hatch with a size 22 trico spinner.
The pace picked back up with the spinner and I at least rose fish on every well placed
cast. I finished up with a tiny bead head chironimid and I used a portion of greased leader
for an indicator.
Thanks to Mr. Weitl for the best fishing page in Washington.
June 19, 1998
Thanks to: Tetsuya Matsuda
Rocky Ford Creek has been on fire these days. Yesterday, my friends and I fished the
creek again. Trout are rising like crazy everywhere and they are pretty easy target
for dry-fly fishing. Sometimes I wonder why so many fishermen still use nymphs with
ugly indicators when fish are taking size #16-18 CDC duns, thorax duns, parchute
patterns, or floating nymph patterns.
CDC duns in size 16 seemed to work best, but requires perfectly natural drift. However,
at one time trout ceased to rise to mayfly duns (PMD?), and I had to size my tippet
down to 7X and use size #20 midge in order to fish them on dry.
May 9, 1998
Thanks to: Liam Wood
My friend Evan and I drove from Bellingham over Steven's Pass to Rocky Ford on Friday night.
It was pissing rain all the way from Everett to the pass. We were not impressed, especially
after the spectacular weather we've had in the past couple of weeks. Well, after
traveling through Leavenworth, Wenatchee, Quincy and Ephrata, we finally pulled
off onto good old Hatchery Rd. We drove past the hatchery and parked about 300 yds
before Troutlodge. We threw out sleeping bags and went to sleep. I woke up 30 min.
later to rain slapping my face. After some impressive broken-field running we finally
fell asleep in the patented uncomfy seats of a Honda Accord.
I woke up at 5:00 a.m. after 3 hours of iffy sleep. I had a rod up and ready with a
yellow Humpy on it in like 30 sec. I woke Evan and ran (literally) down the hill to
the creek. I started fishing the flatwater with the humpy. There were giant fish
rising everywhere, throwing themselves out of the water even. I calmed myself down
long enough to fling a couple of crappy casts out into the creek. Fish waked in a
mad dash to get away from my poorly-cast line. I finally was able to get my presentation
under control and actually had a take, but couldn't hook the fish. I moved upstream
to where the flow speeds up through the boulders. Fish were rising to something with
wild abandon. There was a small dimple like 1 foot upstream of me next to the bank.
I flipped the humpy behind the boulder and BAM, I hooked and landed a fat 20 inch fish.
Evan happened to wander down the stream at that moment and saw my fish. About 100 other
guys started showing up shortly after so we walked downstream. We tried to catch the HUGE
trout that sits under the aluminum bridge but he wouldn't take anything, even a large, hot
pink marabou steelhead fly! I was pumped about fishing the fast water below the little
dam/waterfall. I switched to a weighted woolyworm and proceeded to hook and land three
5 pound bows in a row right in front of 3 skunked fisherman. Evan was getting ticked
and starting to insult me; blaming all sorts of ridiculous things for his lack of
fish-hooking action. He switched to a hare's ear and nailed a 24 in. fish in a shallow
riffle.
Throughout the day, I hooked countless numbers of fish, all on nymphs. Any large nymph
seemed to work. I didn't get a single fish under 15 inches. Most were 16-22 inches. I
have been hearing reports of Rocky Ford in the past couple of months that are saying
that trout are few and small now. Well, I saw hundreds of 18+ inch fish and the action
was HOT. I've never had as good of fishing as I had on Saturday. It was unbelievable.
Apr 5, 1998
Thanks to: Damien Hooper
I had good luck at "the Rock" on April 5, there is a pretty decent "little olive" hatch
going on right now, blue-wing olives work well. I caught and released two fish in about
40 minutes of fishing. The first was about 23 inches, what a great way to start the
day, huh? The second was about 12 inches. The fish were rising heavily, I imagine
they were taking the emergers just below the surface. Several people were using
streamers with moderate luck. That little creek is sure getting crowded!
