Captain Mike’s Guide To Beating The Cold

October 16, 2018October 15, 2018 / Captain Justin / 2 Comments

Captain Mike’s Guide To Beating The Cold

(A brief note from Captain Justin: Captain Mike sent me this a bit ago and I have postponed posting this for when it gets cold. Now as it gets cooler I thought it would be more appropriate. I don’t think there is a more qualified human being than Mike to do this. Thanks man! You are one of the best humans, fishing guides, and writers I know.

Your Wet You Don’t Have To be Cold

Raise your hand if you like to be cold.

(Brief scuffle ensues.)

Alright, now that the one madman is out of the room, we can have a reasonable conversation.

Reasonable is probably a relative term; I hate being cold. I loathe it. I would rather be waterboarded…

OK, that’s too far. (Also, I imagine any torturer worth their golf-cart battery would use ice-cold water.) But yeah, I really do not like to be cold. That being the truth, I have also spent 40+ years (20+ of those years professionally) pursuing sports which require frequent wettings, often in less than warm conditions. I have swum out of whitewater rafts in November and once guided West Virginia’s New River Gorge on a day when the high was 17°F. Was I chilly? Yes. Did I call off the day because it was cold? No, because I know how to dress so to be relatively comfortable in the wet and cold. OK, yes, also because it was February and I really needed a paycheck after starving through the winter… but that’s beside the point.

We Fish In Cold Water:

Individual bravado aside, here in the Pacific Northwest we fish in cold water, often with more cold water hanging in the air or falling from the sky. Perversely, those latter conditions can make for better fishing than we might find on a bright bluebird day. So we don’t get rained out; when we wake in the morning and see those clouds and wet air rolling in, we smile and our hopes begin to rise.

But then we walk outside and remember: It sucks to be cold.

It’s even worse to be wet and cold. Unfortunately, clambering through wet second-growth to get to a trout stream or chasing cutthroat from a boat in the driving rain means wet, or at least damp, is inevitable.

So, what’s the answer?

Step 1: Stay home on less-than-ideal-conditions days.

Just kidding, just kidding…

The real answer: Accept the inevitable, prepare, and remember that being wet does not mean that you have to be cold.

Eat right and stay hydrated:

(Disclaimer: Few reputable nutritionists would recommend as a daily diet the plan I’m about to lay out.)

Start with breakfast. Hell, start with dinner the night before. Make sure the engine of your metabolism has the fuel it needs to burn warming calories all day. A lot of carbohydrates, fat, and protein. Maybe twice what you would eat in a normal meal.

Drink water. Drink water before, during, and after your meal(s) and while you’re on the water. Without this step, all that food is just going to sit. Give your body the fluid volume it needs to carry all those calories and nutrients you’ve consumed.

Dress in layers and NO COTTON:

Old news, I’m aware, but news I see ignored on a daily basis. Cotton absorbs and holds more water than your body can effectively heat. And your goose-down jacket, when it gets wet, is going to lose loft, effectively negating its ability to keep you warm. It is the 21^st century, though, so you have a ton of clothing fabric options that will retain heat when wet. Most of these are the newer synthetics, but there are a couple natural fibers that will also serve. Just, again, NO COTTON!

Think of your clothing as a capsule. The idea is to hold warm air in a bubble around your body while limiting the amount of moisture against your skin. If you can do that, even if you’re wet, you will stay warm.

Take a good look at the weather (both current and forecasted). The clothes you pick for that day should require no more than three layers, not counting rain gear. Fewer layers mean fewer options for regulating your temperature. More layers means… We all saw A Christmas Story, right? If you can’t put your arms down, how will you double-haul?

Example 1:

OK, so the forecast for the day is a high of 50°F, rain, no sun, and when you wake up at 4:00AM it’s 40°F with heavy fog. Time to lay out your clothes.

Your three layers consist of base, mid, and outer.

Base:

Your base should be tight to your body and of a material that will wick moisture away from your skin. This is where those natural fibers really shine: I like both Smartwool and silk. They’re both stretchy, very warm, and comfortable against the skin. There are also many synthetic choices of base layer. These have all the best properties of Smartwool and silk, but they also share one serious flaw: They retain, and maybe even magnify, smell. Just something to keep in mind for that end-of-the-day stop at the local eatery. Whichever you choose, make sure to tuck your shirt into your long underwear when you dress. Skipping this step will mean lost heat every time you bend over.

Mid:

The mid-layer should be tight but a little less-form fitting than your base. On the upper half, this is the layer on which I like to have a hood. Also, if the day warms, this is often the layer you end up wearing as the outer-most layer, so consider a fabric with some wind stopping ability.

Outer:

The outer layer is the big warm air reservoir. Patagonia’s Nano jackets and pants come to mind. When you are first trying on this layer at the store, make sure it fits properly over the layers you plan to put underneath. Too tight, you’ll actually squeeze out some of that warm air; too loose and you will get too much air movement, like a drafty house.

Typically, on a day like I’ve described above, I would wear two layers on the bottom (long underwear and my Patagonia Shelled Insulator pants) and three layers on the top (long-sleeve undershirt, medium-weight hoodie, and a synthetic-down jacket). My rain bibs would go under my outer jacket; my rain jacket would top everything. If I was stream fishing, the outer jacket would go inside my waders to avoid it getting soaked if I waded deep. Then my rain Jacket over everything.

