WSFR Rivers Reports (Skykomish97) - http://www.nwfishing.com





	This page is the Archive Page for the Sky for calendar year 1997. If you are looking for the most current reports, please click on Skykomish 98. Originating from the North and South Fork, the Skykomish offers angling opportunities for winter and summer run steelhead, humpies (pinks), coho, chum, summer chinook, and searun cutthroat. Late November through mid February the Sky receives its bulk of hatchery fish, while February through the closure (April 30th) native steelhead are present in respectable numbers. Summer kings and native steelhead need to be released at all times. 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

	December 26, 1997 Thanks to Saul Bankaitis for the following report: Took a guided trip for the winter run steelhead on the day after Christmas. We put in on the Sky, but I'm not exactly sure where, as I'm new to the area and it was thick fog in the morning. The river was in great shape and the fog eventually cleared out. Unfortunately, the fishing never picked up. We worked many holes hard with plugs, "boon-doggin" with corkies and slinkies, and even trying eggs. Talked to about 40 fishermen that were all skunked as well. The fish are either late, or not coming. Took out just beyond crab bar and called it a day. We'll be back in February on the Sauk. December 24, 1997 Thanks to Shinji Unno for the following report: I threw Spey flies from 1 p.m. to dusk below Sultan on the Sky today. Nothing happened. I covered as much water as possible, but I did not see anything. Water was low and 38F with 3 feet visibility. The fishing condition was not bad. Simply there were not enough fish in the river for a bank fly fisher like me. I will try next week again. December 20, 1997 Thanks to Lonnie Baird for the following report: Tony and I fished the Sky Saturday morning from first light to about noon. We tried both sides of the hatchery hole, with the rain we had last week we were sure a bunch of fresh winter fish would be waiting for us but it looks like we were wrong! Only saw two rather small ones taken all morning, so I guess it's still a bit early yet. One thing for sure it was real cold, don't know what the water temp was but that might be a part of it, there just has to be fish there! We are going back at least a couple of times over the holiday break so will let you know how it goes. By the way, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all. December 20, 1997 Thanks to Rod Bush for the following report: I fished the Skykomish from Sultan to Ben Howard and didn't touch a fish all day. We didn't even talk to anyone with fish. The river was almost totally void of fisherman. The water was still a little high but dropping fast with 2 feet a visibility and getting better. Wish I could tell everyone something better! Maybe this weekend will kick out a few with better water conditions and of course more anglers. This should tell us how bad things really are. But, I would like to hear I was the only one! December 9, 1997 Thanks to Rod Bush for the following report: Fished today Dec. 9 on the Skykomish from Sultan down to Ben Howard. Didn't get started until 11:00am so we had to pass on some holes along the way. Fished mainly for steelhead but also later tried to find a chum, without success all afternoon. The water was slightly low and had three feet of visibility but I was liking the way it looked. Tried plugging and floating jigs in my favorite spots. They just aren't here yet. I have heard of a couple steelies getting caught here and there but fishing is poor!! Good time to get that Christmas shopping done!! November 29, 1997 Thanks to Lonnie Baird for the following report: The winter run is starting to show at Reiter Pond. I've seen several very nice bright fish in the last week or so. Tony, and I were up there today with great expectations because the river was in that perfect falling stage that always means steelhead!. We got there about 6am and were surprised at how many guy's had arrived before us. Lots of guy's were using drift gear and we saw four or five nice ones taken with it. I had on my float-n-jig, as usual, but couldn't touch a fish for most of two hours, Tony was going with the drift gear and he had not made contact either. After moving around a couple of times I finally caught a 28 inch, 8 lb... hen right in front of Tony. After taking a break I took over Tony's spot, just to save it, while he tied on a float-n-jig, you know how it is at the hatchery, if you step out of a spot someone is ready to move right in. Well, three short drift's later, BAM, a 31 inch, 9.5 lb... buck!. Sad to say Tony got skunked, :>( but there's always next weekend, Hey, I'm ready! November 27, 1997 Thanks to: Michael Carey Happy Thanksgiving to everyone, hope the day was full of family and good will! I tried to catch a few chums today, as is my annual tradition on Thanksgiving. Fished for a bit at the reformatory hole and up at the Lewis Street drift. I had not one hit and did not see a fish roll at either spot. I saw no one else with fish either. Rather disappointing, but still it was a pleasant morning to get out and the air had that fresh clean smell that we all enjoy. November 25, 1997 Thanks to Rod Bush for the following report: Fishing on the Skykomish is slow for Chums but there are a few fresh ones in after our recent rain spell. Managed to get my clients six fish today. We released two that had seen better days and kept four that were fresh from the salt. We got them on plugs and John's jigs in cherise under a float. Not many fish back yet I have a feeling that the high water we had a couple years ago took a toll on the eggs that were in the river at that time in 95'. Time will tell but it doesn't look promising for chums this year. Work the banks, current seams, and look for rolling fish to give away their hiding spot. Call me for more info or to book a trip. Good luck!!! Rod Bush) River Otter Guide Service (206)399-7145 or rvrotter@gte.net http://www.greatnw.com/riverotter November 17-18, 1997 Thanks to Rod Bush for the following report: Fished the Sky both Monday and Tuesday for chums. Monday we only caught two chums below Sultan both on plugs. Tried flyfishing for most the day without a bite Tuesday until we switched over to