Feb. 20-21, 1998
Thanks to Jeff Hale for the following report:
I fished Rocky Ford Creek Friday the 20th, and Saturday the 21st of
February. The wind blew hard and cold both days. I fished scuds,
buggers, brassies, P.T.'s, the usual stuff. The fish seemed irritated
and closed mouthed. I imagine they've received quite a bit of pressure
over the last month. This was my third trip over since MLK Junior day
and on each consecutive trip there have been more anglers and less fish
willing to bite. I managed to hook a dozen or so fish, only landing
three. Poor reflexes or dull hooks, or both. Anyhow, the fishing was
OK but not like I've seen it before. The largest fish I landed was a
chunky 14-15 inches, with the other two being 9-12 inches (your basic
plants). I saw no large fish landed except for those fish hooked on
their spawning redds. I know this is not illegal, but it certainly does
not seem sporting. I saw three different fishermen doing this, one of
which bonked the fish on the head and then walked out with a sheepish
grin while other anglers glared at him. The fish was in terrible
spawning shape; was this guy thinking he was really going to have a
gourmet meal?
These anglers would spot pairs of spawners, and then endlessly cast egg
patterns or large buggers until one of them, usually the buck, would
become irritated enough to strike. Then all heck would break loose
after these fish would shoot up or down the narrow creek passage way,
entangling other anglers. One gentleman sat on the steel bridge
drifting weighted egg patterns across a pair of spawning fish. Finally
he hooked one which promptly ran under the bridge, forcing the angler to
lean over and point his rod between his legs, until the tippet and fly
parted with a snap. Could be dangerous on your gear? I don't want to
sound like a goody-goody, and I don't see anything wrong with killing
fish now and then for the table. However, I think we all need to think
carefully about the habitats we choose to harvest fish from. Rocky Ford
Creek has had it's share of problems with poachers and over-fishing.
Perhaps there are other put-and-take waters that might be better suited
to killing a couple of fish to eat. Furthermore, when fish are engaged
in spawning, they are participating in the very act that allows us to
enjoy and continue to fish for the upcoming years. Any controllable
activity that jeopardizes the successful procreation of these trout
should be halted; that includes molesting, hooking, playing, and killing
spawning trout. Like I said, I know it's not illegal, but it is not
what is best for the fish and the fishermen. If you see someone fishing
specifically for spawners, try politely explaining to them why they
should not do so. Anglers are generally understanding and the ones
participating unethically may not be malicious, just ignorant of certain
facts. Hopefully they will walk away better sportsmen. Good fishing!
New Years Day 1998
Thanks to Gary Brewer for the following report:
Weather and fishing very good. I didn't have a lot of time to spend on the water,
but it was very good time. I started fishing at daylight, and yes it was cold, but no wind.
Only a few fish were showing with dimpling rises, and these were scattered. I tried a
brassie in some of the slower water but no luck. One thing about not fishing here
regularly is how much it can change at the discretion of Trout Lodge. At present
there is a nice flow of water for those who don't like to fish the big flat areas.
Any of these runs over two feet deep hold many fish. I only had time to fish for
three hours, but I hooked ten fish, the largest being a twenty-two inch female.
The others were about eight to twelve inches, but in excellent condition. My fly
of choice was a scud # 18.
While there are so many negative reports of RFC, this will always be a favorite place
to fish in winter. Snow on the ground, ducks overhead, ice in the guides, the muffled
silence of nature, and a hog at the end of six "X" tippet. It does not get any better.
June 24, 1997
Thanks to Chad Keller for the following report:
I finally got the chance to fish this legendary spring creek this
Saturday. The weather was about as sporadic as the fishing. If I
wasn't being blown over by the wind, I was being hammered by sudden
downpours. And I even managed to get a sunburn in between. When the
wind did stop, I was able to spot some of the beautiful rainbows. After
observing them for a while, it seemed to me that they were very
territorial. Most of the larger fish I saw seemed to hold to a
particular spot and fight off any intruder. The larger fish seemed to
be closer to the shore where they had plenty of rock, weed, and bank
cover. I would estimate of the many fish I saw that they ranged from 3
to 9lbs. I heard that one fellow caught 3 that day with his last
weighing in at almost 9lbs (I never actually saw anyone catch a fish
while I was there). Black woolly buggers seemed to be the fly for the
day. I only saw fish break the surface about 3 times the whole time I
was there (about 2 hours). I ended the day with only 4 strikes. I lost
2 flies in the mouths of a couple monsters (both black woolly buggers).
I am fairly new to fly fishing and I still have the knee jerk reaction
to set the hook hard and fast. That doesn't work when you have an ultra
light leader up against a +5lb trout. Anyway, I learned a lot and am
excited to return when I get the chance.
