Outing Hosts: Dave Campbell/Jim Watson/Russ Shropshire
Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife is opening portions of the Skagit and Sauk Rivers to “catch and release” steelhead fishing Feb 3 through April 17, 2024. The reason for this special opening is that they forecast a return of 5,215 steelhead. The return is strong enough to allow some fishing opportunities. Opening rules include fishing Saturday thru Wednesday only, closed Thursday and Friday.
Outing date is scheduled for Tuesday February 27. Please note due to the unpredictable nature of the river conditions, the schedule may be revised.
Particulars including choice of river and locations will be determined closer to the scheduled date depending on river conditions.
This will be a “walk and wade” outing. Attached are some photos.
Outing Host - James Schmidt
Munn Lake is open year round. Anglers are limited to selective gear rules and catch and release for all species. The lake offers excellent fishing for rainbow trout 10-20" and the occasional Brown Trout. The lake also supports naturally reproducing Largemouth Bass, Yellow Perch, Bluegill Sunfish, and Black Crappie. The use of bait and internal combustion motors is prohibited on Munn Lake.
Proven methods for targeting Rainbow Trout include fishing multiple chironomid imitations suspended from a float or trolling artificial flies/spinners. Brown Trout can be found on the margins of the lake in shaded areas and have been caught casting and retrieving artificial minnow imitations and/or spinners. Shore fishing access is limited to the area around the boat launch.
Suggested equipment: 5 weight rod with either a full sinking line and sculpin patterns or a floating line with 12 to 15 feet leaders and chironomid patterns.
Last year's Munn Lake Outing story may be found in the April 2023 Flypaper.
There is a WDFW access with boat launch and one toilet.
Directions.
Outing Host - Wytold Lebing
This 90 acre lake is managed as a quality fishing water where fish in excess of 16 inches can be regularly caught. The lake at its deepest is less than 20 feet. Fishing is best in the spring and the fall as warmer water temperatures and reduced water clarity in the summer can limit catch rates. Two pole fishing is allowed. Chironomid, leeches, and wooly bugger patterns are very successful. A bloodworm pattern is often effective February into April. Introduced warm water species (i.e. Largemouth Bass, Yellow Perch and Brown Bullhead) are also present in the lake.
The access area on the north shore has a concrete boat ramp, parking area and pit toilet. The access is via a county park so there is no need for a Discovery Pass or WDFW Pass.
Two-pole fishing is allowed. 1 fish measuring 18” or more may be kept.
The Lone Lake outing report from April 2023 may be found in the May 2023 Flypaper.
Driving Instructions, From Mukilteo:
What to Bring:
Outing Host: Peter Maunsell and Scott Keenholts
Date is tentative and registration will be enabled when date becomes available.
The Upper Yakima area, from Bullfrog Road to Ellensburg, offers more than 20 miles of relatively easy wading and floating. NFA will set up camp at (TBD) Campground, near the river and South Cle Elum. This section is well traveled by local guides because there are plentiful hatches of insects and plenty of large fish taking both wet and dry flies.
Your primary catch will be rainbow trout and whitefish. Many of our group will be floating one of several drift sections. If you don't have a boat, there is easy wade access points from the Bullfrog Road area, through South Cle Elum, down to Thorp and beyond along Highway 10 This should be an ideal time when the April runoff is slowing and before early irrigation floods start.
What to Bring for Fishing:
What to Bring for Camping:
Food & Beverages:
Directions:
Cancellation Deadline: Cancellation deadline is 8:00 p.m. April 26th. If you need to cancel, contact the Outing Host(s). No refunds will be issued after the cancellation deadline.
Coffee Pot Lake Hosts - David Williams & Eric Olson
Coffee Pot Lake is best known for its prodigious chironomid hatches that feed rainbow trout reaching nearly 24 inches long. In addition to those big trout, swimming under the fly fishers radar are plenty of largemouth bass that go up to 5 pounds. It has black crappie and some yellow perch as well. Coffeepot is located in a deep coulee a few miles northeast of Odessa, so a floating device is necessary.
You’ll want chironomids–some with weight and some without. If the water is still cool, then the fish will be working deep. Last June, the fish were cruising the surface. TDC’s, Ice Cream Cones, and your favorite chironomid patterns in size 14-18 work. Dragonfly nymphs such as Chickabou Dragon or Draper Dragon (Flies Of The Northwest pattern book) on a sinking line will take fish. Of course the ubiquitous black or olive rabbit bugger will catch most anything.
All you need to have the most topwater fun with the largemouth is The Hamster (Flyfishing for Western Smallmouth) and expect a nasty strike from a big rainbow as well. Add a white baitfish pattern (ask Eric Olson for his pattern) and you’ll be set.