Ultimately, what you want is to be able to regulate your temperature by adding or losing layers. With that in mind…

You Do Not Want To Sweat!

Go back and read that line again, it’s important. What is the purpose of sweating? To cool us. If you dress so warmly that you sweat, you will eventually get cold. This is more a concern when stream fishing, where the day often starts with a hike to the river. On these days, you should be almost cold when you start out; you’ll warm as you walk. If you get out of the guide’s truck and feel comfortable standing there at the trailhead, shed a layer or two.

It’s a different story on the boat. Running in an open boat at 35mph creates a 35mph wind. If you are comfortable when the boat is sitting still, the wind chill is going to make you cold once the throttle is wide open. I often find that the best answer to this is just adding my rain jacket over the clothes I’m already wearing. This creates an effective wind block and lets my clothing hold onto the air that my body worked so hard to warm.

As to that raingear… Jacket over bibs or waders. This is the layer that keeps us from getting soaked by cold rain or melting snow. It is also the outer layer of our warm-air bubble. A breathable, waterproof, (Gore-Tex, etc.) fabric keeps the rain off while also letting out the steam made by our working bodies. Nylon and rubberized fabrics do well keeping the water out, but they hold in the steam. Eventually, this will make you wet, which will make you cold.

Forget about staying one hundred percent dry:

I have yet to find any outfit—including a custom-made drysuit—that kept me fully dry. What we want is an outer shell that keeps the great majority of rain or snowmelt out while allowing the bit that does get in to run back out. While the shell is d

oing its job, our inner clothing should wick moisture away from our skin, not hold onto excess water, and fit in a way that allows air to be held and warmed by our metabolism.

It’s The Accessories That Really Make The Outfit:

We’re talking about those little touches here.

Hat. Your head, face, and neck have a large surface area, roughly two square feet, about the same as your back. Would you want to be outside in the cold with your entire back exposed to the elements? No? Then wear a warm hat.

A buff or scarf. In the boat, as I said, you get cold while running. Your neck is a big hole in the top of your upper layer, letting that 35mph wind get in and steal your warm air. A buff or scarf makes an excellent baffle in that hole and can be pulled up over your lower face while running.

Gloves. Can you stand them? If so, wear them. I wear them, but I also buy the best-fitting, fingerless, gloves that I can find. If you’re going to handle a fish, take them off first. The gloves will stay dry, your hands will stay warm, and you won’t pull slime off the fish. This is good for the fish, and for the way your gear bag smells the next time you open it.

Footwear:

Justin was mocking my socks-under-sandals look just the other day. Side note: My feet, which were in and out of the water all day, were toasty warm. In the winter, I’ll wear rubber boots, but only once it’s miserably cold out and only when guiding. If I’m actually fishing, I’ll still rock the wool socks and sandals, the latter of which will get kicked off once I have a rod in hand. I hate to be cold, but I refuse to bomb a perfect cast only to find I’m standing on my running line. If you do wear rubber boots on the boat, make sure you can kick them off with minimal work. This is a matter of safety. Swimming in rubber boots is, well… let’s just say difficult.

Avoid alcohol:

Alcohol dilates your distal blood vessels, allowing heat loss through your skin. (That being said, once I’m back in the warmth, nothing chases off the inner chill like a glass of Redbreast neat, just in case anyone is thinking of tipping with anything other than cash. Justin, I hear, likes Don Julio.) Leave the beer in the cooler and drink some more water instead. On that note…

Pee When You Feel The Urge:

You’re drinking water, right? Well then, your kidneys will make pee. If you hold onto it, your body will lose heat into your bladder. Yes, man or (especially, sorry) woman, it is a chilling, difficult, task in cold weather while wearing all that clothing, but after you’re done, you’ll be warmer.

Eat:

Like undressing a little to urinate, eating will actually make you feel colder (This is due to the food being less than body temperature, compounded by your body’s shunting of blood to your digestive tract to deal with this new load of food.) but you have to keep the engine fueled up. If you ate enough for breakfast, intermittent snacks will probably get you through. I like Clif bars. High energy, portable, and if you keep them in a mid-layer pocket they’ll be warm and gooey, which makes for a nice treat on a cold day.

Hypothermia:

This is what happens when you get too cold. Despite all our preparations, it can happen, and it can be life-threatening. Know the signs (clumsiness, confusion, slowed breathing, shivering or, worse, cessation of shivering without being warmed) and be willing to call it a day well before things reach this point. Fishing is awesome, but it’s not worth dying for.

Parting Wisdom:

River or boat, there are a few things you should add to your cold-day gear list. Mostly these come down to safety. I like to have a way to start a fire (You should beach and get out of the boat first, btw.), extra water, extra food, emergency warming blanket, and one more layer than I think I could possibly need. In the boat, I also suggest wearing an auto-inflating Personal Floatation Device (Mustang makes several excellent options.). I wear one even on warm days, but on a cold day, wearing ten pounds of clothing, with ocean temperatures often in the high 40°F’s, life-expectancy in the water can be measured in minutes. A PFD is, literally, a lifesaver in this situation.