April 19, 1997
Thanks to Liam Wood for the following report:
Water was in pretty good shape. We got to the creek at around 8 am. There were a number
of fisherman staked out at the better pools already so I walked downstream a ways until
I found a nice run with a great cut bank. I started fishing an olive scud along the cut
bank. On the first cast, I hooked up with a large fish which came unhooked before I could
see it. I moved slightly downstream and spotted a large cruiser sipping midge pupa off the
surface film in the still water near the bank. I lengthened my leader and threw out a
tiny Brassie. I stripped it back very slowly and watched the fish turn and gobble my
fly! A short while later and I held 17 inches of 'bow in my hands.
The rest of the day was actually quite slow. I hooked one more fish on a BWO in the
afternoon and had a brief hookup on a Glo-Bug. There sure doesn't seem to be as many
trout left in the creek as there were a year ago.
April 19, 1997
Thanks to Curtis Fry for the following report:
On Saturday I was finally able to try the fishing at Rocky Ford Creek
with my fishing buddy, Dean. I'd heard a lot about it since moving here
six months ago and wanted to fish good trout waters like the ones I'd
fished in Oregon, Utah and Idaho growing up.
We arrived at about 8:00 am and were surprised to find it relatively
uncrowded. We scanned the water for fish and saw a couple of cruisers,
but were surprised that a spring creek of that size didn't hold more
fish. (I understand it used to). Anyway, the midges were all over but
didn't seem to interest the fish up top. I started with a biot emerger
a foot below the surface and got a couple of strikes but no solid
takes. Then the sun came out enough to spot some hogs feeding close to
the bank. I switched to some smaller tippet and tied on a quill midge
larva and within a few casts hit paydirt. The brute measured out to 24"
and I estimated him to be at 4 to 5 lbs.
The rest of the day saw the same type of action, although I wouldn't
say the fishing was hot, we still hooked into fish using mostly the
small midge larva (20-24's) and an occasional scud and San Juan. We
didn't land anything less than 20" so the fish's size made up for their
lack of numbers. The action came in spurts as the fish would just "turn
on" and you could see the white mouths going like gang busters, and then
it was easy to see them inhale the fly. Then there were times where
they kept the lips tight and strikes were few. The fish never really
turned on to the surface although the midges were out strong and a few
tricos showed up here and there. I did get one to come up for a
palomino type midge but missed him. Stomach pump samples a guy next to
me took showed mostly small midge larva to be the meal of the day.
All in all it was worth the three hour drive, and I'm anxious to return
soon and get into some surface action.
Poaching at Rocky Ford causing decline in Trout Populations?
I have fished Rocky Ford quite a bit the last few years. Since last summer the fishery has really been in decline; I believe poaching has been the main reason.
I was there on a Sunday evening last May, and I saw a guy with a spinning rod walk
out with two 5 lb. plus trout. I asked him if he knew this was fly fishing only,
and he just kept on walking. My friend is convinced he snagged them near the shoreline.
Last October, Sunday evening again, as I was setting up my rod, three guys pulled up in a
truck with spinning gear. By now I am pissed, because as you say, there are very few fish
left in Rocky Ford. I walked over to them and told them this is fly fishing only water.
They said they were poor country boys, that couldn't afford all of that expensive fly
fishing gear. Then they produced several flies, and said their intention was to fish a
fly behind a bobber. I wished them luck, and went down to fish. Later that evening, I
watched one of the trio cast some sort of spinner along the shore, and that was it.
I ended my fishing, took note of their license plate, and turned it over to the DFW
Office in Ephrata. (509-754-4624)
Needless to say, confronting poachers is a very delicate situation. In general, I just
take down the license plate and make sure I can ID the driver. Then turn the info over
to DFW. However, I also believe peer pressure is probably the best deterrent to poaching.
If you think it's safe, ask the person if they know this is fly fishing only water.
I spoke with Joe Foster today, he is the Regional Biologist in Ephrata for the DFW. He
said they just don't have enough personnel to spend much time down at Rocky Ford.
Because of the hard winter, they are having a deer crisis in the area. The deer are
eating a lot of wheat, and in general causing a lot of damage. Joe said, get the
license plate, be able to identify the poachers, and turn the info over to him.