This lake is in a remote location but there is a small BLM campground and boat launch available there. The campground has approximately 10 campsites with picnic tables and campfire rings, a large covered pavilion, plenty of parking for RVs, and a vault toilet. There is no potable water on site so each of us will need to bring drinking water, approximately 1 gallon per person per day.
Last years Coffee Pot Lake outing report may be found in the June 2023 Flypaper.
Getting There
Cancellation Deadline: Deadline for cancellation is 8:00 p.m. the Sunday before the outing. If you need to cancel, please contact the Outing Host(s). There will be no refunds after the cancellation deadline.
Host and location TBD.
Chopaka Lake Host - TBD
This trip is designed to hit the peak of trout activity in this remote lake in Okanogan country. Chopaka Lake is where fly fishermen belong, and chironomid soakers put down roots. It just may be the hottest Callibaetis mayfly lake in the state. Located on a distant walled-in funnel at just under 3,000 feet elevation above the Sinlahekin Valley, Chopaka Lake is 148.8 acres of trout water squeezed into a narrow 1½ mile-long ladle. Depths in the southern half, the handle end, average less than 10 feet and support fertile nests of bottom vegetation that grow incredible insect fodder, especially mayfly nymphs. The bowl of the ladle is on the north end where the lake bottom plunges to more than 70 feet. A floating device is necessary to fish for the really large rainbows that cruise the lake.
WA DNR has a no fee campground with 2 vault toilets, questionable potable water, and a number of campsites with picnic tables. A few of the picnic tables have wooden canopies. You should have your WA Discovery Pass or WA DNR Pass with you for this campground.
The federal BLM has a no fee campground with 8 campsites with campfire rings and a vault toilet just past the DNR campground. There has been camping outside of the defined campsites in the BLM campground area.
NFA usually establishes itself in the DNR campground.
Cedar River Host - Scott Keenholts
The Cedar River Regional Trail runs a little more than 17 miles parallel to the river from Renton to the Landsburg Road Bridge. It is situated atop an abandoned rail line built to haul coal from mines in the Cascade foothills to settlements in the lowlands. This scenic trail provides visual and physical access to the river in many locations and is adjacent to many public access sites. The trail is paved from Lake Washington to Maple Valley with compacted gravel the remainder of the distance. Getting into the river from the trail is sometimes a scramble down a well used trail or slope. Walking 1/2 to 1 mile, or more, from a parking area is encouraged.
Trout 9” to 12” are very common. Trout and whitefish 16” to 19” are available. The Cedar River is a catch and release, walk-and-wade fishery. The river is open from the mouth at Lake Washington upstream to the Landsburg Road Bridge. The season opens on the last Saturday in May and closes on August 31.
The River is a prime location for fishing in King County. It also attracts less fortunate people who want what you leave unprotected. Your first precaution has to be don't leave anything visible to searching eyes in your parked car.
Finally, by registering for the outing you create/occupy a reservation. If you want to cancel, navigate through the NFA event registration tool you used to sign up, or get assistance from Brett the website admin. If you register and don't show you are not being as considerate to your club friends as you surely want to be.
Flies:
Outing Hosts - Ron Lee and Scott Keenholts
Outing Host: TBD
Big bushy dry flies are of special interest to the large (up to 20 inches) cutthroat that live in the Methow River. Nymphs will also tempt these cutthroat and the healthy rainbow population. The Methow is a great river to float: fishing is allowed from the boat. Other flowing water venues are the Twisp River and the Chewuck River; both best suited for wading. For lake fishermen, there is Big Twin Lake, located at our campsite. Other nearby lakes include Pearrygin Lake and Patterson Lake. For the non-fishers, there is swimming, hiking, biking, shopping (Twisp's Saturday farmers market and cowboy town Winthrop), and sightseeing (Grand Coulee Dam).
We are camping at Big Twin Lake Campground located at 210 Twin Lakes Road, Winthrop. Big Twin Lake Campground The camping fees are $30.00/night plus tax for 1 tent, up to 2 people, 1 vehicle. Children under 18 are free. Our group campsite is OF11 and OF12. When entering the campground, stop at the office and let them know you are with Northwest Fly Anglers group. Pay camping fees and proceed to the group site. If you want a trailer hook up, please contact Big Twin Lake Resort directly (tele. 509-996-2650) and reserve a site ahead of time. Hook up sites are $50.00/night plus tax.
Directions: Directions to Big Twin Lake Campground
Outing Hosts - Dave Campbell and Jim Watson
The Snoqualmie River is located approximately 1 hour from Seattle. it has 3 forks, the South, Middle, and North Forks, which join to form the main stem river at Snoqualmie. It flows over the Snoqualmie Falls and through the towns of Fall City, Carnation, and Duvall before joining the Skykomish to form the Snohomish River. The Snoqualmie River is a freestone river without dams to control the flow of water. Mother Nature is completely in charge of the stream flow.