Being prepared for a cold day will not only let you get on the water more days, it will make those days safer and much more enjoyable. Winter brings some truly large fish up out of the depths into fly fishing range. It also chases a lot of people off the water, which results in less pressure on those big fish. And when you’re home, showing people the pictures of the netted monsters, you’ll get that question: “You were out on the water today?”

And you won’t be lying when you say, modestly, “Aww, it really wasn’t that cold.”

June 1st Fishing Report

June 1, 2018 / Captain Justin / Leave a comment

June Fishing Report

Whew! It’s been a blur of great fishing and great weather these last few weeks. As we are moving from spring into summer fishing a few things are starting to change out on the water! Before we get into the June Fishing Report I just want to thank all the folks who have come out and shared the water with me these last few weeks, it’s been a ton of fun sharing stories, fish, and making some killer memories! We have hit some seriously beautiful fish, and had some pretty amazing weather to enjoy it in!

We are pretty well into the full summer swing of things now, and the fishing is starting to stable out and be predictable. The fish have moved onto their summer hunting grounds where they will be for the remainder of the warm season. Also the summer bait has been flooding into the Hood Canal in football field sized schools. Herring and Sandlance are pushing onto the eelgrass and the fish are fattening up as a result. Although most of the chum fry has left the lower reaches of Hood Canal, we are still seeing smaller schools up north.

Most of our fish these last couple weeks have come out of the fast water. We have been focusing on water that is moving quick enough to barely be able to sight the fish in. The high sun and low mid day tides have pushed the fish out to the deepest, sharpest points they can find. If you can find the fast water on steep points you should have great success throughout the day! With these big tides coming up, finding fast water should not be a big issue. Most of our fish have come on type 3 sinking lines, sight fished over 4-10′ of water.

Weather Report

The 10 day forecast looks pretty great for fishing, not to hot, not cold, cloud cover for at least part of the day to keep the water temps cool along the shorelines! It’s pretty well fishing season!

DATES DATES DATES

Last minute opening for this Sunday! $100 off the day due to cancelation!

We are filling up fast for most of the month of June! I (Captain Justin Waters) have Thursday June 7th, 10th, 13th, 15th, and just opened up the 17th which is Fathers Day! I look forward to sharing the water with you guys!

Captain Mike has 13th, 15th 19th, 22nd and 27th!

Coming Up!

We are up in the mountains checking out the creeks starting this week! Checking for changes and exploring what rivers and streams are still being effected by run off! Let us know if you are interested in checking out some small streams coming up here soon!

Bright Days

May 8, 2018May 7, 2018 / Captain Justin / 1 Comment

Bright Days

School Of Chum Fry On A Summer Morning

Occasionally, we like to fish in good weather. You know, shorts, bare feet on the casting deck, sunglasses for more than protecting against bad cast. It’s starting to look like summer out there on the water. I see a lot of people saying, “Now that the suns out, the best of the fishing is behind us.” This my friends, is simply not the case. There is however different techniques in the summer to make sure that the bright days are not spent fishless. Sea Run Cutthroat are predators, here are some tips to make sure your fly remains prey on the brighter days of summer.

Wake Up

If you want to fish a floating line in the summer, you will have to wake up early. You can fish with a floating line and still get some fish in the mid day sun… You just won’t catch as many fish. It’s that simple. The shallow water is going to warm with the high sun and push the fish off into deeper water. Nighttime allows the shorelines to cool off and the bait and Cutthroat to move back into the shallows. Fish the low light and get your shallow water fishing fix in before the suns super high and beating down on the flats. There are plenty of opportunity to get the floating lines out and stock the shallows in the summer if you wake up on time. Check your tide charts and find a good tide early in the morning.

Fish The Riffle Water

Don’t get it twisted though, that high sun does not turn the fishing into a tanning session. Find that main tidal current. Those riffles through the structure are like a sun umbrella on your patio table. Sea Run Cutthroat like to use that riffle to break up the sun while they are hunting. Breaking up the light helps hide the fish from predators like birds while they are behaving the predators and munching the last of the chum fry or small herring.

Go Deeper

There are lots of little tricks to getting your fishing in when the sun is high. However, when the sun is high and consistent, none is more obvious than you need to get deeper. Finding the shorelines with access to deep water is a huge key to our success. Casting into 3′ of water when the fish are holding at 13′ feet is not going to result in much success. We like to make a handful of passes through these spots. We will start by fishing that 10′-20′ deep range with type 3 sinking lines and fishing our flies down deeper and slower. Then fish that same stretch from 5-15′ a little faster. Finally, fish that 3′-10′ section even quicker. This assures us that our flies have fished through all of the best structure and allows us to feel confident that we did not miss any of our fish.

There are a lot of problems to solve in a days fishing. That is what separates a successful day on the water from a fishless and frustrating one. I hope this helps you solve a few of those problems on the bright days of summer.