509-754-4624
January 18, 1997
Thanks to Doug Peterson for the following report:
I live in Moses Lake. I am about 30-40 min. from Rocky Ford and fish there from time
to time. I like fishing there in the colder months as it is not too overgrown with
bank vegetation. I was there about two weeks ago and had limited success. Immediately
upon my arrival, I presented a very small (18) green scud with a small split shot
into the 'semi-fast' moving water right next to the parking lot. It was the spot
right before the creek bends to the right to go under the walk-over bridge. I felt
a few hits on my first 3 casts but no hook ups. I began to wonder all of those
crazy things you think about when your not hooking them. (Is my fly too small,
was it just catching on rocks or debris... etc.) Next cast, I saw a huge flash and
shadow roll over where I imagined my fly to be. I lifted my rod with excitement
and felt the resistance of one of the largest trout I have seen in Rocky Ford.
The battle lasted a mere 15 seconds as the big fish managed to snap my tippet with a
'jump & run' technique. Unfortunately, I was not carrying my supply of small green
scuds and could not manage to coax another into biting all day. I used red and pink
for a while without success. I got desperate and tied on a glow bug (pink). This is
my 'ole faithful' for Rocky Ford as I have noticed that the trout gorge themselves
year round on eggs which probable originate from the hatchery. But it wasn't to be
that day. I'll be back again soon to try my luck with a healthy supply of tiny
green scuds.
I have caught and released many many 4lb plus rainbows from Rocky Ford and 99% of them
were tricked into hitting a teeny tiny scud or my glow bug.
Another interesting creek for you to try is not too far from Rocky Ford. Similarly,
it runs into Moses Lake and has a nice size hatchery attached to it. It's 3 miles
from the center the town (Moses Lake). Continue north on Broadway (Main Street of town)
3 miles out of town...you'll see signs for the hatchery. I spend some time there last
week. Although the trout are very small, they are hungry and extremely plentiful! They
hit EVERY fly I threw at them. Schools of small rainbows and brooks are concentrated
downstream from every large rock or stump. I had the most fun with a size 16 elk hair
caddis which was systematically butchered and beaten by the ravenous fish. Successful
dry fly fishing in the heart of a bitter cold winter is a welcome day in my book.
For me, it's only a 5 minute drive which makes it all the more attractive. I was
there last Sunday (after Green Bay beat Carolina) and caught 23 on dry flies only
in about 1 hour. By then, my fingers were like popsicles sticking off of my frozen
stump hands. I physically couldn't tie another knot. And my fly line was sealed
tight to each guide with a chunk of ice.
I would like to take an opportunity to direct you to my fly fishing page. Actually,
it's a page that I created to advertise a small fly fishing product that my dad is
trying to produce. Check it out if you have the time. Here's the address:
http://www.ncw.net/~peterson/strippin.htm
STRIPPING GUARDS completely eliminate stripping cuts, and they continuously clean
your line. They are comfortable, durable Lycra finger sleeves that fit like skin
and are guaranteed to improve the enjoyment of your flyfishing experience!
Lastly, I am planning to take a trip westward towards "STEELHEAD COUNTRY." Can
you recommend a time? river? guide? fly? rod type? etc.? I never went before but
I hear that it's an experience I won't want to miss.
January 5, 1997
Four of us (Jason St. Germain, Jeremy Tittle, Duane Carroll and myself) took the trek over the icy pass and through the brisk fields of Eastern Washington in search of some quality fishing. The rivers in the west have been under a much-publicized tirade of rain and melting snow and have not offered the eager fisherman much of an opportunity as of late. We left at the normal time of 4:00 am and headed east in my Explorer both to test it's new tires and our fishing prowess on the experienced and wary Rocky Ford trout. They have been under lots of pressure lately, but we were hoping the poor road conditions and below freezing temps would keep the numbers down, alas we were wrong.
Upon arriving, it was the typical race to the right spot to try and defend your
ground like some life-sized board game. We were able to secure some of the best
holes and began casting our scuds in earnest. We were off to a very slow start
and did not spot that many fish cruising like you might ordinarily expect. We
did finally hook some very nice fish, but it was not at all the kind of day
we were looking for.
Despite hooking only four and landing only two, I was able to finally outfish the master
of Rocky Ford himself, Jason. He nor any of our party had a particularly splendid
day as far as numbers of fish are concerned. We did however enjoy a beautiful day
despite having to bundle up with multiple layers of fleece and Gortex and, of course,
clear the ice from the guides about every 10th cast or so.
The puzzling thing for me that day was, where are all the fish? The last time I was
there the fish were in very respectable numbers, showing themselves cruising the
shallows munching on scuds and whatever else those monsters eat to get so big.