the kwick fish and then we nailed 5 and landed three chums and at the end of the day we caught one chrome bright silver of about 6lbs. with a jig and float combo. Not many chums in the system as of yet. The Wallace was totally silent without one splash or roll. The fish that had been in there have moved on. It's raining now and the river is on its way up and hopefully so are the chums and some early hatchery ironheads!! Anyone that mentions they saw this article and books a trip with me before the end of January will get $25.00 off the day's trip. Be specific about the fact that it was on this web site. (Rod Bush) River Otter Guide Service (206) 399-7145 or rvrotter@gte.net http://www.greatnw.com/riverotter November 7, 1997 Thanks to Lonnie Baird for the following report: The chums are showing all the way up to the Wallace. I went up last night after work and fished till dark. Lots of fish hooked, I had 5 on my self. The water level is way below average for this time of year and the weather is very warm too, I expect it to be colder and sometimes even snow when chums arrive, oh well, different year different deal. If you want to get a big chum on a fly now is a great time to do it. November 5, 1997 Thanks to Ken Elsea for the following report: The Skykomish is looking good for the weekend and there are a lot of fish that are bending rods throughout the system. There have been Chums weighed in at 22 pounds and several at 20. WOW! That's big for this early in the run. Drift fishing Chartreuse Aerofly's tipped with sand shrimp is a good bet and John's Jigs under a float will get a lot of attention. The river is full of Coho and Chums with a few Steelhead taking a hook. I'm going to be booking Salmon trips hard from the 10 of November through the second week in December and for any of you readers that mention the Washington Statewide Fishing Reports page, I'll give a $25.00 discount if you book for two or more people. BUT, you have to mention this web page to get the discount. This is the best time of the year for you fly fishermen to get onto the river. We have four species of fish in the river right now, Coho, Chums, late Summer Steelhead and Early Winter Steelhead, and that makes for a lot of success per cast. I use an 8 weight 9 foot rod with floating main line with 20 pound level leader (because of the TEETH). I tie a very simple fly that consists of a # 4 hook with two wraps of chartreuse chenille-it's simple and very effective. October 18-19, 1997 Thanks to Thomas Morimoto for the following report: I just want to let you know that the Skykomish River has been great at the Lewis St bridge. I went there18th & 19th of Oct. Both days were great I was plunking with salmon eggs and corkies with a 2/0 hook and 4ounce weight. Both days my friends and I limited out. The water level is real low so try to drift eggs or use a spinner such as vibrex, orange worked for me. The bite will slow down because they will be netting. So I would recommend going up river where the Sulton meets the Skykomish. They will be netting till 23rd of Oct. October 15, 1997 Thanks to Lonnie Baird for the following report: I almost hate to send this report so soon after the other one's but you guys should know that the Sky is Hot!, Hot!, Hot!. Well it has been for Tony and me anyway. I was up at Reiter on Wednesday the 15th, went right after work. I tried but just could not resist going back after last weekend. I arrived about 3:45pm and had a 31inch, 11lb hen on by 4:20pm. Saw two other fish taken but I left at 5pm. This will be the last fish I keep for awhile, I've got enough in the freezer now. It'll be catch and release till the winter run comes around, yes even hatchery stock, don't keep what you can't use that's my motto. I know there are a lot of guys catching fish right now steelhead and salmon both, how about sending in some reports? October 12, 1997 Thanks to Lonnie Baird for the following report: The alarm went off right at 6am, I think, I woke up at 6:28am. My son, Tony, was to arrive at about 6:30 so I was up and into my waders in record time!. We arrived at Reiter pond with high expectations and hope, we were not to be disappointed!. Tony was into his first fish within minutes of our arrival, I had not even finished attaching my own terminal gear yet! Of course the guys who were already there were a little shocked too. But wait there's more, after one of them helped net that one Tony stepped right back into the same spot and WHAM!, another one is on. He had his limit in less than 10 minutes, WOW, now the other guys were really shook! But wait there's more. I took the jig Tony had used, attached it to my line, stepped into the hot spot and ,yup you guessed it, first cast WHAM!, I had one on. All good things must end they say and this last fish spit the hook after I had played it only a few minutes. What a great and special day this was. Steelheading at it's very best and made even more so by the great group of guys who we shared the river with, who fished even harder after that, wouldn't you? October 11, 1997 Thanks to Lonnie Baird for the following report: The fishing or actually the catching, on the Sky has been very good lately. I was up there on Saturday the 12th and saw a number of fish taken. I even caught one myself. Most every type of gear was working but I will say that those guys who used floats and jigs were doing better than anyone else. Every time I've been up at the hatchery area lately I had the good fortune to run into some very nice people who were thoughtful and good mannered too. I even had one fisherman give me a new float, still in the package, after mine got tangled in his line just after he had hooked a nice steelhead right in front of me. I broke mine off so he would not lose a fish, just the right thing to do, I'm sure everyone who reads this would do the same but how many times has anyone offered to replace your gear?. I caught a 9lb/30inch buck that day and as usual it was a thrill, but so was knowing that, "some" fellow steelheaders are pretty good people. September 15, 1997 Thanks to Rod Bush for the following report: The fish are already showing all the way up into the Skykomish. The first hole below the 522 bridge has been good also. August 1, 1997 Thanks to Lonnie Baird for the following report: My son, Tony, and