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!

Winter Is For Giants

January 4, 2018 / Captain Justin / 1 Comment

Winter Is For Giants.

If Fly Fishing is all about the experience. Winter Fly Fishing is all about enduring parts of the experience and enhancing others. Sea Run Cutthroat move around this time of year, making part of that experience all about the hunt. We have been on the water most of the winter and let me tell you, the hunt has been rewarded!

This time of year makes the summer look easy. It almost makes me feel guilty for how much fun we had this summer. We can always find a few fish to harass, don’t get me wrong. But if you are going to be on the water, when the high for the day is in the low 40’s, you should hunt for the giants. The winter is for giants, and the giants will humble you.

There are a few things you need to know before heading out the door. If you are cold on your walk to the truck, the boat ride… Don’t schedule a trip in January and not dress for the occasion. Furthermore, If you plan on catching giants, don’t look in the school yard. We can catch lots of fish throughout the day, putting in the work for the big ones will have lots of fish. But they might not come on the first cast… The first hour… The first stop even. But once the fly lands in the kitchen, and the oven turns on. We are going too cook up a beast.

The hunt is what this is all about, we are starting in the normal spots we would in the fall, then start searching. Tides are seasonally at their highs, there is more water than in the summer to move to… and its cold. The powerful winter tides are rushing in and out to change the landscape. The big fish no longer need to be down deep, or off the tidal zone to find the cold clear water. They are moved onto the skinnier water chowing down to get fat and healthy. The fish may have even moved closer to their spawning creeks and off the old reliable summer structure.

The hunt makes everything more fun. Working together with our clients this time of year is a ton of fun, and having the amazing success has been even better. I don’t think I have ever had this much fun in the winter. We have stalked trout all over Hood Canal in the past few weeks and truthfully in places I have not fished much. We have started on a shoreline we have fished 100 times and ended up catching fish for miles in a different direction that we started. Keep an open mind in the winter, and be prepared to learn some new tricks of the craft.

So, here are a few tips to get your big fish of the winter!

Search for deep pockets on shallow flats. We have found fish schooled up on the deep pockets of a flat on outgoing tide.
Try big flies on the deeper shorelines. We have had multiple smaller cutthroat stollen by larger cutthroat in the last few weeks. I promise, a 4-5″ baitfish is not to big to be gobbled down by a 18-24″ cutthroat.
Your normal beach is dead? It’s time to look on a map and fish your way toward the closest likely spawning creek. It’s that time of year where the fish are getting ready to head to the bedroom. They are eating any bait they find on the way there. I know, romantic how they go to dinner before they… you know.
Dress for success! Do not underdress to get out fishing. It’s simple really, you are not going to fish intelligently if the entire time you are worried about how cold you are. We carry a goodwill store of fleece just to make sure people are warm and comfortable on the water.
Let the fish tell you they are there. We are not catching one fish this time of year. If you find a single fish, there is going to be a dozen more where it came from. Winter fish stick together! If you make a handful of cast and don’t find anything, keep moving until you find them. Then once you found fish, methodically pick through the piece of water to find the rest.

Mike’s Fishing Report 12/19/2017

December 23, 2017December 23, 2017 / Captain Justin / Leave a comment

Our good friend Mike Hanford sent in a fishing report from 12/19/2017. I have been on the water the last few days and couldn’t get it up until now! So without further delay, heres Mike’s Fishing Report.