Only this time there were very few fish to be seen let alone caught. I began to
wonder if they have traveled downstream to winter in the lake or are the numbers
just diminishing at such a quick pace that it is noticeable? I heard a rumor
that the life cycle for that spring creek was nearing its 8-year cycle and would
need to be replenished with the help of the Troutlodge people. I heard other
rumors that the creek has been hit very hard by poachers and this has severely
impacted the population. I don't know if there is any substance to either of
these rumors, but would be very interested in finding out if anyone reading this
has some more info.
David Weitl - Statewide Editor
dweitl@nwfishing.com
October 20, 1996
Thanks to Jeremy Tittle for the following report:
Fished Rocky Ford creek for the second time Sunday with my friend Jason St. Germain (which I now know that he is truly part God). Left Seattle at 3:00 in the morning so we could get a full day in. Arrived in Ephrata around 5:30 and stop at the Texaco (best breakfast I have had at a gas station).
Made it to the river by sunrise and first started to fish one of Jason's pretty
little spots (personally I think the hole creek is his spot). Before I had my #18
Olive Scud tied on Jason had hooked up 2 nice rainbows. (No I'm not that slow,
he is just that good!!) Finished setting up my rig and started to cast, you
really have to be able to cast well or you be hung up all day. I learned that
the first time so this time it wasn't so bad. After about 30-50 cast I finally
got a strike, but didn't set the hook, though I did dig into a nice little nasty
bush behind me.
We decided to walk down stream a bit to see if there was any hatching going on. All
we could see where some Blue Winged Olive's not quite enough to start a feeding frenzy
though. We walked all the way up stream to the handicap dock and fished off the small
bridge. Jason tied on a San Juan Worm and hooked up another large Rainbow. This thing
was pretty pissed. He fought it for a few minutes when suddenly it jumped clear out
of the water and, SNAP!, broke the line. It was the nicest fish he hooked all day.
We started our journey back down the stream and stopped to fish some dry fly action.
There wasn't anything hitting the top but we were about to go and said what the hell.
We tied on size #18 Blue Winged Olives and fished for about 15 minutes with no luck.
Then I spotted a nice fish (or big fatty as we put it all day) hanging about 1 or 2
feet below the surface. I was able to get him to rise up (like my heartbeat!) a
few times, but didn't ever go for my fly. Jason walked over and ask if I had any
luck, cast it out and wammo the lucky bastard got another one. Jason finished up
with about 13 hook ups and landed I think 8, I on the other hand got a pretty nice
tan on my arms. After that I decided my fishing day was over. Skunked again at
good ole Rocky Ford. But you can guarantee that I will be back. If anything
to give the fish a good laugh.
September 4, 1996
My friend Jason St. Germain of Oshman's Superstore fished Rocky Ford on Tuesday. He said it was on fire. The water levels are still high and he encountered a large Calibaetis hatch. He and another local fisherman were fishing to rising trout in the STILL WATERS near the aluminum footbridge. Jason said of the dozen or so fish that he landed, all were over 20"! The older gentleman fishing along side him landed a fish that he measured out at 35". Jason said it was the biggest fish he has ever seen landed at Rocky Ford and probably weighed 12 pounds! This fish was taken on a dry.
His companion informed him that the bigger fish are coming up from the lake
to spawn this time of year. Jason and I may be returning there on Monday to
see if this great fishing can be reproduced. As hard as it is to pull myself
away from the rivers that are quickly filling with huge king salmon, it is
hard to resist Rocky Ford when it is at its peak.
More later....
August 18, 1996
My friend Jason St. Germain fished Rocky Ford on Saturday and reported the following results: The water is at its highest levels of the year. There were a couple of hatches, sulfur duns and a few tricos. The fish were fairly cooperative.May 22-23, 1996
Thanks to Matt Makowski (visiting from Chicago) for the following report: May 22 Fished Dry Falls in the morning and had no success. Saw no fish caught either. At noon left for Rocky Ford Creek. On a size 18 black gnat I picked up three rainbows and my dad, on his first flyfishing trip, picked up a nice 4 pound rainbow on a size 16 mosquito.
May 23 I picked up another small rainbow and we spent most of the day
frustrated at not being able to match the emerging pattern that the fish
were devouring. Definitely will bring tiny flies next year when I'm back
from Chicago.