I took the day off from our respective jobs to make the opening day on the Skykomish and what a day it turned out to be. We arrived about 6am, found a spot, not many left, across from the hatchery and waited until the official start [time] of 8am. I wonder what the reason is for such a late start time?. Just more government control I guess, I mean what's wrong with a 6am start anyway? So at 8am everyone makes that long awaited cast and within seconds the first fish is on. As it turns out we picked a very good spot to fish from. We each hooked and played three fish, but land only one of them. Tony's 8lb hen is a very nice one though and we all enjoy it later that day with an outdoor barbecue. This was the best opening day we've ever had and we saw a lot of other happy anglers too. Even though Reiter can be like a three ring circus on opening day the reason is clear why, FISH ON ! August 3, 1997 Thanks to Jason Snyder for the following report: Fished the North Fork of the Skykomish for the elusive steelie. The river has dropped considerably and can be waded across if one is careful in choosing their spot. Visibility is nearly unlimited so wear your dull colored clothes. Saw one fish tail in a deep pool and blew a solid strike in the next pool downriver. A #8 Purple Peril was the fly of choice today. July 30, 1997 Thanks to Michael Thompson for the following report: Put in at the crack of dawn at high bridge, of course someone beat me to the launch so we waited a few minutes so they could get down the river. Bait divers, one with roe, one with shrimp was the plan for the day. 2 minutes after putting the bait in wham! a take down right at the launch. After about a 15 minute battle my friend brought in the biggest fish he had ever caught, a 20lbs. King. We revived it and headed down stream. No more strikes for the rest of the trip. The only fish caught that day were kings which must be released. It appears to be a bit slow for the summer runs. July 27, 1997 Thanks to Mike Rimkus for the following reports: It's been awhile since I checked in with a report because my timing was off with the weather. However, today it was just right. Put in at High Bridge at 4:45 am and you know I was not the first person to put a boat in. I was the 9th, and they were behind me as well. To make a long story short, the river was great, the sun was hot. We took out at 6:00 pm. My partner hooked an 8 lb hatchery on a fly in fast moving water. I got skunked and talked to some other boats. One fish was taken out of 5 boats. I should have been there last week! July 25-26, 1997 Thanks to Rod Bush for the following report: Fished the Skykomish on the 25th and 26th. The river is dropping down into nice shape. It won't be long before the fish start to stack up in the holes. I got one bright 8lb. steelhead the first day along with a chinook of around 15lbs that we released. Bait is the ticket on a size #2 hook with no cheater. The next day we hooked another steelhead that was around 9lbs. also bright and we lost another close to the boat. Remember to release all salmon and make sure the adipose fin is clipped on your steelhead before you bonk it! There are a lot of wild fish in the system right now. I saw two canoes with children in them and no life vests on. What are these people thinking? (Rod Bush) River Otter Guide Service (206) 399-7145 or rvrotter@gte.net http://www.greatnw.com/riverotter/ July 26, 1997 Thanks to Steve Thomas for the following report: Drifted the Sky with Mark Warnke from Sultan to Ben Howard, getting started about 5:30 a.m. Quite a few cars in the lot by 5:00. Landed a chrome bright 10lb. hatchery hen at Taylor Hole at about 8:30 a.m. My first steelhead, by the way, after 2 years of trying. Couldn't have been in the river too long, as the sea lice hadn't dropped off yet. Geez, I thought I was hooked on this fishery before, but now that I've landed one (I've lost a couple), I'm really jazzed. How am I ever going to convince my wife I need to get out MORE often?? On to a different subject, why isn't the Sky going to be open to humpy fishing this summer? I was checking the regs to see when it would open and couldn't find anything but the release requirements. I thought that was a substantial run every (odd) year? Are the returns dropping off that bad? Do they ever have supplemental fisheries? July 18, 1997 Thanks to Rod Bush for the following report: I fished the Skykomish yesterday the 18th from Gold Bar all the way to Ben Howard. We caught and released one Chinook that tested my client and my tackle for just under 60 minutes. I figure it weighed just about 30lbs. Talked to a few other boats and only heard of two steelhead caught. A 15lb. native and a 5lb. Hatchery steelhead. Rod Bush, guide July 17, 1997 Thanks to: Mike Carey I had the pleasure of spending the day with river with guide Rod Bush and fishing the Skykomish from the High Bridge to the take-out at Sultan. This was particularly nice because I'd never seen this stretch of the river and it is quite impressive. Looking back toward Index revealed Index mountain up close in all it's glory. The river itself was flowing clear and at a moderate height. Just right for fishing. It was a strange feeling though, as I have never fished for steelies in the summer, only during the winter season. Rod knows just about every nook and cranny that the fish hang out, and we did an excellent job of covering each hole. I learned a lot just seeing the water we fished and techniques we used. We cast shrimp, ran shrimp off of diving plugs, and ran plugs. Rod has a Lavro drift boat, very comfortable and safe. He tells me that for the more adventurous clients he will fish the stretch from above Reiter's on down. Now that's one drift trip I want to go on! We had two hook-ups during the day. One came on shrimp off a diving plug, and one came on a plug. We also had a couple taps that didn't hook up. Unfortunately, both fish came off. The first was hooked up against a brush pile, and I had to keep him from diving under the brush. The hook pulled out. On the second the hook also pulled out after a few moments of fight. Despite the lack of fish to take home, it was an excellent day on the water. I learned several new spots and techniques. Rod is quite friendly and easy-going as well as an outstanding