Chum Fry Fishing Report 3/13

March 14, 2018March 14, 2018 / Captain Justin / Leave a comment

Chum Fry Fishing Report 3/13

Man-O-Man where to start?! Chum Fry is the keyword for this March Fishing Report and they are damn near everywhere! This week we have had Cold/Comfortable/Warm/Perfect/Wet weather. It has been down right confusing trying to layer up in the morning for a day on the water. However, the chum fry is out in full force! Sight fishing for big cutthroat along the flats has been down right amazing! Schools of chum fry getting caught up on the shoreline current has been our main keys to success. However tossing big baitfish off the dropoffs on slack tides has lead to some great success on the slower parts of the tides.

Fly Fishing this time of year is as good as it gets. If you stay in the chum fry the fishing has been great, and if you get out of the chum fry the fishing has been unpredictable, however not to shabby either.

Listen up! I’m going to give you the trick of the season. Slow down and just do some searching. We just slowly cruise the shorelines, waiting to see fish heads and bait boiling, then make your cast at feeding fish. “Alright there he is make your cast… slow, strip, STRIP, speed up… STRIP, STRIP!” Then start laughing and playing your fish! Come on now, how could it get any better? Chum Fry season has delivered in an absolute spectacular way this year!

Here was the conversation at the dock yesterday;

“Hey Justin, I just realized the guys who recommended you said you tell a lot of jokes, we didn’t hear any today!”

“…Shoot man, I don’t know why I didn’t tell them.”

His wife then said, “I know why, you were to busy netting fish and laughing at the fishing!”

A few keys to success:

Stay out of the run off! As the winter turns to spring the snowmelt can shut the fishing down. Stay away from the creeks that are kicking out the snow melt. Allow me to elaborate on this. First, snow melt will often lower the water temperature and clarity, making it difficult for fish to hunt. Furthermore the snowmelt carries lots of minerals that can lower the oxygen levels and often makes for lethargic fish.
Stay with your game plan! If you are fishing somewhere with a lot of chum fry, stay fishing in the bait. Your go to spot probably is not going to fish the same if all the bait is south of you still. Cutthroat will move to the bait.
Work out from the source! Start by, finding the creeks that are dumping the bait, and move out to the good water north of it. Also, this is a great way to find new water for the whole year and great fishing now!
Slow down! Sometimes your eyes are better for searching than your brain. Take some time to just stare at your situation. Looking down the beach is often the best way to find a starting point. It might seem counterintuitive to stop casting, however that is often the best place to start when things are not going as planned.

UPCOMING WEATHER

This coming week we have some cloudy overcast weather in the mid-high 50s… But what the hell do those weather men know anyway? I’ll take that mid 50 degree weather any day after the past month of cold. If you look at the forecast it looks like “Fishing Weather”!

Dates!

We don’t have many for the next few weeks. We moved some stuff around today and opened up the 19th, 25th, 27th, 31st. I can’t say this enough, Thank you so much for all of you who came out this month. I am humbled to be able to share the memories with all of you!

April Dates: 3rd, 10th, 12th, 15th, 16th, 22nd, 25th, 27th, 29th. We are filling up pretty quickly and looking forward to another great month with all of you! Chum fry will still be emerging from the rivers all through April and we will stay ahead of them all month. I am fired up and looking forward to continuing the roll we are on!

Captain’s Clean Up

We will announce soon the Inaugural Captain’s Clean Up for April. Keep an eye open for it later this week! We are super excited to party with you all and spend the day cleaning up Puget Sound.

Spring Is Started- Fishing Report

March 5, 2018March 5, 2018 / Captain Justin / Leave a comment

Spring Has Started – Fishing Report

Holy smokes, This weekend was a blast! Spring Has Started! Thanks to those who came out and joined in on the fun! Last week we had great fishing, and found most of our fish on Shrimp and Sculpin patterns, we were going strong… Then it started to go down hill…

The Scramble

First, we had a last minute cancelation of our entire weekend! Not an awesome move. However, occasionally things happen, and we have a super awesome client base that was able to help me out and fill in the dates! Thanks so much for your support guys!

Next, on Thursday, we went to wash down the motor and our water pump went down… Again, our weekend was in shambles! We called around, got the parts and were back up and running for Saturday morning. We unfortunately had to cancel our Friday and move some things around. But we managed to salvage the weekend! Timing could not of been better!

The Flood Gates Are Open- Spring Has Started!

Saturday morning we headed into one of our favorite spots. The weather couldn’t of been more pleasant. However, our typical spring spots were just feeling empty. We hunted for a bit, and eventually caught on to what was happening. The fish were super podded up on small schools of chum fry. Once we found the small pods of bait, the fish were absolutely frenzied and quick. We managed a really good day, with lulls and then fast moments of brilliance.

All day Saturday we just felt like it was ALMOST perfect fishing conditions… We were absolutely right. Sunday morning we rewarded for our game plan… Chum Fry were kicking up and we stayed in the bait and the fish all day. At high tide we pushed real close to the creek mouths and we could see the bait being pushed out by the current of the outgoing tide. Right onto a buffet line of savagely feeding cutthroat trout. Forget about professionalism for a minute. When you drop three fish on one retrieve and still land one… The fishing is god damn bananas.

Check out our Tips and Tricks post to see some tricks to taking advantage of the Chum Fry hatch!