Mike’s Fishing Report

“December 19, 2017
There were gale-force winds today. Luckily, in the Sound, there’s always somewhere to get out of the wind…
Despite knowing that, I still wasted my first ninety minutes out on Carr Inlet taking a beating in my small boat. As soon as I launched, I turned away from the shallow oyster bed (which was on a lee shore and where I knew the fish probably were) and bashed into the wind and waves to round the long point to the south, where I fished deep water while navigating foot-tall whitecaps. I spent most of a fishless hour-and- a-half with my fly line wrapped around various boat hardware. Eventually I came to my senses and gave up on that foolishness, letting the wind and tide blow me back around the point and carry me down to the oyster bed.
This particular oyster bed is short, perhaps a hundred yards long, but it does end on a soft point coming off a wide shallow mud flat. There’s a nice long rip current, lots of boulders, all those oyster shells; a cutthroat paradise. It’s just so damn short! The fact that you can float the whole thing in fifteen minutes is probably why I ignored it in the first place.
I spent the rest of the day—only another ninety minutes, unfortunately—floating downwind until I passed the point, then motoring back up to start my drift again. I fished a weighted bucktail flatwing and hooked at least one fish on every drift, including one heady period when I hooked up three casts in a row, although the third time was not on a fish but on a low-flying little grey duck. It was a moment of
pure coincidence; as my cast unrolled, the duck flew in from the right and passed directly beneath my falling fly. Luckily, the hook did not set in skin, but it did end up covered with feathers that I hadn’t added when I tied it the night before. The duck itself gave a single indignant Squawk! When the fly first landed between its shoulder blades but at last sight was still flying, steady and low, speeding off into the
twilight.
I netted eight or nine fish—a few of those in the “Damn, nice fish,” category—and even the short ones were fat and chunky, well fed. The black sky, wind chop on the surface, and scattered rain had bolstered their confidence. They ate close enough to shore that I’m sure I would have done just as well had I been fishing from the beach. One of them ate in water shallow enough that when it first felt the hook and bolted, its tale sent up a wake of whitewater spray.
It was dark by the time I got back to the ramp. Despite the cold high wind, the rough conditions, the unfortunate duck, and the rain, it was a great evening of fishing.”

Mike is a great writer and one of the best fishermen I know. Also the only person other than Brita I have ever let run my boat.

Merry Christmas Everyone!

Solving The Problem Of Picky Cutthroat

December 21, 2017December 20, 2017 / Captain Justin / Leave a comment

I think we can all agree that Sea Run Cutthroat Trout are aggressive fish. Although, following that statement, occasionally they do get picky! On these days you can see the fish, you can watch them sipping like trout on the Ranch section of the Henry’s Fork. These are the days that make balding men wish they had hair to pull out. Sea Run Cutthroat tend to smash baitfish pretty regularly, these are the days they just want something else.

Get Stealthy. The first thing I do when my clients are getting the rejects is add a couple feet to the tippet. For most days 6-7′ of 2x Rio Fluoroflex is enough. When the fish are following and it’s just not happening, I like to add a couple extra feet of 3x to that.
STOP! When we know the fish are there, and we are being sneaky with our leaders, and still not getting the takes. I like to STOP!!! Stop casting for 5 mins. Drink some coffee, watch the water, take in the sights. Just freaking leave the fish alone!
DEEPER!! Play with your depth, I have had full days where the fish would not eat a fly on anything except floaters. In that same respect I have had whole days when they would not eat a fly more than a few inches off the bottom. Try playing with the depth, this is our number one problem solver.
Switch It Up! Perhaps, while you were leaving the fish alone maybe you noticed the juvenile anchovies swimming around. Or, you noticed the fish were working the shallow points for sculpin or shrimp. Remember, these fish WANT to eat, so its our job to feed them what they want. These fish will even find small creel like Amphipods or Isopods occasionally on the menu.
Move It! Some times, you have to own the defeat. Don’t waste a whole day on a pod of fish that are not willing to eat your offering. I call this “Finding happy fish,” and I think its an important part of fishing. You know the fish are there, and you can come back and try again after the tide shifts.

When the fish are getting picky, these 5 moves keep us in the fish. I believe it was Albert Einstein that said; “I am not a rocket surgeon, however, we can’t keep trying the same thing over and over again.” Furthermore, if all else fails, I know where you can find the best tequila on the Hood Canal.

Staghorn Sculpin – The Party Goblin

December 20, 2017December 19, 2017 / Captain Justin / Leave a comment

Staghorn Sculpins, Party Goblin, Bull Head, Son of a… Are just a few names for this adventurous little guy. We need to pay some respect to the “Party Goblin.”

These little jerks ambush bait all over Puget Sound. They prefer sandy bottoms, but we accidentally hook the larger Party Goblins over all sorts of bottom structure. Typically, When picking up a sculpin or two, you should think about picking up the pace. Sculpin are not slow or lazy, but their an ambush predator not a sprinter like a trout. Sculpins are plentiful and diverse in size all over Puget Sound, making them great prey for Sea Run Cutthroat.

As far as bait goes, I believe sculpin are not Cutthroat trouts favorite. This could be because of their spiny heads, or the fact that they are hard to find in the rocks. However, in the winter, when the bait is scarce and the pickings are slim… The Party Goblin becomes a savory treat for the big Cutthroat trout that need the calories.