guide. If you get the chance float the river with him, you won't be disappointed. July 2, 1997 Thanks to Rod Bush for the following report: Fished the Skykomish on July 2nd. Water visibility was around 4 feet and the river was flowing at about 6,500 cfs. It was at about 7.0 high. Everything pointed to a great day of fishing the sun was even out. Anyway we got our first take at Duffy creek which felt to be a steelhead but we lost it. We hit two other fish on plugs catching and releasing a 7 pound chinook, the other fish looked to be a chinook but got away. Sleds seemed to be doing well boondogging bait through the flats. The fish seem to be laying in the tailouts and on the gravel bars. (Rod Bush) River Otter Guide Service (206)399-7145 or rvrotter@gte.net http://www.greatnw.com/riverotter July 3, 1997 Thanks to Mike Thompson for the following report: Finally made my first summer run of the year down the Sky on July 3. The water was a nice color but the water level was still running high so the fish are scattered in a lot more places. We hit the water late, 7 a.m. on what would be a hot sunny day. I tried a new bait diver rig using a red maribou aero fly, double #2 hooks and a bit of roe. It had great action and within 5 minutes we had our first fish to the net. A small summer run native, which I immediately released. Many of my friends have been catching and releasing a number of summer run natives this year. Pulled plugs through some of my favorite holes, but knew I was fighting a rising sun. We had one more quick strike on the Aerofly and that was it for the day. We did see one salmon roll, so, some catch and release action should be starting up soon. There is a new put in and take out at Gold Bar across the street from the Taco Bell. (unimproved of course) so don't get stuck! The bite has been early according to my fishing buddies. If anyone has suggestions on hot day steelhead fishing on Sky let me know. Skykomish River Reg's Take 6 Thanks to Bud for the following report: I would like to also respond to Steve and to other anglers. My name is BUD, my wife happened to open our [Internet?] account. I have not checked this page for awile. I phoned Mill Creek WDFW to verify the fishing regs. I spoke with a women that was supposedly an authority on the SKY. She confirmed what Rollie, Kent, Anthony and myself had read from the regs--also-- thank you guys for the support. I am not mad at STEVE, HE WAS CONCERNED! I wasn't going to write, it looked like all was settled and people had cooled off. I stopped by my local tackle shop to visit and learned that people were catching fish on the Sky. "I thought it was closed until June," I said? This fella tells me its open to catch and release only by drift boat and of course selective fishing regs, and no power boats with fishing tackle on board, may scare the fish on their beds. Say what? I and the gal from WDFW MUST BE CONFUSED she tells me that it is open for Rainbow trout, and Sturgeon only not STEELHEAD after Feb 28th below Sultan and March 31 above the Sultan River. If someone understands the regs differently please write in. I am not looking to start a war with anyone so please no personal attacks. This question will really upset some folks, I find it very interesting that some fisherpeople will not say hello back, or acknowledge a friendly wave. I'm the fella that will wave or say howdy or help you in if your broke down or tell you where there biting if I know. Lord knows I can't get them to bite very often. What I'm trying to say with all this babble is I try to be a decent sportsman whether I'm fishing or hunting. The rest of my question is if the river is indeed closed why do people go fish for Steelhead? How well does a fish "do its thing" with a sore mouth at best or worse if hooked deep. It makes little sense to me. I thought this time of year the winter run was going to mate up an spawn thus maybe we will have some in a few years? This is a good time of year to fix equipment or go chase lake trout. Try Lake Roosevelt the Kokanee are fun an run an avg. of 5 pounds, plus the lake is so large there's plenty of room to put around. I'm no purist by any means if I catch a hatchery fish and its not all spawned out it goes in the fish box. I would never keep a native even if I was on a river where it was legal to, darn few are coming home these days and the nets are not helping. Well hope to see a few of you in June when it opens again, I'll be the fella saying hello an most likely haven't seen a fish all day. April 15, 1997 Thanks to Rod Bush for the following report: Fished the Skykomish April 15th. Got a late start today didn't put in until 9:00am. Water visibility was at about 3 feet and up a little from last week about a foot I would guess just at the bottom of the ramp at Ben Howard launch. We had our first take down in Taylor only to miss it! Our next shot came in Ellwell and we managed to land this one, a buck around 10lbs. Saw another seal in the afternoon hole, have yet to catch a fish out of the same hole that I see a seal in. Boy, I wonder why?? River Otter Guide Service 206)399-7145 or rvrotter@gte.net April 14, 1997 Thanks to Steve Del Fante for the following report: Hit the lower Sky near Monroe at about 7:30 a.m. today, and it wasn't long before I found what I was after. Drifting a peach corky and yarn I was first fooled by an ugly whitefish. A few casts later I tied into a bright Steelie of about 10 lbs. This hen didn't really fight as hard as one might expect, that is until she was close enough to get a look at me. Then she took the first of 2 line-stripping, drag-burning runs. After about a 7-8 minute fight she was carefully released, and she bolted for the seam from where she had hit my gear. Not quite as big as last week's fish, but a lot of fun all the same. I missed a couple other bites, but I'd say it was a pretty good morning, considering I was on the river for only about 2 1/2 hours. Water clarity was about 3 ft. with on and off drizzle and a slight breeze. It would seem that there are a few more fish in the river now than a couple weeks ago. Let's hope that that wayward Seal doesn't munch too many of them down. April 9, 1997 Thanks to Rod Bush for the following report: Fished the Skykomish April 9th and the visibility had cleared up to just over 3 feet