Squamish

"We're almost there" Henry exclaimed as he tried to discern one gorgeous run-pool-braid from another as we bounced up the logging road that runs keeps pace with the Upper Squamish River in BC. 

Big Water Looking Upstream

We'd begun our day pre-dawn in Philly and aided by the time change we were  able to both see a bit of Vancouver and find our way into the watery neighborhood we'd be fishing for the following three days by early evening.  Our arrival spot, which became our defacto home base has a name but you'll have to ask Henry or our Guide Clint Goyette from Valley Fishing Guides . 










It's sheltered East and West by snow-capped, mountains along the long access of the river, but if the winds are blowing along the river valley -- you're in for a howler.  Nature hasn't been tamed here, this broad free-stoner is cold from the glaciated mountains with a bouldery-cobble bottom.

We'd cross this tiny thread of river to get to a main braid from our homebase

Hen's first Bulltrout 

During our 4-days on the river we saw it milky, steelhead-green, icy grey and perfectly clear.  As Clint repeated to us, the river is never the same and each day you have to question it as you hunt steelhead. 

I think, "pure joy" captures what's going on here!

Remembering Jack Davis' mantra, "you can use any color bugger you want...as long as it's olive," the sun had already slipped beneath the Western ridge-line as Henry and I caught our first bulltrout swinging olive streamers to the darkest reaches of the run.  We came off the river at 2105 with smiles creased into our faces and the promise of three fishy days ahead.

Caffeinated at Bean around the World we trundled into our trucks and bumped 12ish miles north into the upper Squamish over and trough potholes that grew each bounce.   This is wild country, during the muddy slog we moved through public land owned by the Crown and 'First Nation' (Indian Property) marveling at the Elk and wondering if we'd catch a glimpse of a bear rousing from its winter sleep.  Clint pointed to one jeep trail where the bear attack scene from The Revenant was filmed...yes that's right where we were :-)

8wt 13' Spey rod water-loaded and ready to launch 

Our two days with Clint were spent learning, hunting and swinging streamers for steelhead with a few hours devoted to tight-line nymphing for trout.  I was (and am) a novice at both Spey casting and tight line nymphing but under Clint's guidance became passable (barely) at both techniques.  

a trophy (for me) bull BTH w/a fly I tied on a 4wt rod --  'No', it didn't fit in that tiny net on my back

Clint took great satisfaction when Hen and I each caught fish with both techniques.  Along the way Hen and I took mental notes and on reading the water, the theory and practice of various spey casts, fly presentation, hook-set and fish-fighting to name areas where I have humbling amount of room to grow as an angler/fish hunter.

Hen w a steely grey handsome Bulltrout, not sure if it was wetter in the water or "Out" of the water

Every few minutes I'd find myself transfixed by the beauty around me, a useful distraction from the cold and wet (fishy) weather that kept us on our toes.   Those mountains have a majestic, brutal beauty.  I love my worn Appalachians, but these young-spiky mountains were mesmerizing. 

BBB -- Big Bad Bow for Hen!

Steelhead Battle

Among the highlights of the trip was the fabulous instruction and education from Clint, catching, and having Henry catch quite a few trout on flies I'd tied (thanks Scott).  Catching a monster bull trout myself and watching Henry land (many fish) but in particular a gorgeous rainbow and hooking into and watching Henry have a battle with a steelhead on the last day.  Henry applied everything Clint taught in terms of fighting the ST but as the ST got close to the bank, even with sideways pressure and a nice shock absorbing curve to his 8wt, he shook his body, flipped his orientation and threw the hook.  We didn't land him but it was exciting validation of all we'd learned.

Thanks again to Clint for the instruction and Henry and Liz for an amazing 50th Birthday present.   We'll be back!

Winter/Spring Update Potomac + Shad

Headed upstream on the Potomac

Lucky doesn't do justice to how fortunate I've been this Winter and Spring to have continued fishing with neighbor and bass-boat owner Matt. 

Mount Vernon is about 2/3 of the way to DC from our Put-in in Leesylvania State Park

Its been thrilling to cruise at +40 mph to DC from Leesburg State Park to fish the warm water discharge at Blue Plains.   With the water warming now I'll be more and more back to my old haunts but also look forward to refining my bucket-mouth skills in the Potomac with Matt.

Gizard Shad -- available year round in the Potomac

Handsome Golden Carp form Matt at Blue Plains

they're amazing on the fly!

Fritz and I found the Rappahanock thick with Shad on our first recon trip 28 March to our normal haunt in the fall-line.    In subsequent trips I enjoyed smiles on Jacob and James' mugs as well as they fought the feisty shad...what amazing fish.

James at the Island-tip Pool

Jacob couldn't miss

Trying my best to mimic the 1.25" silver shad spoon I put the Davis' fly tying desk to good use developing a fast sinking silver shad dart.

With Mum looking down at a washed out Pool

James and Mum catch up on the beach at island tip hole

Thanks for looking

Little Falls bests the GunPowder

Armed with a new new BC-bred appreciation for Czech nymphing and a 10' 3wt SAGE rod Henry and I tried set out to question some trout on Maryland's famed Gunpowder and lesser known Little Falls this past week.  Our plan was to acquaint ourselves with unfished (by us) watery on Little Falls in the morning and then hit more familiar water on the Upper Gunpowder in the afternoon hoping that the trout might cooperate and glance up to a light hatch in the short afternoon. 