We started early, and stayed late, jumping from one spot to another hunting chum fry. The spots we didn’t find them we could tell the fish were pushed into the creek mouths. In some instances up in the flats of the estuary that we couldn’t get to with the tide, we could see fish hammering chum fry in the deep pools.

If I were to describe the fishing in one word…

Spring has started and we are stoked! Lets Get some fishing in!

Weather Report

The weather report has some clouds and light rain in the next 10 days, however the temps will stay in the 50s and be pretty typical early spring weather. Spring has started! I can’t imagine starting the spring off any other way!

Dates! We have some Dates!

Come on out tomorrow March 6th, I am open to a half day! From there we have Friday March 9th, 11th, 13th, 16th, and 18th open. We look forward to sharing the water with you! Chum fry traditionally last till May, however the most exciting time to find them is as they are first dumping out of the creeks! It’s like a treasure hunt, and you can potentially strike it rich!

Make the best of your spring fishing!

February 26, 2018 / Captain Justin / Leave a comment

Make the best of your spring fishing!

Spring time is the best time of the year for us! It’s a chance to get some sun light back into our lives, we see all of our clients for the first time of the year, and we start seeing other anglers out on the water. However, for most, it’s a time of year to dust off the rods, and get back out there! So why not make the best of your spring fishing?

Here are some tips that will make your spring, the best one yet!

Study the map!

– Spring is all about chum fry and finding the bait. Look for the places that bait will congregate! Here is 3 things to look for:

North of a chum salmon creek. Chum salmon typically don’t migrate deeper into the sound.
A obsticle that bait will have to swim around, such as a point. Chum fry are poor swimmers, and points make slack water that will group the bait all together.
Shade from the sunny shorelines. Chum fry don’t want to be sitting ducks for…ducks, and other birds. They will go deep when the sun comes up or hide in the gravel, putting down the frenzy of feeding fish. Think high banks and over hanging trees.

Be Prepared!

– It’s spring, the weather might shift and you might need to shift your fishing along with it. Or your wardrobe. Here’s what we mean:

You head out and it’s overcast and cold. However, as the day scoots along the sun comes out and pounds the shorelines. You might want to make sure you brought more than just your floating line along. Also you might want to have a few weighted baitfish to plug along those drop offs!
The forecast is calling for 68 degrees and sunshine… Who trust the weatherman in Washington’s spring? Bring and extra jacket so you don’t end up at the taco joint drinking beer instead of fishing.
It’s the first big push of fishing for you of the year! Make sure you have your fishing license and all of your gear together! Nothing sucks more than thinking you are prepared and your guide telling you that you need to go online and get your license.

Have a Plan B!

-Our success is because we are prepared. Not just that our rods are rigged correctly, our flies are sharp, and we have more fun than everyone else. We go out to the water with a plan A, B, C, and D. Here’s some advise for this spring. We are not saying you will need a back up plan, but often a strong plan for the day will keep you on the water and in the fish!

Plan A- Fish the estuary water with chum fry and look for frenzied Cutthroat.
Plan B- Head out to the first point and search the edge of the current and slack water for popping bait and frenzied trout.
Plan C- Search the shaded shorelines for bait.
Plan D- Plug the drop offs and structure with weighted flies for fish searching for bait down deep.

Try something new

–I can only speak from my own experience. For example, for years I had two methods for catching cutthroat, and if those two techniques didn’t work, I would say “well… the fish are off the bite, we are not going to catch them today.” Now, both of those techniques were fairly effective probably worked 85% of the time. 10% of the time they worked poorly and we scratched out a few fish. and 5% of the time, we got blanked because we were just not versatile enough to figure it out.

Tie a new fly that you know others fish. For example, I NEVER used to fish sculpin patterns or shrimp patterns. Now when we need a technique change or the fish are coming up deep from the bottom in the winter and not committing. We know how to get them.
Stray from your normal sink rate. Fish deeper water or fish the flats. Become more versatile in the water you can find fish in. We have seen big fish swim through shallow troughs on the flats when the water temperatures are down. We also have had many days when all of our fish came out of 25′ of water in the summer.
Let go of the reigns. I learn a lot from fishing with my friends. When I let Brita dictate our day on the water, we fish stuff I normally skip over. Also when Mike’s running the boat, I gain a new perspective of spots that I fish all the time. Every now and then you have to set your ego aside and say “how would you approach this problem?”

Commit To The Plan

-Sometimes you just have to take the beating. Wait out that tide shift or that rising water temp. Some times you just have to commit to the cause. I can’t tell you how many times our plan is to fish through a crummy tide waiting on that 9:30 tide shift. We will pick up a few fish, but then it turns on! We might fish water that is not the plan A waiting for that tide to shift before we go to the best place of the day.

When planning your day, don’t beat the hell of out water that has not shaped up yet.
Pay attention to how your favorite beaches shape up when the tides shift. Where is the slack water? Where is the fastest current? How does the eddy set up?
Fish your way into the best spots. Watch how your fly line reacts to the current as you approach a rip, sometimes the water is ripping below the surface and you can hardly see it move from the top.

I hope these tips help make your spring fishing the best yet!