now. The height was at 5.4 and flowing at 2,990 cfs. We started off good, hitting one just below Sultan. The fish managed to shake the hook when it came flying out of the water to show us what we had just missed catching. As we rounded the corner to fish Taylor hole I saw a fish roll and thought, Yea, they're in here. But to my surprise up popped a seal that's all the way up there. I have only seen this phenomenon one other time about seven years ago in Sultan. Needless to say we didn't touch a fish in Taylor. The boat behind us later reported having seen this seal with a fish in its mouth. You have to admit it would take a lot of determination to get through all the shallow water down below this hole. But that doesn't change how I feel about them being in the river #@$@#$$%*#!!!!!!!! We hit one more in Ewell but lost it also and that was it. What a change from the day before! Maybe the seal???? April 8, 1997 Thanks to Rod Bush for the following report: Fished the Skykomish River today, Tuesday, from Sultan down to Ben Howard. Water visibility was about 2.5 feet. The river was flowing at 2960 cubic feet a second and the height was at 5.38. My clients got a shot a six fish and landed four of them the biggest being a chrome bright buck weighing in at 13.5 lbs. length was 37 inches by 17 inch girth. They where caught on chrome plugs. There was a very high tide last night that might have moved some fish into the system. Good luck! River Otter Guide Service (206)399-7145 or rvrotter@gte.net Sultan River - April 8, 1997 (a.k.a. Reg's debate - take 5) Thanks to Rollie for the following comments: I'm responding to Steve's comment's on illegal bait fishing on the Skykomish River. I was fishing March 8th between Sultan & the high bridge, according to the regulations that section of river is open to bait fishing and wild steelhead release. I just wanted to let everyone know that I was not fishing illegally and I am not a poacher. I am a law abiding citizen. I released the fish carefully without a net and I felt it had a good chance of survival. I agree that fishing with artificial lures is probably safer, but until the regulations are changed I will continue to use legal practices in my fishing. If you can get the laws changed I will abide by it. As for the lady who wished the wild fish had been a hatchery fish, I don't think there was any sin in that. Editor's note: Thanks to everyone for the replies. I think we all are learning from these posts. I'm encouraged with the interest every one has shown. Mike Carey* April 5, 1997 Thanks to Steve Del Fante for the following report: Wow! Did I ever screw up. I checked this website today, for the 1st time in a week or so, only to find that I've caused quite a stir with my recent regulations comments. First off, I think an apology is in order for Rollie and Polly. They apparently were indeed fishing legally. My references to regulations pertained to the Sky below the Sultan, and Rollie and Polly were both apparently fishing above the Sultan. I take full responsibility for my error. I also take full responsibility for the gorgeous 12 lb. chromer I caught and released last Saturday. He shot out of the river like a sub-launched ICBM. Put up at least a 10 minute battle before he was safely released. The lower Sky was just clear enough (about 2 1/2 ft. vis.), for him to see my corky and yarn. Lotsa' fun. I actually got checked by a fish-cop too! (How rare.) OK, did Rollie and Polly send him my way? Anyway, this whole thing may have provided some of us, (at least myself),with the incentive to keep re-checking the Regs, and that may be a good thing. And it at least provided the silent readers with a few sparks to be entertained by. May smoke pour from our drags. Editor's Note: We've been getting some great reports on nice natives being caught the last week or two on the Sky. If you get the chance give them a try, sounds like pretty decent fishing. Just to catch one of these chrome beauties sounds neat, plus, you don't have to worry about the line freezing to your rod guides! - Mike April 5, 1997 Thanks to Steve Thomas for the following report: Fished the Sky off the Cracker Bar at Sultan on Sunday, the 5th. Walked the length of the bar once with an Aero fly, then once again with a corky. Eventually went back up and tried a chartreuse #5 Blue Fox and hooked the second winter fish of my life, same result as the first........ Just about ripped the rod from my hands, I backed off on the drag out of panic, it took 30 feet of line in about 3 seconds, and turned towards me. No need to go any further, is there? I've never landed a steelhead, but I've landed a few dozen coho out of the salt water, and it put any 12lb. hook nose to shame. Of course, having it hit my spinner with only about 25 feet of line in the water only adds to the challenge. Still raises the hair on the back of my neck thinking about it. I really need to hook a nice 5 lb. summer run fish to get some experience, wouldn't you say? I watched the legal debate with interest, as I was fishing the top end of the bar (above the Sultan) March 28th, for a while with bait, and was sure I was legal. The first few articles scared the hell out of me. Glad to hear I was on the up and up. Hopefully I'll have a success story by the end of the summer, if not by the end of this month....... Reg's debate - take 4 Thanks to Kent Alger for the following comments: WRITING IN REGARDS TO STEVE DEL FANTES COMMENTS IN THE SKYKOMISH COLUMN, STEVE COMMENTS ON ANGLERS USING BAIT ON THE SKY AFTER MARCH 1ST IS ILLEGAL. DID THESE PERSONS SAY IF THEY WERE FISHING ABOVE OR BELOW THE CONFLUENCE OF THE SULTAN RIVER? THERE IS NO BAIT BAN ABOVE THE SULTAN DURING MARCH ONLY BELOW. PLEASE ADVISE READERS OF THIS. I KNOW THIS IS AFTER THE UPPER RIVER IS CLOSED COMPLETELY NOW, BUT FOR FUTURE REFERENCE. THANK YOU. Editor's Comment: I have received several comments regarding the Sultan posting, as well as comments about use of scent. As I previously commented, I regret not researching the reg's prior to posting Steve's comments. It does point to the confusion that occurs with multiple rules and regulations on our rivers, lakes, and saltwater. Anyone going fishing needs to be very clear on the specific reg's for that body of water he/she is fishing. Never rely on what someone says