Starting in early September
salmon begin to arrive in good numbers. In odd-numbered years humpies arrive in
early September or a little later depending on river level and precipitation.
Humpies spark the beginning of the salmon runs. They are followed by the
silvers, chums, and finally steelhead.
Hatchery fish and fisherman stack up
at Rieter Ponds in front of the hatchery creek located outside Gold Bar. For
those who seek solitude, a drive up highway 2 will point you to many famous
fishing spots. On the south side of the Sky the Ben Howard road will lead
fisherman to many pullouts and a boat launch. Below Rieter, boats can launch
at High Bridge and float to Gold Bar or continue to Sultan. The most popular
drift is from Sultan to Ben Howard or continue a little farther to the Lewis
Street bridge. The Skykomish joins the sluggish Snoqualmie and they form the
Snohomish River which flows into the Puget Sound at Everett.
-Overview by Cameron Dannar
- Current Conditions - Graph format of flow rates of the Skykomish at Gold Bar from the USGS
- Current Conditions - Graph format of the Snohomish River Basin from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
June 18, 2001
Thanks to: Jordan
We made it out there by 8. It would have been earlier but live sand shrimp are very hard to find down by there. We fished cable hole, and a couple other pullouts there with only one strike,and no hook-ups. We drifted corkies and yarn, corkies and eggs, drift bobber with jigs and shrimp, of all different colors, and we even got desperate and found ourselves plunking (it was really embarassing to people driving by in their jet sleds!) we also tried vibrax, and an assortment of spoons, with no results. We saw two fish get caught on plugs but that's it. We left at about 2:30 with nothing. It is really slow down there right now, we need some rain!
NF - June 10, 2001
Thanks to: Kyle Poppleton
Sunday was a phenomenal day of fishing. I needed to get out and relax after preparing for boards. In my favorite hole I was able to bring in three steelhead and saw two others take another's rig. All three fish were nat's so they are still there for this weekend's post boards excursion.
Reiter's Pond - Jan. 3, 2001
Thanks to: Mike Carey
Rivers up just a tad from previous week but the fishing is still slow. I saw two caught (drifter and bobber fishermen) and my brother had one on briefly (bobber fishing). The water is clear. It was a nice warm morning to be out. Fished from 7 to 10:45am.
Dec. 2, 2000
Thanks to: Lee Dishman
After fishing the Sky for the past three years for salmon, on a very bitter cold and foggy morning in Dec. about 7:30am, Slam!!!! a huge fish grabs my shrimp tail and little purple corkie. Attached to this monster with a medium 8' rod and 10# test mono. My heart ponds with excitement. As I battle this fish it's determined to stay on the bottom. But finally it raises its head to the surface. My heart pounds out of my chest, my eyes bulge with excitement. Could it be possible an elusive steelhead the Sky is famous for. HELL YES!!! But then that thought [enters my mind] "Is it a wild fish?", at this point I don't care as it drags me up and down and up the bank again. Then after a great battle he gives in just enough to slip his 15 Lb. 36" butt onto the bank. A beautiful hachery bright steelhead, my first on the Sky. I'll Be Back.
Reiter's Pond - Dec. 6, 2000
Thanks to: Mike Carey
Wednesday morning, 7-9:30. The water level gets lower and lower. Down another 3-4 inches from Sunday. It was slow fishing. I saw two caught, both on the hatchery side of the river. We need some rain!
Reiter's Pond - Dec. 3, 2000
Thanks to: Mike Carey
Fished from 7- 11am about 30 yards down from the inlet stream. My brother was visiting and this was his first trip steelheading. We saw about four caught and at 9am I hooked a powerful fish on small corky and yarn. The fish ended up being a nice 10-12 pound buck, pretty bright and full of fight. we fished until 11am, saw a couple more fish caught and that was it. Three fish caught on each side of the river. The water is very low and clear so go small and good luck!
Dec. 2, 2000
Thanks to: Steve Thomas
Met my long time steelheading partner Doug Pearman at the Sultan launch at 7:00 a.m. (4 guys waiting to put in and a few trailers in the lot) and walked past the rip-rap to just below the eddy at Jim's Rock. Put in a good 2 hours there drifting corkies and eggs, plus floating jigs past the log jam. At least the rain didn't set in hard...flow showed about 2350 on the USGS site that a.m. and rising slowly, but quite clear.Decided to work our way back up towards the parking lot, stopping to toss a few times at the bottom end of the stretch just below the Sultan. Doug decided he'd had enough and headed home. I went to a drab corky, a 30" leader, and chopped most of my pink yarn off. Put on a fresh load of chum roe and got slammed on my third cast. Had him on the beach in about 15 minutes, a feisty 9-lb. hatchery buck with a tinge of rose in his cheeks.