The falls present an upstream barrier to anadromous fish. As a result, native Rainbow Trout and West Slope Cutthroat Trout are found in all three forks. The average size is around 8" to 10", with some more than 12" in length. Due to the size of the trout it is recommended you use lightweight gear on these streams.
Food & Beverages
Host - Matt Moore
Fishing the salt from the beach is one of the fastest growing facets of fly fishing because Puget Sound is blessed with so many miles of beach and so many willing fish. This year the NFA will meet on Camano Island in the early fall. Utsalady Bay will be the place where we will fish for feisty sea-run cutthroat.
What to Bring for Fishing :
Directions will be provided to registered attendees prior to the outing. Matt would like to talk with everyone a week before the outing to find out what folks would like to do, time, fishing and food.
This outing has been arranged with the Rock Island Fish Camp. All food and lodging is included in the price. We have told them that we will have a maximum of 15 people. The cost is ~$1000 (US). The exact RIFC cost depends on the exchange rate and will be determined in the early summer. A $200 deposit is required at the time of registration. Balance is due no later than 45 days before the start of the trip (July 1, 2024). July 1 is also the cancellation date. Beyond that point there is no refund unless you can get somebody to take your place. Much of the information on their website is reproduced below. Members who have been there before including Wytold Lebing, Peter Maunsell, Walt Shields, and Peter Rubenstein.
Although this is technically a no host outing, Wytold Lebing will act as coordinator and contact point with the RIFC staff. Generally, people have carpooled with other members. The drive can be done in one day.
The Lakes: Rock Island Lake is located on B.C.'s famed Nehalliston Plateau. Elevation - 4,200 ft. Some of our walk-in lakes are 5,000 ft. - 5,500 ft. The lakes vary in depth from deep volcanic holes to shallow beaver dams. They differ in water, from clear to marl bottoms, to dark tea colored lily pad ponds.
Most of the lakes have boats on them, but there are some remote walk-in lakes that are only float-tube fishable. Take your tube and enjoy the day. There are also four lakes that are easily accessed from camp, within a fifteen minute walk or short row. Most of our outer lakes are road accessible, some with a drive and walk.
The Fish: All the lakes have only one species "The Famous Wild Kamloops Trout". You have to hook one to know why they are called Wild. They will dance for you! There are no coarse fish in the lakes. The trout range from pan size to 5 lbs, Fish up to 7 lbs have been caught. There is a good selection of flies that work on the Rock Island Lake at the lodge
Accommodations:
There are six cozy log cabins at Rock Island Lake Fishing Camp. All are fully equipped for housekeeping with propane cook tops, wood stoves, towels, cooking & eating utensils and cold running water. Firewood and kindling are at your door. There is an ample supply of ice for your portable coolers. Showers, flush toilets and hot water are all centrally located.
Home Cooked Meals:
Jeannie provides hearty home cooked meals in the cozy lodge. If you have any special dietary needs or restrictions, please let them know at the time of reservation. They will do their best to accommodate you.
You will need to bring:
To make your trip more enjoyable you should bring:
Clark Fork Hosts - Carl & Maura Johnson
Is 430 miles, one way, a long way to go for a weekend of fishing? It depends on where you are going and whom you are going to be with when you arrive. Many people come from all over the world to fish in Montana. We only have to cross eastern Washington and the panhandle of Idaho to get there. Once you arrive in Superior, MT (approximately an 8 hour drive from Seattle), you will be fishing with fellow NFA members and will be the guests of Carl and Maura Johnson.
Carl has a drift boat plus a big outdoor gas grill and he knows how to use it. Maura is a great cook. Tenting is on the Johnson's large lawn which has the softest green grass in the neighborhood. There is a big porch with chairs and lots of shade trees. The list of amenities goes on and on. Most of us will float the river but there are places to bank fish.
The outing report for last years outing may be found in the October 2023 Flypaper.
Outing Hosts - Dave Campbell/Russ Shropshire
Outing Hosts - Peter Maunsell and TBD
The Lower Yakima Canyon, from Wilson Creek to Roza Dam, offers more than 20 miles of relatively easily floating. NFA will set up camp at either the Big Pines Campground or newly protected river front property, both right on the river. This is sagebrush country, a basalt and desert landscape home to Bighorn sheep, deer, and plentiful hatches of insects.
Your primary catch will be trout and whitefish. Almost all of the trout are rainbows. Many of our group will be floating from any of the several launch sites downstream to the Big Pines campground or from the Big Pines campground down to the Roza impoundment. If you don’t have a boat there is easy access via numerous pullouts on Canyon Road running alongside the river, state route WA-821. In the spring and at the end of the summer through the fall, wading is not difficult, When the river runs high during the summer due to upstream releases for irrigation, wading is more difficult.
Outing Host - Scott Keenholts
Outing Host - Peter Maunsell