#GuideLife

February 24, 2018February 24, 2018 / Captain Justin / 1 Comment

#GuideLife

Mike Lawson recently had to write a similar thing to what I am writing about now, and when I read it, I thought… “Well, that is shame that that even needed to be written.” I hope my attempt is received in the good nature that it is intended. Full disclosure Mike is much more qualified to write this than myself. However our fishery is fairly new, and the “elders” are not doing a fair job of explaining what guiding means in Puget Sound.

Quick Background

I am a pretty lucky guy. Fly Fishing has been my career now for the entirety of my adult life. For the past quite a few years now I have been guiding for Sea Run Cutthroat Trout in Puget Sound and Hood Canal. Between that and tying flies this is the only way I make an income. I have lived in a car, eaten leftover guide lunches, cried, ruined relationships, and perhaps most devastating disappointed my mom to become a professional fly fishing guide.

I met my fiancée Brita, who brought my children into my life, while guiding Puget Sound years ago. We have spent countless nights tying flies for our guide boxes and filling orders for custom flies ever sense. To be honest, most days I have to pinch myself at the dream life that I have. Between Brita and Myself we have 24 years in the fly-fishing industry. Our lives are 100% paid for by fly fishing. Between Guiding, teaching, fishing, speaking, tying, and the business end, most of my day 365 days a year, are spent entrenched in the fly fishing world. To say we hold it dearly is a massive understatement.

Brita’s a rockstar!

The Big Issue

Recently, I have seen a handful of folks claim that fly fishing guides are overly exploiting the Puget Sound fishery. Which, really is up to interpretation if I am going to be honest. However, I think a lot of this comes from a misunderstanding of how guiding in Puget Sound has evolved over the years and who is actually guiding. I suppose it could also stem from a bad egg acting like an idiot on the water as well, however, thats a completely different issue.

I fully understand how someone could look at a Instagram post or see someone zipping by in a boat and assume they are strictly exploiting a fishery for their own gain… In a nutshell you would be right to say that in that moment. However, truth be told, we spend a ton of time, money, and effort to give back to the community/fish/ and environment that has supported us. We are very aware and cautious of our impact on the fishery, and environment.

I have seen a lot change over the years in how guiding is viewed in Puget Sound. I have been fortunate enough to share the water with countless numbers of clients and almost always ask their opinion of Washington Fly Fishing. Also, I’ve seen the way guiding is handled in Puget Sound change a lot in the last 10 years. Much of your new guides are coming at the business from a part time standpoint rather than a full time PROFESSIONAL fishing guide. This starts to have an appearance of a lot of pressure on the fish, however these guys are not actually guiding more than a few days a year.

Balding From The #GuideLife

Let’s Break This Down

In Puget Sound there are MAYBE 22 “fishing guides”… To put that into perspective a outfitter in Montana will typically have that amount of guides on staff… There are typically many outfitters per river in Montana. The big issue with saying their is only 22 fishing guides in Puget Sound is what constitutes a fishing guide in Washington? Let’s assume this means legal, licensed guides, mostly working the waters of Puget Sound.

In Washington State a Fishing guide has to pay ~$400 (game fish only), prove (for the day of the issuing) that he/she has liability insurance, and take a first aid class. I am going to estimate that 22 folks have this license and are mostly guiding on Puget Sound. That’s including a few guides that I know hold a license and hardly work at all.

These numbers are again estimates, however I am pretty well informed on days spent guiding on Puget Sound. I am going to be generous to the numbers here and be optimistic towards the careers of those calling themselves guides. There are probably of that estimated 22 fishing guides 11 that work more than 30 days a year, 6 that work more than 60 days a year, and 4 that work 100 or more days a year… and MAYBE 2 that work more than 150 days a year and if that is true, I am one of those two. So, what am I breaking down? On the average day, there is more “Do it yourself” fishermen down at Purdy Spit than there are fly fishing guides working in the entirety of Puget Sound.

Jacob Is Awesome

The Truth About Guiding

It is almost impossible to luck into being a career fly fishing guide. This is strictly a career of passion. Being a passionate angler almost guarantees you are an advocate for the fishery. Like it or not, our clients use us as the voice of the fishery. Puget Sound is fortunate to have a lot of caring fishermen willing to put their money, time and effort into protecting it. However those fishermen need to be able to hear about the issues at hand. How is the average fishermen going to learn about the issues? The average guy working 40hr/wk is not going to go home and email his customers about whats going on in the world of Puget Sound fishing. The average fly fishermen gets his information from his guide, or his fly shop.

A guide knows not everyone is going to sign up for a trip. However, if you write a working guide an email or give them a call he/she will give you a up to date fishing report. Most will discuss conservation, fish ID, beach access… Whatever you need. I write reports for multiple fly fishing clubs in the area and host tying events whenever they ask. Furthermore, I also spend a night every month writing congressmen and WDFW about local issues and concerns about our fishery. Most guides are advocates of their local fishing community. Whats good for the masses is usually inline with what’s good for the guide business.