Brits Baby BullHead

Tiers Tips:

Burry your weight behind the big fat heads
Show off those white bellies and big fins
Profile is all that matters (be creative)
2″ is about all you need
Check out the Fly Men Fishing Company Sculpin Helmet

Bad Picture But Shows The Profile

Polychaete Worm Step By Step

December 20, 2017 / Captain Justin / Leave a comment

After multiple request here’s a quick and rough Polychaete Worm Step By Step. This is a super simple pattern for anyone. I am not sure it matters, but I went with Peach and Brown.

Hook: Ahrex NS182

Bead: Hareline Gritty Bead (kind of fun)

Body Braid: Hareline Mini Flat Braid Orange

Wing Flash: Senyo Predator Wrap Pink, Angel Hair PMD

Wing: Marabou Peach & Brown

Dubbing Loop: Predator Wrap, Ice Dub Shrimp Pink & Olive Brown, Senyos Shaggy Dub

1.) Pinch the barb and slide on the gritty bead up to the eye. I’ve tied unweighted Polychaete Worms that fish fine, I just like the bead better.

2.) Tie in the Bodi Braid and move the thread forward. Any Earthy tone will work fine, I happen to have this right at the desk.

3.) Wrap the shank up to the thread and tie off. Create a Dubbing Loop just big enough to hang up on your vise.

4.) Blend your wing of Peach Marabou, Predator Wrap, Brown Marabou, and PMD Angel Hair.

5.)Tie your “wing” in reverse style at the same point as your dubbing loop. This method will help keep everything neat and tidy when finishing the fly.

6.) This is probably the only “technical” step on this simple pattern. You want to wrap a good thread base around the “wing”. This step is similar to tying a parachute dry fly pattern. Start by wrapping the thread AROUND the marabou about 6-10 times. You CAN skip this step, but your fly will foul about 100 times more than if you add this step.

7.) Create a dubbing loop. When blending try to add the Senyo’s products in the middle. You want to leave the predator wrap a little bit long so it picks out nicely. You can trip the straggly long stuff later.

8.) Twist your dubbing loop nice and tight, the brush/pick it out. You will want to make sure you don’t have any fat spots in the dubbing rope. If you are lazy and leave any fat spots you will crowed the bead and finishing will be rough, or the dubbing will fall out and you will have a loose head when you go to fish it.

9.) Next, Start wrapping behind the wing, and make sure to fill it all in to the bead.

10.) Whip Finish behind the bead, try to get between the dubbing and bead when you finish the fly to hide the thread.

11.) Optional. Your Polychaete Worm is done, but you could add some funk to it by marking it up a bit. I say funk that worm up.

12.) Day dream about the poor fish that will eat it.

Fishing Report

December 18, 2017December 18, 2017 / Captain Justin / 1 Comment

We have been spending a lot of time out on the water this winter. Winter Trips have been pretty epic so far this year and in between we have been exploring some new water we found (more on that coming soon). After many discussions and tons of feedback I decided we are going to commit to 1 fishing report a week. Simple, Short, and to the point. Hopefully we will be able to do 6-8 a month, but I am committing to 1 a week and that should get you the information you need for your upcoming trips, and fishing.

So here you go!

Puget Sound Fishing Report:

With the great weather we have had recently the fish have been looking towards the surface. Most of the week was spent with the floating line and smaller baitfish imitations getting hit just under the surface. We had awesome action on fast moving Polychete worms for the first part of last week. However, As the week carried on we found them more focused on Sculpin and Smelt patterns. The Majority of the fish are hitting in the shallows and flats (1-5′ of water). I suspect a lot of the surface action we had throughout the week was due to the fish keying in on small shrimp buzzing the shallows, but we were able to nab them on baitfish and never switched over to the shrimp patterns. The fish we are catching were aggressive, fat, happy, and covered in sea lice still!

Up Coming Forecast:

After Tomorrow’s (Tuesday) Mega Wind we should be “Mostly Sunny” through Christmas! With Great weather on the forecast and solid fishing I think we should close out 2017 with some great trips!