May 22, 1996
I fished Rocky Ford with my fishing partner Jason St. Germain of Kaufmann's Streamborn. Jason has put his time into this fishery and has it down to a science. He and I had a pretty good day landing about 8-10 fish each. All but a couple of them were well over 18" with a couple of brutes over 20" and weighing close to four pounds. Most of the fish were taken sub-surface with a few taken on dries. There was a large population of a mayfly that I couldn't identify. After finally catching one I examined it closely. It was a spinner (mature adult versus the freshly-hatched dun) with clear wings and a very dark -- almost black abdomen. I would say they were about a size 16-18.
The fish were rising around noon pretty steadily, but to very small
hatching midges. An excellent pattern would be Lasher's raccoon in about a size 20-22.
There also were quite a few creamy mayflies either PMDs or Light Cahills. There weren't quite
enough of them to trigger selective feeding, and they were probably a size 16-18. We left around
2:00 p.m. to try out Nunnally Lake.
March 29, 1996
Thanks to Steven Zopfi for the following report:
On March 29, my father and I traveled to Rocky Ford Creek located about
5 miles South of Soap Lake, WA. The last time I had been to Rocky Ford
was back in 1992. This was just after the completion of the new fish
hatchery at the head waters of the creek. That trip was cut short by
my dog getting heavily infested with tics. That trip was in May.
I have fished Rocky Ford before the new hatchery went in and I can tell
you that it is nothing like it`s former self. It used to hold a lot
of fish in the small abandonded raceways and pools. Now fishing is
strictly limited to the main part of the creek.
Enough about the history of Rocky Ford. This trip started out early on
the 29th of March. I met my Dad in Monroe at 5:00AM for the 3 hour
drive to Rocky Ford. The weather report called for snow in Stevens
Pass and it delivered. There was about 6 inches of very wet snow that
made driving interesting to say the least.
We arrived at Rocky Ford at 8:15 and immediately noticed that the wind
was up. The weather was changing quickly and there were large storm
clouds in the near by vicinity. Air temperature was about 40 to 45 deg.
F.
Crossing the creek near the gauge showed that it was reading 5.1
feet. The creek seemed higher than what I remember in the past. We started
fishing one of my favorite holes and after about 30 minutes,
I changed from a size 14 olive scud to a size 14 brassie. A few casts
later, FISH ON! The hen pictured here measured 21 1/2 inches and was
caught while stripping the fly. I was using a 6 wt floating line (way
to big for fishing here) and a 13ft leader, 6X tippet and found that my
weighted flies were dredging the bottom. Stripping was the answer. I
mentioned to my dad that I hooked it while stripping so he tried the
technique too. About 5 minutes later, he had hooked an equal sized
fish using an olive scud. Unfortunately, his broke off. We fished
unsuccessfully until we decided to break for lunch.
Lunch was eaten quickly and soon enough we were back on the creek. The
weather was really changing at this point. Wind was increasing and it began
to snow briefly.
We moved up the creek to a location where quite a few people were fishing.
The pressure on the creek seemed a bit too high for me. I counted a total
of 15 people fishing this day. Amazingly a small hatch of midges started
and I switched to a size 18 Griffith Gnat. I attracted the attention of one
fish but was rejected numerous times. I saw only 3 other fish caught
during our trip to Rocky Ford and 2 of those were caught by the same
individual.
At this point the weather was becoming very bad. We were being skirted by
very strong down bursts. The wind picked up dramatically. Gusts were
probably hitting 50MPH and were literally picking up the entire fields and
blowing them into the creek.
It became pointless to fish any further, there were tumble weeds floating
the the creek and casting was to say the least impossible. We decided to
head home at 3:30PM only to face more snow in Stevens Pass.
We decided that next time we fish Rocky Ford, we are going to do it when the
weather is a bit more stable.