Giving Back

I can only speak for myself typically, however, I will lump in 3 other guides into this. For the last few years the Coastal Cutthroat Coalition has been around. I know for a fact David Dietrich, Ben Zander, Brita Fordice, and myself have donated well over $10,000 worth of trips, flies, swag, and time. We have also informed our clients of their work and the work of Puget Sound Keeper, Hood Canal Salmon Enhancement, Long Live The Kings, and other conservation efforts that they might be interested in participating in. We have also pitched plenty of ideas to Coastal Cutthroat Coalition to help raise more research dollars.

Social Media

Like it or not, social media has become a big part of our everyday lives as fishermen.

#KeepEmWet has literally changed the way 1,000s of fishermen handle their fish. Solely because a few fishing guides (Dave McCoy was the first I saw) decided they would lead by example. Not bad when you consider Tarpon anglers in Florida are doing the same as Steelhead guides in British Columbia now. Guides have a responsibility to protect their lively hood. Typically this means protecting their respective fishery and environment.

Another program started to protect the environment and spread by guides has been #KickPlastic! We went from a flat of water bottles a week down to 4 a year on our boat. This was just because of a social media campaign spread by fishing guides. Now almost all of our clients bring reusable water bottles.

The People’s Fish

Running a guide service in Washington has been a dream of mine since I can remember. We take it very seriously to give back to the communities that support us. We do free casting lessons in the summer at Alderbrook Resort. Also, we send our clients to the local markets and restaurants in the area to do their shopping. In addition to supporting the local tourism and clubs in raising money to keep a healthy community. Not to mention we inform people of the gear they might want to buy from their local fly shop… But most of all we fish.

We love fishing Puget Sound. We love sharing it with anyone who will come along or listen to/read our fish stories. I want to know about it if one of our guides are being unprofessional on the water so we can fix the issue. If it is a guide you don’t know, I will find out and help mediate the issue. If there is something you wish guides would consider please email me and we can talk it out. We have a lot to lose living this #GuideLife.

All-Waters Fly Fishing Weekly Fishing Report

February 23, 2018 / Captain Justin / Leave a comment

Alright guys! We have had some pretty awesomely terrible weather this week. Recovering from the Fly Fishing Show, Spending a few SUPER cold days on the water, and having some cancelations due to ice and snow. We have been scrambling to catch up ! However, We promised a weekly fishing Report and here it is!

One Quick Side Note

First off! It was awesome to meet a ton of you folks at the Fly Fishing Show! We knew we had a ton of people following the “Fish Stories” however, we didn’t exactly know who they were! I can’t wait to share the water with you folks as the weather warms up and the fishing season gets rolling strong.

Now To The Weekly Fishing Report!

This week was all about hiding from the wind. Even on the days that seemed decent, we were constantly getting sneezed on by mother nature. However, when we found some reprieve and worked our magic, we caught some really nice fish.

We are still on the program of keeping close to the small streams feeding Puget Sound and Hood Canal. The bulk of the fish caught this week came from casting to 10″ of water. In addition, most of our success was from seeing the fish before casting to them. When it worked out we were rewarded greatly for it! When it didn’t, the cold and wind made it hurt a bit more than we are used to.

This was not the week to be wimpy on the water, and I applaud the folks who shared it with me! We had a kid from Maine tough out the cold and catch his first Sea Run Cutthroat (a slob) and some wild Canadians on a Washington Tour checking out some of our best trout fishing. Thanks for coming out and we hope to see you again when the weather is not… Well… Down right miserable.

Weather Report

The weather should be warming up from here on out! A few showers in the forecast however I will take that over freezing rain, snow, and the other “four letter word”! We look forward to the spring like conditions!

Open Dates Coming Up!

We are excited as can be about this coming month! Most of our dates are booked up however, we have a few you can jump on now! We are open Saturday March 3rd, 6th, 9th, 13th, Sunday the 18th, and 21st. We suspect to fill all of these dates as they come up and we are looking forward to sharing the water with you!

Why We Love Fly Fishing Hood Canal

February 5, 2018 / Captain Justin / Leave a comment

Why We Love Fly Fishing The Hood Canal:

It’s no secret that we are partial to the Hood Canal portion of Puget Sound. We love it. In fact, our life revolves around the seasons of this vastly diverse fishery. I thought I would share a few of the reasons why we love fly fishing Hood Canal.

The feeling of being remote is unparalleled in Puget Sound. The Hood Canal is a drainage from the west side of the Kitsap Peninsula to the East slope of the Olympic Mountain Range. The real beauty of this is that it creates a barrier that makes the eastern Olympic Peninsula a relatively inconvenient place to do business. Which keeps the population down to a minimum. So while you are fishing you might hear some eagles, a few splashes, and the occasional sea lion bark. It’s fairly rare to compete with other anglers or beach goers. The body of water is vast enough that when we do encounter other anglers, we usually know them on a first name basis.

Spring starts on Hood Canal earlier than most of Puget Sound. Which we appreciate more and more every winter. The end of February starts the spring chum fry migration that brings out the best of what cutthroat fishing has to offer. The bait is up high in the water column, the fish are looking up, and we have a fantastic saltwater blitz of feeding fish! This is all happening in the crystal clear water with snow topped mountains towering over you from the Olympics. I mean, what a way to kick off the fishing season!