If you have any feed back for us about the fishing reports let us know in the comments or email us Justin@all-waters.com

Everything Eats The Worm- Polychaete Worms

December 8, 2017 / Captain Justin / 4 Comments

When I first learned about Sea Run Cutthroat I was instantly intrigued with the fish. Where they lived, how we fish them, and how beautiful and powerful these trout are. The Marine environment was so foreign from any other trout I had ever caught before. As I grew more obsessed with these fish I fell in love with their flies and the diet. I started tying every baitfish Puget Sound, termites, gurglers, squid, and eventually the worm. Everything from Tarpon to bluegill eat worms, Yellowstone trout, to Florida jacks. The aquatic worm is one of the most prolific and under fished food sources in any marine environment.

One of the most under utilized options for Sea Run Cutthroat are worm patterns. In the winter, particularly on the larger moon phases, we get magnificent hatches of these creepy bastards. Today they are about 2-3″ long, and about as wide as angel-hair noodles. If you watch them they are in constant movement all over the shallow bays. In the summer during full moons we have seen them 6-10″ washed up on boat ramps and as wide as a Sharpie marker. These aquatic worms (Polychaete) come in a variety of colors, Pink, Tan, Red, Yellow, Brown, Dark Green, and Black.

As I mentioned these worms are in constant motion, so pausing a worm fly might not be a good idea. We tend to cast out, and immediately start long consistent strips. I like targeting 10″- 5′ of water when I am fishing worms. Cutthroat love these things, and almost look evil chasing them and sucking them in. The fish is looking to inhale a worm vs kill the bait fish. It is important to keep the rod tip down for a solid strip set on the fish, as they are not setting on themselves as they do with baitfish patterns. Furthermore it becomes very important to have a tight line all the way through the retrieve so the fish does not pick it up and spit it out before you notice.

I have tied and fished a lot of different worm flies over the years, and here is what I have learned about the patterns. First, avoid the trailing hook! Cutthroat begin swallowing worms immediately, rather than wrestling with baitfish. Trailers tend to get caught in the gills or throat of fish. Avoid it. A hook in the front of the worm will be just fine, if you are getting short struck you are either not stripping the hook into the fish or you are not keeping tight to the fly. Rabbit strips are typically the choice for many worm patterns, however we see a lot of success with marabou, and even craft fur patterns.

I am a believer in a stout big hook on my baitfish patterns. The Tiemco 800s or the Ahrex NS110 SE, Ahrex HR430 are my baitfish hooks. For worms however, I have been using a weighted Ahrex Trailer Hook (NS182) which when strip set has had 100% corner of the mouth success. The up eye makes the worms twitch and dance on the retrieve. Grippiness is just insane, the fish just can not seem to spit the thing. One more note on the NS182 is that you can use a SUPER small hook to grab these fish, I am tying on a size 6-10 hook and they seem to leave the least amount of damage to the fish I have ever seen.

10″-5′ of water is the common strike zone that we have confidence in.
Consistent long strips
Keep the rod tip down for the first few strips of the fight
Keep tight with constant movement to ensure good presentation and good strike detection.
Play with different colors to get the fish to respond to the fly.
Play with your depth until you find the strike zone
No Stinger worm patterns
Ahrex Nordic Salt Trailer Hook NS182

Fall Fishing Is Here!!

October 9, 2017 / Captain Justin / Leave a comment

Fall fishing has set in this last week! Crisp mornings have kept the big fish on the shallows waiting for a meal! The big tides have the bait fish scattered throughout the shorelines like a buffet! The afternoon winds have the fish looking up for a chance at easy pickings from the surface. October has started off with a series of big hard fighting cutthroat! Our guess is this fishing will last through the rest of fall!

I can not say enough about the topwater fishing this fall! Gurglers have been our most productive patterns for the last week, landing big fish, with violent takes. casted into the shallows and dragged off the drop offs we have seen some of the biggest top water fish to date. If you like fast action, super visual takes, and exciting jumps, I’d suggest trying this method out. Our best techniques have been to cast out and pause. Start slow and quickly speed up to a fast retrieve. Make sure you fish these all the way to the boat, because you don’t want to miss a fish on the pick up!