A nice gentleman came down from upstream and helped me out by shooting a couple pics for me with my digital. One for this year's Christmas letter!
I figured that was my share for the day (the adrenaline lasted another hour) and headed home a happy camper.
Aug. 13, 2000
Thanks to: Sean
First trip to Sultan with my girlfriend's brother Bob who knew what he was about. He's been at this river thing for 11 years, compared to my meager one year. Watched Kings surface everywhere, they were just going nuts! Jumping, finning and tailing. Too bad they're not legal to keep. Used shrimp and gear, and resisted the urge to bring fly gear. It turns out that that was a good idea, the fish I got on would have broken my 6 weight fly rod! Had numerous bits and takes, I just couldn't convert any. After three hours of frustration for both of us, just after the sun went down and it was getting dark, I finally got the hook set right. I was using 14 pound test line on a medium heavy action rod with the pencil lead, etc. On a Shimano Spirex 5000 reel. I'd never EVER caught anything in the rivers around here even though I've lived here all my life. This was something I will never forget. I set the hook and had time to think "Wow! I got that one! I can feel it moving on the end of the line." That took about a half of a second to happen, then I was losing line at a rate I'd NEVER seen before. The fish headed down stream like a bullet. I cinched the drag down as tight as it would go, and this fish was still stripping line like it wasn't attached to anything! Bob hear my whoop and start trying to turn the fish around, but it wasn't having any of that. I had enough time to yell "Bob I can't stop it!" Then the line went slack. I was hoping it turned and headed up stream, but it wasn't so. What a rush though. It's almost comparable to... well losing something you can only lose once. And you usually don't get the whole deal the first time, either.. I'm going out there again tonight, now that I know where they are. Bob's timely advice to me 10 minutes after the fact was "you flyfish, right? Why didn't you palm your reel?" I gave him a dirty look. Then thanked him for my first and made immediate plans to go back this evening. All in all, great fun for the 2 hours work.
July 19, 2000
Thanks to: Joe Bredereck
Started drifting from Sultan at about 445am. Hit a nice native at the left bank (using a blue wiggle wart) about 520am. So we dropped anchor and began throwing bait. We hooked one more chrome bright native and a very nice hatchery buck. Also saw 2 more hooked but not landed. Left the that slot and moved down to Elwell hole and hooked another native on that same wiggle wart. What a daedly plug! Hooked a couple nie cuts but no more steelhead. What a nice day of fishing on the old ditch. It sure is becoming a a wide and flat river... good fishing to all!
July 9, 2000
Thanks to: Brad Saunders
I'm only 14 years old and I fish by myself and [with] my dog Coco. We started just out of Index around 5:00am. I was trying many different types of plugs and jigs. no luck. Since I am so young I can't afford a boat. But I've had good luck were the index and the Sky meet. Last summer I caught a 19-lb. native. I would like to know more places to try on the Sky and different lures or the best. I am new at the sport of steelheading and would like some pointers.
July 3, 2000
Thanks to: troy smith
I went fishing at the part of the Skykomish where the Sultan river joins it. This hole is getting pounded. You stand shoulder to shoulder with the guy next to you. I was there at 3:45am and could hear lots of fish. Talked with a gear fisher who said it was the salmon who were jumping. I don't know. The river was pretty low. I went the Thursday before and it was much higher. Started fishing at sunup, but no fish that day. Four fish were caught though, three steelies and one other fish, couldn't tell what it was but it wasn't a steelhead or salmon. The odds of snagging a fish there aren't very good because of all the people. I was talking with another fly fisher and he said he counted 27 anglers. If you go fishing there, get there before daylight to stake out your water. All the good water is taken by 4:15-4:30. And even then someone might steal your water. Good luck.
