Back in Business...

To say that this past year has been busy is a major understatement. As a result of everything else going on in life right now, fishing and blogging for that matter dropped down my priority list. However, after a long break I finally got back after some sea-run Cutthroat at one of my favorite spots. 

The estuary

I arrived at estuary at low tide in hopes that the Coastal Cutthroat would be pushing into the river behind the salmon. As it would have it, while the salmon weren't moving in quite yet the Cutthroat certainly were waiting for them. I started out with a prawn pattern and within a couple of casts I got my first Cutthroat, a chunky 12" fish that fought valiantly on my 6 weight. I spent the next half an hour in this spot and landed three more Coastal Cutthroat before the fish seemed to wizen up. With the bite slowing down I decided it was time switch flies and head upstream. I put on one of my ever dependable Sea-run Buggers and in the next hole I missed another decent Cutthroat, then hooked into an even nicer one that looked to be about 18" to 20". However, I didn't get a very good hookset and after a few jumps the fish got the better of me.

Salmon season is underway (spawned out summer chum)

As I proceeded upstream, the Cutthroat were tucked along the undercut banks and seemed pretty interested in the Sea-run Bugger. Even when they were already full of salmon smolts they were still couldn't help themselves, such as this beauty below.

Still hungry...

Gotta love Coastal Cutthroat, they just don't know when enough is enough

 With the tide flooding in earnest at this point, I started making my way back downstream and sure enough the salmon started pushing into the river. As I was working my way down a side channel, I saw a wake coming upstream as a school of Coho worked their way over a bar. I cast my Sea-run Bugger downstream and gave it a couple of twitches just in front of the school and as fate would have it, one of the Coho broke away from the group and grabbed my fly. This Coho was big, and seemed to use its brute strength to its advantage making several good runs and putting my 6 wt to the test before finally coming to hand. This fish felt quite rewarding as last year I hooked 7 Coho without landing a single one and the year before I went one for thirteen. One for one, not bad!

 My first migratory Coho in two years.

Right as I got my fly out of this Coho and got him on his way, another school pushed through the shallows. I lucked out and these fish were grabby as well and the previous situation replayed itself. This time the Coho was a little bit smaller, but what is was lacking in size it made up for in fight and put up quite an aerial display. Luckily I got a good hookset on it and after a few minutes of tug of war, I was able to bring the beautiful 26" buck in. With the tide in at this point the Coho seemed to be done pushing in and I needed to get out before being stranded. So I cut my losses (or gains) and got out while I still could.

2 for 2!! Great way to end the day!

Time to head home!

First fish of 2012

After a long stretch without any fishing, I got out for my first outing of the new year with a my buddies Craig and Bob. To say that the weather was beautiful would be a vast understatement as it was as nice of a bluebird day as the Evergreen State has to offer.

An unseasonably nice day on the water

The nice weather meant that the river was fairly busy, but there were still some fish around, they just required some work. Craig hooked into the first fish of day, which took as he was retrieving his fly but popped off almost immediately. Nymphing seemed to be get the best reaction from the fish and it was just a matter of persistence and keeping them on once hooked. The honor of landing the first fish of the day went to Bob, it just wasn't the steelhead that we were hoping for but a Whitefish.

Also found this little guy...

With day growing short and after personally losing two steelhead in a row, I finally made it happen and hooked into a very hot 10 or 11lb steelhead. This fish seemed inclined to spend as much time in the backing as possible, but after chasing downstream for a good 1/8 mile we were finally able to bring it to the net. Being a hatchery fish it became a guest of honor for dinner too.

Not too bad for my first fish of 2012

We didn't touch another fish after I was lucky enough to get mine, but it was one of the more beautiful days on the water that I can remember in a long time.

A great day on the water