Fishing the baitfish, Our most productive colors right now are out silver, white and teal. or silver white and peacock. Short and strong strips. The name of the game this year is to let the fish know you are there. Make a commotion with the fly. These fish are fattening up as the baitfish is dispersing. Short, violent strips, and make sure you leave that rod tip down and pointed at the fly. Finally, speed up as the fish are chasing, and strip before you set that hook! Flashy flies seem to have the most action this time of year, so when in question, add flash. Chartreuse, Teal, Silver, White, Olive, and Blue all seem to be good highlights right now. November we traditionally add a lot of orange and peach to the mix!

Come get yourself some action, we have a handful of dates from now till november!

Captain Justin Waters

Bigger Sea Run Cutthroat

June 22, 2017 / Captain Justin / Leave a comment

It doesn’t get much more American, than fishing for trophy fish. Bigger, stronger, faster! If you would like to make me happy tell me when you get on the boat that you want to chase the biggest beast in the water, not the most fish, or a fish, but the biggest fish. These are 5 ways to catch bigger Sea Run Cutthroat in Puget Sound and Hood Canal!

Cast better! The biggest limiting factor I see when taking anglers fishing is that they need to be able to cast further, lay the line out straighter, and do it all quicker! Let’s be honest with ourselves here. This would help all of us no matter how good at casting you are. If you could reach a target quicker, further away, and more efficiently we would all catch more fish, bigger fish, and better fish. Go take a lesson, practice in your lawn, and become a better caster! I don’t mind spending an hour or more on the water giving casting lessons, as a matter a fact, I love knowing you will be a better angler because you fished with me. I will be honest with you though, that’s an hour or more that we are not targeting the larger fish in the water and we are probably spooking some fish and missing part of the tide. I give lessons to anyone who schedules for $40 an hour. We can take care of this before any trip you have.

Fish deeper water! When my buddy Johnny and I first started fishing for Sea Run Cutthroat we scoured the earth for any information we could find on how to catch them. Everything we read stated to “fish parallel to the shore” which we did, and we caught some fish. However it was a rare day that we caught a Sea Run much larger than 12”. Years later and we are consistently fishing for bigger trout, and we are targeting 10’-30’ of water and fishing off of the steepest drop offs and current seems. Moving water is still our number one target, however number two is quick access to deep water. We are already fishing the right bait fish patterns, we just need to put it in the right place now!

Sinking lines. While floating lines are a ton of fun to fish with, and we love surface attacks, and intermediate lines are still pretty effective and easy to keep from snagging bottom with, TYPE III sinking lines seem to be just what the doctor ordered for finding the biggest fish in the water! Type III sinks at about 3” per second, keeping your fly down just a bit more while stripping your line in. This also allows you to get the fly down to the structure much quicker and in the zone of those big lurkers hanging off the drop offs! This may require that you work a little to keep the fly from catching bottom, however I assure you that it will catch you some bigger fish! My personal favorite line for this job is the Rio Outbound Short, this is in the freshwater series for tossing streamers in lakes and rivers. This line give flight to the hidden tungsten beads in my baitfish flies, and gets down to the nastiest of Sea Run Cutthroat in the Puget Sound or Hood Canal.

Cast Up Current! Big Cutthroat do not want to work hard for their food, they didn’t get fat swimming on a treadmill! The fish are targeting bait that is confused by current or is weak and being swept down current, so lets swim those flies just like they want it! Stripping down current also means you need to strip a little quicker to keep tight with your fly, particularly on a good tidal flow! This is another big bonus of a sinking line to keep your fly pulled down in the water column while stripping fast down stream.

Stay Tight! Keep that line tight to the fly! I can not tell you how many times I see clients miss fish with their rod tip up. Their fly line never comes tight, and they don’t even know their fly was eaten until their rod tip gets tugged and the fish is gone. “Rod tip down!” “Strip a little quicker.” “Keep up with that fly!” However what I really mean is, “G@$D!%m it that fish was huge and I just watched it pick up your fly, pick its teeth with the hook point, and even admired the tasteful use of the Fish Mask, all before you even knew anything happened!” Stay tight to the fly at all times! Staying tight to the fly will assure your fly is always moving away from the fish, playing cat and mouse and triggering a chase instinct, and it will make sure you feel everything the fly does. If the fly is plucked at, picks up weeds, or if it is eaten, you will feel it and can act accordingly.

These tips will ensure a much better catch rate and also a much larger fish in your net! I hope this was helpful in putting the puzzle together!

All-Waters

Fly Fishing and Guide Service

Sea Trout