Mar. 26, 2000
Thanks to: Rory O'Connor
We started off the day early in the Ben Howard pool with a bang and hooked a monster. It was still dark when we hooked the fish and had no idea what had happened when we lost the fish, but upon further inspection of the plug, we found a straightened out hook. God knows how big that fish was. In the next run down we hooked and missed one. This went on all the way down river until we passed Lewis Street. We got behind another boat and the fishing was pretty slow, we hooked one fish in the Nordstrom's hole in the lower Sky and one fish in the Snohomish also. Our all day total came to 7 hookups and 4 fish to the boat, our biggest being about a 16 pound hen. The day before we hooked 5 fish on the same run and got two to the boat, our biggest there was about Our biggest fish the day before was a 12 pounds buck. All the fish hooked that weekend were caught on plugs. If you see a teal and black striped Hyde driftboat on Sky, Skagit, Sauk or Snohmish, that's probably us. Feel free to talk, we're friendly. We'll be fishing all of the first week of April, hope to see you out there.
Mar. 25, 2000
Thanks to: Matt Riordan
Me and two friends fished Reiter ponds area for about 2 hours and had a few short strikes. Saw 1 large fish jump in the middle of the river. The water was low and clear, summertime conditions. We then walked down to cable hole and fished another hour or so and I picked up a 26" wild steelhead, in beautiful spawning colors. Got him on a shrimp drifted in the deepest hole I could find. Released him in great condition. Then it started to rain and we called it a day. Oh yeah, my buddy tripped and broke his friends rod!
Upper River - Mar. 5, 2000
Thanks to: unhappy fisherman
Fished the upper sky today, We were the second boat on the river. We got one native around ten pounds. The only bad part of the day was the boats that were pushing down river had no respect for the other fishermen already in the hole. People who fish the upper end know that all the holes aren't very long so they would push to get in front of you to fish part of that hole not caring if our plugs were out. They would cast fifteen to twenty feet off the front of our boat over our lines and on to of our plugs.That was the reason we quit fishing the lower end three years ago becuse no one had any respect for others now its starting on the upper end. So the jist of it is: fish your own fish, not somebody else's fish!
Feb. 17, 2000
Thanks to: josh
Went to Reiter and the water was very low. I went in the afternoon and saw 2 fish caught from the far side. That was it besides some fish some others said they caught before I got there.
Reiter Ponds - Dec. 27, 1999
Thanks to Bob Everitt - WDFW
I thought it would be helpful to call the [Save Reiter Ponds] group together one last time before the legislative session begins. Bob Heirman has kindly agreed to host the meeting at the Snohomish library on Friday, January 7 beginning at 10 AM. We will discuss the Governor's supplemental budget request and what it says (and doesn't say) about the hatchery program in general and Reiter in particular. Some of you may wish to take this time to discuss a strategy for dealing with the session.
I'll be sending this note to the e-mail list, which includes local legislators. Please share this invitation with others you know that may have an interest.
Hope to see you in Snohomish. Any other questions, I can be reached at 425-775-1311, ext. 118. Have a great holiday season!
Bob Everitt
Regional Director
WDFW
Dec. 22, 1999
Thanks to: Lance Griffin
Fished from Sultan to Monroe, no luck. I beat the hell out of every hole with roe with no luck. Sun up 'till sun down. Flow was 6000 then and down to 4000 today. Anyone have any suggestions?
Dec. 11, 1999
Thanks to: I Hate Washington Fishing
I will tell you what happened out there. Besides waking up at 3:30am to drive up to the Sky, you had to battle flood conditions. Not only that, but you had to battle about 60 fisherman and the rain. Coming from Alabama to Washington about 6 months ago, I have come to this conclusion: Washington Fishing Sucks. I started on Blue Creek and Cowlitz for kings and low and behold you have to battle fisherman before you battle fish, if they are even biting. What ever happened to having a hole or stretch all to yourself and catching fish until you got tired of doing it? That is definely not the case out here. Also, what is the deal with the Indians just leaving fish to rot in the nets? I still will fish in Washington, but you people wouldn't know good fishing if it fell in your lap. Washington is overfished and under populated thanks soley to the lack of ethics in fisherman and people out here. It's like everyone calls everyone when they are going fishing, so the state's population of fisherman will all be out fishing in the same spots at the same time for fish that are hardly even there. WOMEN WANT ME AND FISH FEAR ME.