or writes as the final authority - always consult the fishing regulations. Mike Carey - Seattle Area Editor You might also want to consult your attorney-in fact-you might be better off if you take an attorney with you every time you fish in waters around Washington. Dave Weitl - Statewide Editor April 3, 1997 Thanks to Shinji Unno for the following report: On April 3, 1997, I fished near Monroe on the Sky and caught a 30 inch hen. I began fishing at 5:40 a.m. My thermometer showed lower 40's both in air and water. It was cloudy with occasional showers. The water level was right on average for this time of year. I could see my fly through about 30 inches of water. After carefully swinging my own spey pattern tied on #2 Partridge salmon hook for about 20 minutes going down the head of the pool, the fish took the fly so confidently that I was able to hook it just by softly raising my 15-foot spey rod. I beached it rather easily although it might have taken me five minutes. I must have hooked the fish as soon as it took the fly because the hook was set right in the middle of the tip of upper jaw. The fish was bright although it was not silver. It disappeared into the current quickly as I released it. I thanked the fish. I offered the man who had been watching me land the fish to take the head of the run. I went to the gut of the run and fished for a little more than an hour but got nothing. He did not seem to have caught any fish, either. It was my first winter steelhead. It took me about 18 hours of fishing. Eighteen hours may not sound much, but I had taken 6 trips to the Sky since January. I wish I could fish more than 3 hours per trip. Actually, it is better than my first summer steelhead; for it took me more than 40 hours in ten trips last summer after taking up fly fishing in July. Am I getting better? Well, at least, I now feel vaguely I know what I'm doing. I'll be back to the Sky next week. Skykomish River Reg's debate - take 3 Thanks to Anthony Gades for the following comments: I did not get a response when I initially emailed this letter, so I am trying again. In summary, I suggest you consult the 1996 Regulations book before you go public with any commentary on regulations. Pursuant to the letter from "Steve Del Fonte" and your follow-up: 1) Regulations from the Sultan to the Forks are NOT C&R, no bait from 1-31 March. This only applies below the Sultan. For the month of April, this section (sultan-forks) is closed and only below the Sultan is open. While it was difficult to determine from the rather cryptic message, it would seem that "Polly Blanchard" was in fact fishing ABOVE the Sultan, not below. Thus the letter by "Steve Del Fonte" and your follow-up are in error. It is both legal to fish bait AND to retain a hatchery fish for the month of March on the Sky above the Sultan and below the Forks. Please remove these messages. 2) Your follow-up note "I would include use of scents to the no bait rule as well" Implies that using scents it isn't already against the law. According to the regulations, bait is already defined as anything which uses scent (specifically including oils etc). It is not just up to you to include scents in the definition of bait - it is the LAW wherever baits are prohibited. As a flyfisher, I'd like to see all the bait fishing for these wild fish eliminated (including the LEGAL sections the Sno, Sky and Stilly). I share your concerns for the wild fish, but nothing is accomplished by your inaccurate information. April 4, 1997 Thanks to Keith McDonald for the following report: I fished the Sky from Two Bit down to Ben Howard. Dad two takedowns early on but no solid hookups on our plugs. Gorgeous day to be out on the boat. Eagles and pintails were around to keep us company. Other guys at the ramp had one on and lost it. April 4, 1997 Thanks to Rod Bush for the following report: Fished the Skykomish on April 4, from Sultan to Ben Howard. Weather was clear; a little breezy. Water visibility was about two feet and a little on the high side. My client's son, a 16yr old on his birthday none the less caught, photographed, and released a nice buck that measured out at 40 inches long by 20 inches of girth. Length times girth squared divided by .775 equals 20.6 lbs. not bad for a kid who's biggest fish to date had been a 14 inch trout. Talked to several other boats and it seemed that it was our lucky day nobody had touched another fish. Either did we after that first one. River Otter Guide Service (206) 399-7145 or rvrotter@gte.net March 24, 1997 Thanks to Steve for the following comments: As a regular Skykomish Steelheader, I'd like to comment on 2 recent reports, which have caused me a great deal of concern. One writer, on March 14th, wrote that she was using bait (eggs) while on the Sky. As most locals know, as of March 1st of every year, bait is illegal on the Sky. The writer also wishes her fish was a hatchery fish. Hatchery or not, it's all catch and release from at least March 1st through June 1st. Another angler wrote that he was using bait and diver. Again this is illegal, and more importantly, all the above practices are too much of a threat to this great and fragile run of wild late-winter Steelhead we have on the Sky. There is far too much poaching going on in our state, and it is up to all of us conscientious Steelheaders to protect these beautiful fish for the future. I'm almost certain that these anglers were unaware of these regulations, or they wouldn't have mentioned these violations in their reports. My only concern here is for the welfare of the wild run Steelhead. Mike, would please remind your readers of these regulations, and more importantly, of how essential they are to the survival of our wild Steelhead. Thank-you, and may we all catch and release a big wild thang. Steve Del Fante Editor's Note: Steve's comments are right on the money. We need to preserve what little wild fish are left. I would include use of scents to the no bait rule as well. Mike Carey March 14, 1997 Thanks to Polly Blanchard for the following report: Upper Sky from Sultan Launch to clay bank where new home is. Awesome day with 4 ft. of visibility - sunny with no clouds, no rain for two days. First trip on this section of river - lots of chutes to navigate to get up river - not for the beginner jet boat captain. Drifted bait most all morning - no action. Spoke with a guide I know, he had two fish after six hours. I went to plugs and hooked a nice native buck approx. 