The options are endless throughout the year, making Hood Canal a fly fisherman’s dream. The saltwater fishery varies with the water temperature. Which means, the fishery is constantly changing with the seasons. However, if you hit it right, different parts of the Hood Canal will “turn on” as the lower warmer sections will turn off with the rising temperatures. Likewise, staying with the cold water will keep you in bait rich water year round. Cutthroat like it cold, and will be more aggressive the colder the water temperatures get. Fortunately, year round you can always find cold water on Hood Canal.

As the summer rolls on and the saltwater heats up, the rivers that feed Hood Canal also “turn on”. This small stream fishery is unparalleled west of the cascades. These “blue line” fisheries have fantastic trout fishing that will leave you feeling like you discovered Washington’s best kept secret. Small streams and big rivers flow from Olympic National Park and create a fantastic native trout fishery!

Fantastic hatches of caddis and stone flies keeps the trout looking up. This while an abundant nutrient rich forrest feeds these streams and keeps the trout fat and happy on baitfish, aquatic insects, and salmon eggs. This is a two fold trip visiting these streams. You are also amongst some of the most beautiful scenery of any trout fishery in the world. Casting your fly into these trout rich waters provides an opportunity to reflect on the old growth forest of Washington’s past, while providing a world class opportunity to catch native trout. These streams flow out of true oldgrowth wilderness and remind you why wilderness should be protected for future generations.

While fishing is great in the streams, the saltwater is still fishing fantastic in the Canal’s colder stretches. However, when it cools back off down in the fall, fantastic doesn’t begin to describe how amazing the fishing gets. Whether off of our boat or off the beaches, the fishing is great in the fall. Big trout, and hatches of Termites falling from the neighboring hillsides. Dry fly fishing in the salt for big sea trout can leave you speechless! Twitching termites and ant patterns in the tidal current is as exciting as it gets saltwater fishing for our Sea Run Cutthroat.

Winter time on Hood Canal is when we typically see the biggest fish of the season. The shallow water cools way down and the big deep water cutthroat come up to hunt. Searching the shallows for sand shrimp and sculpin on the winter high tides. These big fish are special to the Hood Canal. Furthermore, the Hood Canal just has a more of them than anywhere in Puget Sound. If you can brave the cold winter, it is a great time to test your angling skills with some of the best shallow water sight fishing of the year.

These are just a few of the reasons we love sharing the Hood Canal with you! Not to mention the fantastic community of shops and restaurants, distilleries and resorts. Hood Canal is a great place to experience a wild and unique and saltwater and small stream fishery. In addition to having a wonderful family get away. Come join us and let us show you why we love fly fishing Hood Canal.

Tips and Tricks: Chum Fry Hatch

February 1, 2018 / Captain Justin / 3 Comments

Tips and Tricks: Chum Fry Hatch

The local legion of Puget Sound “hatches” is the chum fry. Folks flock to Puget Sound from all over the state. They are coming here for a chance to experience some of the most exciting trout fishing around. Bait balls getting slashed at by predatory Sea Run Cutthroat trout, fish clearing the water spewing small bait fish into the air, and eating flies with no hesitation.

If Puget Sound’s most famous “hatch” is the Chum fry migration then the Hood Canal is the holy grail of it. Hood Canal famously has huge runs of chum salmon in a relatively narrow and healthy body of water. Moreover adding the littering of small spawning creeks and a summer run of chum, you have yourself the best fishery around for this event!

Here are a few things to know before heading out:

First, be as close to the stream that they are coming out of as you can, exactly when they are coming out. Then find the schools of chum fry, and keep your fly in the water as much as possible. Finally, if at all possible, be on the down current side of the school. This allows your fly to be the first chum fry to get to the cutthroat. Done! You have all of my tricks (that I am willing to share with you here). Let’s Elaborate a bit!

Starting off with being close to the streams. The big balance of fishing the chum fry hatch is being there as they are dumping out of the creeks. You want to be close so you are getting fish that are just turning onto the bait. The first bite of cake is always the sweetest. However, we don’t want to be there before the school has emerged and the fish are not turned on. So it’s really a balancing act.

The next step to finding success with the chum fry hatch is this. “Keeping your baitfish in the water!” There is a lot of bait to choose from! Getting a “eat” is a matter of having your fly in the water when the fish crashes through the school. Typically these fish are eating 5-10 baitfish at a time at the begging of the hatch, you can’t be one of them if your fly is being casted. Use SUPER short, fast, strips that barely move your fly. The object is to keep it fluttering and slack free but try not to pull it out of the school of bait.

The last step is probably the most difficult from the beach, however simple in theory. Stay ahead of the school. You want to be the first few baitfish that get hit. If you had a choice to run from a hungry T-Rex or a uncomfortably full T-Rex I think you would choose the latter. Positioning yourself ahead of the school works three fold as well;

First, it allows you to be the first baitfish on the buffet line, instigating the most aggressive takes.
Next, staying ahead of the school allows your slow retrieve to stay in the bait for a bit longer.
Last, it allows you to reach the bait without repositioning yourself for the longest amount of time. The fish have to swim to you, then past you.

If you put these thoughts into consideration you should have a fairly successful Chum Fry Season. The next post we are going to do is how to rig your set up for the most success during Chum Fry Season.