Nov. 23, 1999
Thanks to: Rod Bush
Fished from Sultan to Lewis street today. Visibility was about two and a half feet at best. We had an awesome day! Now those of you that have read my reports in the past know I will tell you when I do crappy. Today we caught the hell out of the chums. We landed 14 chums lost at least 6 which would be conservative. Here's the fun part my guys hooked into 6 doubles and landed 4 of those doubles. We released all but three of them. I'd say half had sea-lice and the other half not so fresh with a slight tinge of black on the belly. We caught all these fish using K-15's in chartreuse and pink colors. I expect the river to go out of shape if it keeps raining and warming. Should be good fishing until the end of the first week of December if it doesn't flood? If it does look for steelies to follow the next wave in.
River Otter Guide Service
www.greatnw.com/riverotter
Nov. 21, 1999
Thanks to: Marc
I went out with guide Eli Rico on the Skykomish today to fish for Chum salmon and Steelhead. There was one other client on the boat today, and we had a great time despite the rain. We caught and released Chum until the end of the day, and then each kept one brighter one. There are a lot of fish in the river. If you want to find the fish, give Eli a call. He has not let me down yet. His number is (425) 802-3795. Good luck to all.
Nov. 20, 1999
Thanks to: Erick Westburg
We were flyfishing and spinning fom the banks for Chums starting at 11:30 AM at IRS hole we saw one dead but that was it. Then we went up stream a little but there was only one dead one. Then we rode over to the Wallace and almost got one on a fly but it ripped out. Saw a dead Sockeye Chinook and Chum. Where are the Chums?
Nov. 7, 1999
Thanks to: ?
My son and I counted 55 boats on the river from Sultan to Monroe (Lewis Street) didnt even try to count the fishers am betting there were at least 200 on the banks. Only saw one chum being netted.
Nov. 6, 1999
Thanks to: Rod Bush
Put in at two-bit. Yes it's open again but will cost you a dollar and some common courtesy. That means always shut the gate behind you and never leave so much as a bubble gum wrapper behind! This is a great private launch to use so let's keep it that way. Anyway, I fished plugs down to the afternoon hole before getting a bump. But from there down we caught around a dozen chums. Some bright and some not even close. The funny thing was even the dark ones had sea-lice. The chums this year are on the bigger side averaging about 12lbs. and are very aggressive and a blast to catch using several different methods. Try using LARGE chrome plugs with pink or chartruse tails. Also jigs work very well under a float in the same colors. Good Luck! River Otter (Rod Bush) 425-334-6318
Nov. 5, 1999
Thanks to: Noel S. Cabanday
Fished after work. Got to the spot at around 12:30 fished with about 10 other guys only one bite in 2 hours. The gentlemen was using a bobber and a jig. Apparently some guys earlier raked thru the hole with spoons and the chums were pretty wary. Just bought a Calcutta and wanted to see how it would fare against a Chum Zilla! But I struck out! Oh well still great to get out and fish. Saw a lot of Big Dawg-fish a rollin! Will have to get 'em when they are in there good and solid. Anyone willing to share a chum spot mine has been overtaken! Hello Boeing Rod & Reel Members!
Nov. 4, 1999
Thanks to: Jim McCarthy
Put the drift yellow drift boat in with my daughter and a buddy at 10:15am in Monroe. Had to be off the river and home by 4pm. I have never drifted that stretch. We threw spinners, plugs, and when we got to the crab bar some plunking with shrimp. We didn't have any luck. The river has a lot of debris in it and we were rushed. I did see a fish caught by the 522 bridge and I saw Ken Elsea cleaning several fish at Douglas bar. I have a fishing journal going on my web page if you care to look. I generally fish just Sky and the Snohomish. My web page is http://members.xoom.com/jmccar. What has happened to all of the fish this year? Anyone? Last year the rivers were boiling with fish. Well good luck to all.
Oct. 31, 1999
Thanks to: Dave P.
We launched out of Sultan, and went up to the mouth of the Wallace. Plenty of Chums jumping. We used small bronze and silver dick nites and a little bit of weight (about 1 oz.). We hooked into at least 7. We landed 3, broke off 2, and the other two weren't hooked well. Time to go have some fun if you can get there. Good luck to all that fish there.
Oct. 29, 1999
Thanks to: David Turnbull
report = I was out [web]surfing tonight and found this site and the memories certainly came back from my experiences on the Sky and nearby rivers. I was fortunate during my stay on the Sky to land many steelhead on a fly, along with the Wallace that I fished the most. My biggest fish was a 23 pound male at Proctor Creek with 6 other steelies that day. But the Sky is the best of the best and offers nothing but challenge to any fishermen. I wish everyone the best who fishes it and the same for the proposed vote this coming fall on the net issue. The Sky was simply great.