30". Put him back as quickly as I could as he put up quite a show and was tired, we dropped the pick and revived him. Wish it had been a hatchery fish - it sure was a beautiful fish. We had some other bumps on eggs but no more hookups. P.S. Watch that third left coming back down, hit my sjet shoe on a rock just right and exploded it, that was an expensive day, that's fishing. Good luck to all. March 8, 1997 Thanks to Rollie Bock for the following report: Drifted the Sky from high bridge to Sultan. The river was in great shape. I landed a chrome bright native buck 16 to 18 lbs. on a bait and diver rig. Released the fish and that was it for the day. Catching a nice one like that was worth the trip though. The 4 or 5 other boats had each hooked at least one. March 5, 1997 Thanks to Beeman QH for the following report: Drifted the Sky on March 5, 1997 and hit 4 Steelhead. Two of which were downriver Hatchery fish (both hens 31" and 32"), a 34" native buck and a 33" Native Buck. The river was in great shape and the fish were abundant if you knew where to look. Try using plugs or Aero Flys. Scott Fierst at Drifting Fly Guide Service, (206) 609-5327 or Toll Free at (888) 204-5327. February 28, 1997 Thanks to Rod Bush for the following report: Fished the Skykomish River on Feb 28, caught one beautiful chrome hen about 15 lbs. with a shrimp on a 1/0 hook under a balsa float. The fish was caught and released by my client up from California. Water visibility was at around 4 feet and the weather was great in the morning but had started to rain by afternoon. The fish checker had only counted four other fish that day. Fished from Sultan to Ben Howard. River Otter Guide Service (206)399-7145 February 16, 1997 Thanks to Doug Peterson for the following report: To cut to the chase, I hired a guide for the day and I didn't get a bite! I went on Sunday, Feb. 16 after it had rained quite a bit on Thurs. and Fri. so the main Skykomish was blown out. Too bad. I had reserved this trip a month in advance and was just hoping the conditions would be OK for fishing. Our guide took us to the Sultan (6 miles east of Monroe on rt. 2) because it remains at a fairly predictable level even when the larger Sky is running high. There was only one fish caught all day (9 pound hatchery fish) and it was from a guy using silver flatfish plugs while 'trolling.' (Very Boring!) I fly fished my heart out using skunks, green but skunks, skykomish sunrise, polar shrimp, egg sucking leaches, and other will known colorful steelhead patterns. Not a bite. Fortunately, the weather was incredible (high 50's with no wind) and overall, the day was enjoyable. Maybe that's why the fish had lock jaw. My guide was Scott Fierst (1-888-204-5327) and even though he didn't put us on the fish that day, he was pleasant, knowledgeable, and a good conversationalist and he kept me fishing hard all day long from sun up to sun down. My partner did land a small wild steelhead/rainbow but because it was only about 10 inches, it didn't really count. Ha, ha, ha. It did give us hope and confidence in knowing that we were using the right flies. Maybe next time I'll find that 20 pounder! I should probably have taken some good advise and used sink tip line with a short leader. I used a floating line with a 10 ft long, sinking lead core leader and eventually went to a short (3-4 ft) 10lb test tippet with a split shot to get my fly to the bottom. It would have been a lot easier with a sinking line. I did notice that there is quite a bit of bank access, either for the Sky or for Sultan and next time I would probably save my money on a guide and just hit a few bank spots. It was very nice to have drifted a large section first however, in order to get a feel for the river. A word to the wise: Although this is the beginning of prime steelhead fishing on the Skykomish and Sultan, it's still a challenge to hook up on the fly. It may take a very long time and many, many trips in order to get one. I'm simply a beginner but I'll be out there again and again until I get one. After my first experience, I know what I'm up against. Thanks for reading, and as always, I'd like to direct you to my page about STRIPPING GUARDS: http://www.ncw.net/~peterson/strippin.htm They were certainly useful to me while stripping hard for those big Skykomish steelhead. February 11, 1997 Thanks to Steve Del Fante for the following report: I hit the lower Sky near Monroe early today but found no takers. The water was in excellent shape, with that killer green tint and about 3-4 ft. visibility. However, the only Steelie I saw was one which surfaced 2 ft. in front of me. Of the 4 guys fishing nearby I saw no Steelhead even hooked. It still is early for the big wild fish I'm after, but I just had to give it a try. There still are quite a few Eagles flying about though. Can't wait 'till March. January 29, 1997 Thanks to Mike Rimkus for the following report: The river has dropped and they're still catching fish at Reiter Ponds [cable hole]. A good friend Tim Gorman has got 2, one 5 lbs. and one 7lbs. this week and he wonders why I keep telling him how hard it is to catch one. All I know is: my luck better turn around. January 27, 1997 Thanks to Rgrtht007@aol.com for the following report: Hi Dave, I floated the sky yesterday. I launched at the 2 bit hole and took out at Lewis St. We were able to catch one lonely steelhead for the whole day. We caught it just below Elwell Creek, at about 9:00 thought it was going to be a great day, but that was it. The river was in prime shape. Oh, the fish was a 7 lb. hatchery fish, kinda dark. Until next time... January 25, 1997 Thanks to RMSTLHDR for the following report: Just wanted to let you know I was on the Sky yesterday and so it seemed was everyone else. I was up on two-bit and the hole just above it and there seemed to be a constant stream of boats. There were quite a few bank fisherman also. The river was in great shape. Good visibility. I didn't manage to catch anything myself but I did see a young guy just across from me break one off. It was probably just due to his inexperience because I could hear his partners telling him to let