Steven Zopfi
zippy@tc.fluke.com
December 13, 1995
On Monday I received a call from my avid fly fishing friend Thao. He is always searching for new knowledge and opportunities. He had met a fellow fly fisher named Jason that manages the fishing shop in the new Oshman's store in the Auburn Supermall. He was very impressed with Jason as they talked about their various ventures. Somehow Jason has arranged his schedule to allow himself the opportunity to fish 6 days a week. Obviously anyone fishing 6 days a week is bound to pick up some things that could be useful to the rest of us! Jason invited Thao to fish with him and even offered to reveal his 'secret' techniques and holes at Rocky Ford Creek.Now for those of you who don't know about Rocky Ford, it is a small spring creek located near Ephrata in Eastern Washington. The stream is a private-public joint effort with the sole objective of creating the best possible catch and release fly fishing in the state. The creek is about 7 miles long and flows into Moses Lake. There are two hatcheries on the creek within no more than 2 miles of each other. The fishing is limited strictly to flies and, although there is a 1 fish over 18" bag limit, most people release all (if any) that they catch. The water is crystal clear with very little flow and a maximum depth of probably 4 feet. I know what you're thinking, sounds pretty wimpy right? However, because of the large population of various aquatic life forms in this small stream, the trout are purported to grow up to 1 inch per month! There are rumors floating around about fish up to 10 pounds that have been caught there. I had only fished this stream once before and after pounding the water diligently for an entire day in late spring (1994), I felt fortunate to have landed three fish. All three were between 17 and 20 inches, and I spotted even larger fish cruising through the pools. These trout are well educated though -- they've seen so many fly lines, they can name the brand and weight from 300 feet away. Small flies (size 16-24) and very light tippets (up to 8X) are the rule. Presentation is critical.
When Thao called me to tell me about this new source for fly fishing
knowledge, he asked if I would like to go over to Rocky Ford with
Jason since he couldn't make it himself. I said sure, I'd love
to learn how to crack that fishery. Jason wanted to leave early,
so we decided to leave at 3:30 (that's a.m.!). We would make the
3-hour drive over, fish for most of the day and return that same
evening.
The day turned out to be gorgeous as the sun came up
over the fields of Eastern Washington. We dressed warmly and walked
down to the creek. Jason set me up with his special fly and rigging
and pointed me to where the fish live. I tried to cast to the
spot, but kept getting tangled in the weeds and trees. Jason couldn't
stand it so he threw a cast into the hole and just like that,
picked up his first fish of the day. I finally got used to my
3-wt SP again and was able to place my fly within the two edges
of the stream. Soon enough I was into my first fish, a beautiful
rainbow of about 16". His technique was definitely working.
We continued to catch fish fairly regularly for the next 2-3 hours.
Most were 16-18" and very pissed!
The sky was clear and we both hoped the sun would
set off some kind of hatch. We were lucky, a fair amount of Midge
began hatching and the occasional dimple of sipping fish signaled
it was time to switch to dries. Jason moved to some slower water
and began casting to rising fish. He was able to get a couple
of rises to his size 20 Griffith's Gnat so I decided to join him.
Jason pointed to a spot on the far shore where 2 or 3 fish had
been rising on and off. I didn't have any dries small enough,
so I tied on a size 14 Irresistible Adams and cast across to the
rocks. I knew I was doing a pretty good job scaring fish because
I could see their head wakes as they scattered from the area I
was casting to. I landed one cast just upstream of the largest rock and within
a couple of seconds a very large snout silently broke the surface
and ever so gently sipped in my fly. I lifted the rod and was
quickly communicating with a very upset fish. I guessed he was
pretty good sized by the casualness of his sip.
My 3-weight and I were both smiling as he darted back and forth
across the pool. Finally I was able to steer him close enough
to get a good look. He was very large, we guessed him to measure
about 22 inches. By the time I was able to persuade him to come
to my hand we really got to see how large this rainbow was. He
was easily 25" and weighed at least 7 pounds. He was a Kamloops
strain with the flat nose and large mouth. A magnificent fish
and the largest rainbow I had ever taken on a fly (I haven't begun fishing
lakes yet). After snapping several photos of this monster I returned him to the water and
revived him. Obviously I was quite high
and Jason was very proud of his student. That was the biggest
fish he had ever seen caught at Rocky Ford. We continued casting
dries for the next hour or so, with very little success. Jason
caught 2 on dries and the hatch eventually petered out.
The balance of the day was spent catching, playing and releasing
beautiful rainbows of 18-20". Jason actually caught a nice
male that went probably 4 pounds. I snapped some pictures for
him with his camera. After landing a nice 20 incher 20 minutes later, I bent down
to release the fish, and my camera jumped out of my vest pocket and
splashed right into the river! I was devastated. The only permanent
record of my career-best fish was just destroyed. I'm still reeling.
All I have left is this fish story! I guess I'll just have to go back
and see if he'll give me another chance to pose with him.
Well that's my report from Rocky Ford. If I failed to mention
any specifics, like what to use and where to fish, you'll just
have to forgive me. I can't reveal all of Jason's secrets that
easily. Plus, you couldn't truly appreciate your success if you
didn't figure it out on your own, right? Good luck and
remember to tell
me about your trip when you return!