Oct. 24, 1999
Thanks to: Joe Bredereck
Started fishing with my Pal Tony Enders at daylight. We both were drift fishing pink yarn with a pink spin-n-glow and scent for good measure. Saw lots of fish roll. Of course down or up river from our position! Tony hit first with a nice 12-lb. Chum. Then my turn. My Chum buck hit at the very end of the drift. He went skyward out of the water 5 times. I hate and love when they break the water. It was a long and nervous fight... Finally landing him 20 mins. later. He was a beauty! Tipping the scale at 18 lbs., 12 ozs. We weighed both fish at Triangle Beverage. Love days like this!
Oct. 15, 1999
Thanks to: Rod Bush
The river is on the drop and has cleared up nicely since the high water over last weekend. Had about 3-4 feet of visibility today. Fished with Dick Nite spoons using
a long leader slowly trolled or reeled. Hit 7 and landed 6 nice bright Coho. The river is full of fresh ones time to hit it!! Biggest was about 11 pounds. Look for this week to kick out some big numbers! I Support 696!
Sept. 12, 1999
Thanks to: Jeff Wood
I just moved into the area from Oregon's Willamette valley. Made my first float in my driftboat on the Skykomish from Sultan to Lewis St. Bridge. I was impressed with the run. The river is a little bigger than I am used to, but we had a fine float. Saw some Pinks rolling, but could not get a bite. Seems the other boats, and bank fisherman couldn't either. We did catch several nice Cutthroat, and my plug took a massive dive towards the river, but after three good yanks down, it popped up unscathed, well sometimes that happens. Water temp was 54 in morning, and 58 in the afternoon, so I think it needs to cool down some before things get going. I love fishing, and I love talking fishing so if anyone want's to knock heads together, please feel free to
e-mail me at jeffwo@mindspring.com. I am looking forward to learning the river's up here like I did down south.
Sept. 3, 1999
Thanks to: Greg Tims
Decided to take my visiting Brother-In-Law to the Skykomish for a shot at some Pink Salmon and late Summer Steelhead on Friday the 3rd. We fished the access point established by the Washington Woman Fly Fishers along Ben Howard Road. I tossed flies, he tossed hardware. River stage about 5 feet and the flow around 1600 cfs. First line in the water around 6:30 a.m. I had a solid hit around 8:00 a.m. but just couldn't connect. About noon we headed up to Sultan fishing from one of the areas marked "Public Fishing" next to a bridge. Again, no luck. Spoke with a "local" fellow fisherman who said the Pinks were apparently congregating in the Sound much further downstream judging from the concentration of boats he saw down there earlier in the morning. I'll have to get my partner to visit again once the Winter Run starts later this year. Saving the day was the Eagle we watched fly down river around 9:30 a.m.
Aug. 27, 1999
Thanks to: Kris "Ole" Olsen, Olsen's Guide Service
I just happened to read Mike Matesky's report dated for late July. The water he is referring to under the Hwy 2 bridge just east of Startup is the Wallace River. The salmon hatchery is located just upstream from this bridge, and those big rolling fish were hatchery chinook salmon. I would like to remind everyone that this area is currently closed to fishing, so consider yourself lucky Mike, for not getting ticketed! As for the other fellows Reiter report, what can you say? Our WDFW calls that a
recreational experience. I call it a major league cluster****. Anyways, looking forward to spanking some pinks soon, then heading south for some fabulous salmon
fishing in October! If anyone is interested, I Still have some great dates available for the Grays Harbor rivers this fall. Tight Lines!
Aug. 18, 1999
Thanks to: Rod Bush
Put in at the Cable hole this morning and it wasn't long before we were into our first smolt then another. So we decided not to use eggs and switch to plugs. Got a solid takedown in the wedding dock hole and landed a 7-lb. hen after a nice acrobatic show of over 5 triple summer salts. Nothing else the rest of the morning. Took out at noon.
Water is in excellent shape 5.5 high and 5 feet of vis. Was also at the Wallace hatchery yesterday clipping summer run steelies. They should be done by Friday with a total of about 200,000 ready to plant in May. Thanks to all of those volunteers that helped!!