the fish run but he just stood up in the boat and clamped down on the reel. And that was that. I did see one other guy carrying a nice bright fish down the beach as I was headed back to my truck. It looked to be about a 12 pounder. All in all it was a pretty good day. A little on the cold side what with ice in my guides early in the day (makes it tough to shoot any line) but as the day wore on it warmed up a little. Here's wishing you tight lines. Reiter Ponds - January 23, 1997 Thanks to Ken Clausenfor the following report: Fished Reiter Ponds last Thursday. We arrived about 1PM (too late, as usual). At least 18 fish had already been caught that morning. My freind and I drifted Aeroflys and Spin-N-Glows until 5PM without a hit. There were another four or five fish caught in that period. Weather was overcast. Water was clear with about four foot visibility. Talked to a friend who went there on Friday - only three fish caught all morning. January 17, 1997 Thanks to L. Baird for the following report: Taking the day off from work, I headed up to the Sky from my home in S. Everett. The winds and rain increased steadily as I passed through Sultan and Gold Bar on the way to Reiter Ponds. There were only five other vehicles in the parking area when I arrived at 6:40am, that alone was pretty unusual but so was the rest of the day as it progressed. A fish of about 6lbs was just being landed a few feet from the hatchery outlet when I got to the river, a good sign, or so I thought at the time. The winds and rain blew harder and harder, the water was running about 2,800ft per min and rising, visibility only 6 or 7 inches. It felt colder by the minute and after two and a half hours with no other fish being caught by anyone I decided to head back to my car for coffee and the comfort of the heater. My next stop was the boat launch at Sultan. This spot has saved the day for me more than once, but it offered no saving moment this day. I fished right at the ramp for awhile and then headed down river toward the big snag hole, at least it was warmer here but the water was still rising fast and visibility continued to drop. I passed a guy carrying out a two fish limit!, a GOOD sign, or so I thought. I watched as a pair of eagles played tag along the tree tops with the remains of a scavenged chum salmon but the truth is I caught no fish and saw none caught the rest of the day, not even by the guy's who worked a drift boat right through the holding water at the snag hole, tired, WET and hungry I headed home, but hey!, it was better than being at work. January 11, 1997 Thanks to W.B. Stuller for the following report: As I scrutinized the container of sandshrimp that I was about to purchase, the proprietor of my local bait and tackle shop brightly exclaimed that the river was full of fish, and what's more, these same fish were being caught. This latter bit of information is important, of course, as I find it difficult to believe in the existence of fish I cannot readily see (by simply believing that there are no fish to catch, I can explain away my incompetence at catching them). I embarked on my Saturday fishing trip expecting at least to see fish being caught, most likely while I frantically changed gear to duplicate whatever the successful person was using. Such, however, was not the case. As my father-in-law and I walked towards the section of the bank we fish, I noticed the river was still up a bit, somewhat above what I would suppose to be ideal conditions. Aside from this, the water was virtually crystal clear, skies were a low overcast, and most important of all, it wasn't raining. I eagerly baited up and casted out. And, it wasn't long before I found myself snagged fast (the first of many times). I casted and casted, and casted again, suspiciously eyeing the occasional boat anglers and fishermen on the adjacent bank, waiting to see them fight the fish that were there (I still had that grain of faith). As the hours slipped by, I became skeptical and even asked some boat anglers if they'd had any luck. They hadn't. In fact they hadn't seen anything caught either. On our way out we talked to some fishermen downriver from us who glumly shrugged and stepped from their warming fire only long enough to describe what we'd already seen for ourselves. I'm not sure, but I thought I heard someone mumble that the fish just weren't there yet. Editor's Note: It appears that this weekend was not too hot in the Seattle region. I do wonder where all those winter-run steelies are. Mike Carey, Editor, Seattle Steelhead/Salmon Page January 11, 1997 Thanks to: Mike Carey Some days are for catching fish and some days are for enjoying boat rides. A lot of Skykomish River anglers had nice boat rides today, but few brought home any fish for dinner. My friend and I launched at Sultan at 7am and worked our way down to Monroe by 12:45. We fished both plugs and side drifting eggs and/or corkies. The water conditions actually were pretty good, with a couple feet of visibility and the river flow at it's lowest in four days. Sad to say, we saw only one fish caught (by a plunker) and talked to no one who had so much as a bump. We had nothing touch our gear all day. I was a little surprised since all the factors you would expect to point to good fishing were in place. Oh well, so it goes. January 11, 1997 Thanks to Rimkus for the following report: Jan. 11 will go down as cabin fever day on the Sky. I have never seen so many boats on the river. I mean there were drift boats everywhere. I know why I was out there. I just had my knee worked on and I've been home for 3 months. Anyway, the weather was foggy and about 40 degrees. We put in at the 2-Bit Hole. It was dirty and high and moving very fast. Still out of all the boats someone hooked a summer steelhead about 12lbs. I think Sunday would be better with the cold weather coming in. Jan 5, 1997 Thanks to Chuck Davis for the following report: Fished Ben Howard boat launch Sun. 1/5. River was still a little high, but good color. No fish. No fish at Lewis St. bridge; no fish at reformatory. Maybe everything was up at Rieter Ponds - haven't heard a report from there. Editor's note: By this weekend I would hope that the rivers are in good shape and full of fish. Stay tuned... Mike Carey, editor - Seattle Region Steelhead/Salmon