This is Little Falls -- lovely size and flow

We met at Bagel Meister again in the small town of Phoenix, MD.    This is by far the best place to meet for any journey to the GunPowder.   Loaded up with Coffee, lunch bagels, silly-delicious breakfast sandwiches and good cheer we headed off to one of the uppermost access point to Little Falls. 

Little Falls is one stream system north of the the Gunpowder and aggregates cool water from tiny feeders just below the Pennsylvania border as opposed to the GP which begins at the tail-race of PrettyBoy Reservoir.

Hen Works a deep seem under the Trestle

The water was clear and the sky was grey as we started out.   As happens in the Fall both water and air were 54 degrees.   Henry ran a long leadered, double-dropper rig under a colored tippet indicator.  I started with a standard double dropper under an indicator, but it quickly became apparent that Henry's dead dropping and tight to his fly technique allowed him to adjust to the depth far better and sense strikes that I either didn't get and or couldn't discern.

GunPowder

Throughout the rest of the day I went back and forth and Henry's nyphing method seemed to raise the strike count substantially.  The key here is to keep a high tip, follow the fly through a short drift and stay (by way of no slack in you line) directly connected to the fly. 

After we both caught a few leap frog fishing on Little Falls will wolfed down our bagel sandwiches on on the 20 minute drive to the Gunpowder. To our dismay the Gunpowder was running too high to be effectively fished.    They must have been releasing water from PrettyBoy Reservoir and discharge we around 260cfs.   Henry and I decided that we'd only fish this top portion above Falls road where the gorge channelizes flow when its at 200cfs or less and for the record believe that the sweet spot is probably around 130cfs.

Eastern Fly Fisherman Photo?   ... Hen High sticks a full Gunpowder

I took these to show Fishing friends the amazing cobble on Little Falls

With the sun quickly falling behind the high walls of the GP gorge and only a fish or three brought to hand we headed back to another access point on Little Falls to see if we could duplicate our morning success.   We were in luck and w/o another angler in site we found trout that we had to work for but were happy to play.

12' Rainbow was the biggest fish of the day and the only bow

This little mite of a brown on my last cast of the day in the failing light

Thanks for sharing our Adventure

High on BC

                                             

Not all falls work out as planned and when Henry couldn't make our September trip to Salmon River he started looking for other opportunities to get on the water.  Opportunity knocked on a recent trip to Vancouver and Henry found himself with the balance of half a day to find some water.  I've never fished this far West but Fritz says its amazing (Henry agrees).

                            

A good recommendation and a google search later Henry linked up with Valley Fishing Guides and its owner Clint Goyette.  Clint took great care of Henry and if you ever get a chance Henry recommends that you call Clint and his team. 

Coho Catch

Clint and Hen arrived at some guide-favorite waters southwest of Whistler on the Squamish River and Saged-up Henry with a heavier rod for Coho's and a 10' 4wt rod for Bull Trout.

The mountain clear water was flowing cold a clear from the snowy peaks at 45 degrees and when the full sun rose over the mountains the day warmed up to a lovely 68. 

Bull Trout smile for Henry

Clint guided Henry to multiple hook-ups and 4 Coho's brought to hand with a guide-fly called a Gremlin and converted Henry to High-stick Czech Nymphing egg patterns for bull trout.  (He offered to give all his indicators to me...he's a Czech convert!) 

A Czech nymphing convert

There's Henry mid-stream 4/5th of the way on the right

Gorgeous Bull Trout

                                                         

Fish on!

                                             

Gotta plan a trip out here!

Sometimes the pleasure is just getting out

Take me home ...country road

With my hopes of heading to Salmon River on hold for this weekend, I was joined by James to adventure to a remote Mountain Blue line I hadn't visited in years.  This stream isn't a place in the travel guides, but I know it holds small brook trout as it falls through the George Washington National Forest. 

We motored west on 66 through rain and clouds until we found a muddy and familiar looking pull-off deep in the woods and high along the VA/West Va border.  Bear hunters were our only company, that's right, pickups loaded hounds kicking along the back roads waiting for the lead dog (tethered high on the kennel in the back) to pick up bear scent and start baying!  Yep, no-kidding that's how they do it.   When the lead dog picks up the scent the other hounds are released and GPS tracked until they tree the bear. Bang. 

So...extra attuned to bears, we bushwhacked East for 200m until we found the lovely and happily lonely water.  With the water at 64 and the air at 52, after a weather front blew through, we couldn't entice any brookies, but I know they are here and I'll be back.  After climbing back in the truck we motored 15 minutes to catch a few trout at a better known stream so we could end the day on a high note and James could notch another stream to his belt.  We found this second stream unexpectedly slow and but that just made each catch more exciting, food tastes better when your famished, and when we were finished we found that unbeknownst to us we had been fishing probably 15 minutes behind another pair who'ed just walked through our water -- drat!

Note the small minnow at 7-O'clock to the trout!

Little Stony

With two dogs company I set out w a fish pole and no destinatyion last weekend.  It was blissful.   Jamie guided me to a lonesome forest road in the George Washington National Forest where I chased brookies for 2 hours as I cleansed myself of I-95 worries and thoughts.