Rod Bush
River Otter Guide Service
rvrotter@gte.net
Aug. 4, 1999
Thanks to: luong
Sam, my dog, wanted to sniff steelheaders at Reiter, so we went. It was sunny & a bit windy but aaAA.. life is good out there! After 5 hrs. of casting with sam-aromatic-gear, landed one 3-salt and two 2-salt. I am heading out there again today (8/5), Sam stay home boy!
Aug. 1, 1999
Thanks to: Chuck Davis
On Friday, July 30, my brother and I went to the cable hole on the Skykomish to do a little checking out of the river for the big Aug. 1 Reiter Ponds opening. After about an hour fishing, he nailed a freight train that took him 300 yards downstream. When he came back, he had a chrome bright 10 pound hatchery buck. Me, I fell in and all I caught was hypothermia. Saturday, same place, same result. My brother caught a nice 8 pound native which he released. Me, skunked again. Sunday: Reiter Ponds - the day and place of legends. We got to the river at 6:30 - too late. There were over 400 people already standing in the river shoulder to shoulder. We couldn't have squeezed in if we had tried. People got there at 6 AM and ran for their spots and then stood in the river for two hours. 8 AM - the whistle blows, and like a well choreographed musical 400 people cast as one. The water explodes with 20 or more first cast hook ups and five minutes later, nearly all of the fish are free. An hour and half later, the fish are spooked and scattered, there are only about a dozen on the bank and we leave, never having wet a line.
July 29, 1999
Thanks to: Mike Matesky
I went to fish the Skykomish this afternoon and hit a few spots. I had no luck at the public fishing boat launch east of Goldbar nor down Reiter Road. I started heading back and pulled off highway two to see what the water under the bridge (just east of Startup) was like. Within minutes I saw HUGE fish jumping just upstream from the bridge. It was getting dark but they looked like steelhead. I tried drifting shrimp, floating shrimp, floating eggs, and casting spoons but there was nothing I could do to entice these lunkers. They kept jumping out of the water (several of them) as if to remind me how big they were. Still no luck. Oh well. Maybe I'll head out again tomorrow.
July 19, 1999
Thanks to: Marc Le Poullouin
Guide Eli Rico really put me into some fish today. He took me to the Sky for the summer runs. I started off the day with a 12lb. hen on the line for about 10 minutes before she snapped my leader. I was getting anxious and increased the drag to get her closer to the boat. Mistake! Eli then hooked up a nice King which he released. I then casted into the same hole the hen was in and hooked into her mate. This time I was patient and landed the 8lb. buck after a nice battle. Eli has consistently put me in fish each time I go out with him, and I fully recommend going out with him. The number for his HotShot Guide Service is (206) 469-0567. Good luck to all.
July 5, 1999
Thanks to: Jeff
Floated the Skykomish from Sultan to Ben Howard and hooked 1 beautiful chromer summer run, also c&r'd a 6-7lb king, and lost another fish-a beauty day on the river. Isn't it wonderful that our State F&W want to close/disfund the hatchery? People should not be out there having fun. The money from our fishing licenses should be used for building better accomodations at our state prisons, not replenish a resource lost to man's distructive nature.
Mar. 28, 1999
Thanks to: Charlie Malmgren
Started out a bit late (7am) in Monroe, fishing one of the lower drifts. The early shift was already leaving without taking any fish. Having no luck either I headed up to Ben Howard to see how the boats had done. Talked to a couple of gear fishermen: One had picked up one (jig and float) and another had hit three (Plug, Float/Jig, Float/Jig). Finished the day up by Sultan with a small Native. The fish hit a black GP right at the end of the swing in some very soft water.
Mar. 14, 1999
Thanks to: Scott Smeltzer
We arrived at the Sky at 8:30 and fished from Sultan down to Ben Howard on foot without so much as a strike. WHAT AM I DOING WORNG? I am going on almost 2 years since I moved here and have yet to catch a fish. I have tried everything from the Sol Duc to the Yakima primarially with a fly but sometimes with gear. Any and all suggestions welcome.
Mar. 13, 1999
Thanks to: Anne W.
Booked a trip with Rod Bush and did a float from Sultan to Lewis Street. I figured that if I wanted to learn about the river and different techniques since I'm fairly new to the area, hiring an expert would be a worthwhile investment. I'd hooked a couple of steelhead from the bank before, but hadn't landed one. That changed on Saturday! There wasn't a lot of traffic on the river in the morning, so we were the first or second boat through the upper holes. The river had come up from Friday and it rained the better part of the day. We probably had about 3' of visibility in the river. The first takedown I was reeling like a mad woman, but the fish swam straight at the boat, flew up in the air and spit the hook out right next to us. Learned the lesson of too much slack in the line, although I don't know that any human on the planet could have reeled fast enough to fool that fish. Had another really, really hard takedown that bent the rod so far Rod was sure the fish was in the high teens, low 20's. It took a dive and snagged the line on something and broke off, much to my chagrin. Dreams of a fish like that will keep me going for a long time. Almost landed one that spit the hook out at the tailgrab for its photo opportunity - it fought like crazy, danced across the water, and I learned about keeping the rod tip in the water to keep the hook in. Landed my first fish and got its pic at the last hole before Lewis Street. What a rush! I had a great time, Rod taught me a lot and I'm completely hooked on steelheading. We're going to fish the Sauk in April.
Feb. 19, 1999
Thanks to: Jim Jones
Fished the Sky at Cracker Bar for a few hours this morning and had no luck. Tried drifting corkies and yarn with a sand shrimp, tried float and jig, tried float and sand shrimp even tossed a few Little Cleos in the water. Alas, no fish. Did see one roll at about 10:30 am. Only a few of us out there today, this weekday fishing is definitely the way to go!
Feb. 15, 1999
Thanks to: Rod Bush
Floated from Sultan to Lewis street today. Was able to pick up one fish weighing ten pounds. This is the great part! We had made it all the way down to Ben Howard without so much as a wiff. Then we saw it, a fish rolled against the rip rap wall. A steelhead I thought? So I kept the plug up tight to the wall and wham fish on! How often does that ever happen? With steelhead not very often! At least not for me.The water was a bit milky today with a lot of little stuff getting stuck on our plugs. The snow level must have rose. Heard of one other fish caught but it was tough fishing today. They're coming!
River Otter (Rod Bush) rvrotter@gte.net
Feb. 14, 1999
Thanks to: Lance Henie
Fished one of the main tributaries of the Sky on Sunday. Didn't find any bright, fresh natives, but managed to hook and land an 8 lb. hatchery buck on a pink/yellow Aero Fly. Also caught a beautiful 10-inch native rainbow (smolt?) on a big #5 spinner.
Feb. 6, 1999
Thanks to: Randy McCrory
It was wet and cold, but with the proper gear was bearable. I saw alot of guys out,
but no fish. I fished up and down the sky with flys and jigs with no luck. The river was
clearer than you would think, (with all the rain we have had). I don't think the native
steelhead were in today...Beter luck next time.
Feb. 3, 1999
Dear NWFISHING,I have been reading many reports on your page from anglers fishing from boats on the Sky above Sultan. You may want to post a warning... According to the regs, fishing from a floating device (ie a sled or driftboat) is currently not allowed upstream of Sultan!
When I first read this in September said "No Way!," but since I work near Mill Creek, I took my reg book up to the DFW office and asked for clarification... They confirmed to me that you can use your boat for transportation on the upper river, but that you can not fish from it! (No pulling plugs, backbouncing, boon-dogging...) According to what they told me, this new rule has been in effect since August 1, 1998, and will last until the season closes at the end of the winter Steelhead season. (This leaves June and July only to fish this stretch from your boat.
Personally, I hope I am wrong, and the DFW gave be a bad interpretation of this special reg, or that they have changed this regulation since I checked. Please let me know!
Regards,
Blake Barrow
(bbarro@corp.ATL.COM)
Blake,
Thanks for your letter. I will forward to Ken Elsea for his reply. He is very familiar with the current rules on the Sky and I would like to hear his opinion. I will make sure he copies you on his reply, thanks for keeping us informed.
-Dave
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David Weitl dweitl@nwfishing.com
Poulsbo, Washington WA Statewide Fishing Reports
http://www.nwfishing.com
Hi Dave,
Yes I know of the regulation on the Sky above the Sultan river. The reg's say no boat fishing allowed. We called Mill Creek in October and asked them about a misprint. They told us that it in fact it was a miss print and that you could fish above Sultan and fish from a boat or floating device.
The river above Sultan generally closes to fishing from a floating device either Feb 1 or March 1. The key lesson here is: if you call any of the Fish and Game offices it is very important that you write down the name of the officer. This is very important. Talk only to the people that write the tickets i.e.. the GAME AGENTS not the desk help. The people behind the desks that answer the phones can only interpret what is written and there decision or interpretation will not help you if the field officer does not agree with there interpretation. Although we know the office help is doing there best they are not the ones with the ticket books.
Write down the time and the a general idea of what you have discussed with the agent, and put the note in your wallet. Yes I know it is a pain in the butt, however it has helped me two times.
Remember, those of you that are reading this posting, it is still up to YOU to call the F&W offices to get the information straight from the horse's mouth.
Good luck,
Ken Elsea
Feb. 1, 1999
Thanks to: Ken Elsea
Although the rain has not stopped for a month, the Sky has stayed in surprisingly good condition. It is high but the river level has been very consistant. The river color is also very good for this time of the year.It seems that most of the fishermen are looking outside the door of there house and deciding that the Sky could not posibly be in shape and that means the river has been the private playground for those that have fished no matter the rain.
The river has been stingy about fish for the last week of January and the first week of February, but don't give up. It is time for the big boys to show in the the S-rivers, Skagit, Sauk, Stilly and the Skykomish. If you've ever wanted to feel a 20+ pound Steelie or should I say "Mr. Steelie", the next six weeks is historically the best time to do just that.
Remember, many of the rivers will go to SPECIAL REG'S on March 1st so don't get caught with bait in the boat or even scent.
For more information on how and where to catch a big Steelie or to book a guided Steelhead fishing trip, you can call me at 360-653-5924 or e-mail me at fishwash@firetrail.com.
Good luck, I'll see you on the river.
Jan. 9, 1999
Thanks to: Kerry Abercrombie
I thought it was about time I submit my own report, since I’ve been taking advantage of all the other ones on this great web site. On Saturday (1/9/99) at 7:30 am, we put my sled in at Monroe, and fished up river, way past Sultan. Water was in excellent shape, and there was no shortage of drift boats coming down the river. Three of us fought the rain and only were able to catch and release a single hatchery summer-run hen (about 10 pounds). When we pulled the boat out at 2:30 pm the fish counter had only recorded my fish and one other released native. This was out of over 50 boats! From what I could see the bank anglers were not doing any better. Don't be shy to submit your own report, this didn't hurt at all.
Jan. 3, 1999
Thanks to: Lonnie Baird
The Sky is in good shape right now, though cloudy with snow melt. I saw a lot of fish caught this morning,even got a small one myself. it was a summer run male, still good color, not too dark at all. His nose was worn down a bit and he was a hatchery fish so I kept him. I fished the highway 2 side at the hatchery hole and used a small winged corky with a little purple yarn under a float to keep it out of the snags.
Jan. 3, 1999
Thanks to: Doug Pearman
The morning was cold and foggy. There must have been 20 boats launching at Sultan. I walked down below the rip rap along the Cracker Bar and fished the tail out. For all of the cars in the parking lot, nobody else took the hike. I fished for about 2 hours before I got a take. Several jumps, runs, and serious shaking before I landed a 7 lb hatchery hen. Bright and chock full of eggs. I didn't see any other fish caught, but there was certainly plenty of pressure.
Jan. 2, 1999
Thanks to: Jeff
We put in at the High Bridge about 8:30 a.m.-batting clean up-again. Right off the bat a roller at my left oar put out the plugs and hooked a dolly. Headed down river and decided after I had enough rowing to anchor and toss drift gear, my buddy hooked his first steelhead--12 lb. chrome hatchery hen.Headed down river, pulled the boat over to bank fish a nice gravel bar, it looked like the right spot for bobber and jig. While tuning my bobber to the depth it swirled and disappeared, I set the hook thinking it still was not at the right depth, but this rock fought back-a 8lb. chrome hatchery hen. I was pumped.
We took out at the Gold Bar railroad take out, ya know where the "no trespassing" signs are that everyone has ignored for years? Well, Mr. Burlington Northern cop was there handing out warnings and letting guys know that there will be a gate next weekend. An end to an era, this whole stretch is non accessable to us from now on. It was a perfect little drift, not having to row out all the way to Sultan. Fisheries needs to purchase access between Gold Bar and Startup. Let 'em know if you want it.
For previous year's reports, click on Skykomish 98.
