by Jason Brooks, June 26, 2014

Sultan WA-For salmon and steelhead anglers there are few opportunities where we can target both fish at the same time with the same techniques on the same river. For those that live in the Central Puget Sound region and even the other side of the mountains in the Wenatchee Valley the Skykomish River is a blessing. With headwaters that start near the summit of Steven Pass and highway U.S. 2 paralleling the river for most of its fish holding stretches the scenic Skykomish can be reached within a few hours from Seattle or Wenatchee.

Water conditions early on can be a factor with most years having a snow runoff affecting the fishing especially if we get a heat wave and the water rises too fast. But when the water is a little high the fish head straight up river to where the currents pick up a bit just above Monroe. This part of the river has deep pools and slots where the fish will slow down and hold, unlike in the lower river that is slow and wide meandering through cow pastures and old flood plains. This year though the river is already lower than normal and if the trend continues we could see extremely low water in July and August. The low clear water means free drifting small baits of eggs and corkies with some fish being taken on prawns but it’s mostly an egg show. For colors think rocket red, pink, yellow and chartreuse. If you don’t have any eggs then a combo of a Mack’s Lure Cha Cha Pill Float in the above mentioned colors with a small red bead in front and a Mack’s Lure Smile Blade in a contrasting color is a great drift fishing set up. It was first shown to me by Bob Loomis, Marketing Director for Mack’s Lure, a few years ago for fishing the Wenatchee River which is also a low, clear water fishery. A good combo is the chartreuse with orange scale Pill Float and a small pink or green Smile Blade. A secondary color combo is a blue and white Pill Float with a blue or brown Smile Blade for really sunny days.

Target the same water for both Chinook and Steelhead with the same set ups. This can make for a very fun fishery as you never know if you have an 8 pound summer steelhead or a 20 pound summer king on the line. I can’t stress enough to fish the edges and seams of fast and slow water. This is the same water that floating a small, dark colored jig under a float can produce steelhead. Soak the jig in shrimp scent and make sure to cast above the seam allowing it to slide into the slot so not to spook fish.

Some anglers pull plugs and do pretty well if the water conditions allow you to pull them. Since this technique is for holding fish in deep slots its better used later in the month and into July when the water drops and the fish stack up in deeper holes. The first time I fished the Skykomish it was late June and the snow pack was low that winter. We floated from Sultan to the Ben Howard launch and somewhere about halfway down we high centered our drift boat in a shallow rapid. After dislodging the boat and rowing away from the swift water on the far side of the river my fishing partner hooked into a Chinook jack. This was a great surprise since we were targeting steelhead not knowing that both fish like the same baits. Keep this in mind when it comes to later in the month and if you use a sled that the water can get a bit tight if you’re not watching where you’re going.

Because water conditions can vary from day to day and towards the middle of summer the fish are pushed into holes and everyone using a sled needs to be courteous and not run over the fish on the way back up river. If you hook into a fish in a run head back up and hit it again. The biggest part of when running back up is to stay off of the fish as this gives all anglers a chance at a quality experience and I have caught more than one fish out of the same run. And speaking of a quality experience I gave Nate Treat (Nate Treat Fishing 360-481-0051) a call in mid-June. He said that so far he has had a few days where the catching was good but expects the fishery to change over to low water steelhead. Some kings are still being caught and will be through the first half of July. The steelhead will be there and past into August. If he is targeting mostly steelhead he will try drift fishing yarn and corkies or floating a jig under a bobber. If kings are the target then he likes to back bounce eggs.

One thing that Nate stressed is that with the low and clear water you need to fish early as the bright sun turns off the bite. He also suggested that you try and stay off of the fish and cast above them allowing your gear too quietly and slowly come into the fish. For where he likes to float his drift boat there are two stretches with the first being what he considers the “Upper float” which is from High Bridge down to Sultan. Treat did warn that there is a boulder garden you need to go through and make sure you pick your way through it as the water drops it can get really sketchy with exposed rocks. This float also puts you starting out above the Wallace River so it’s primarily a steelhead show until you pass the Wallace just before Sultan.

The second float he likes to do is from Sultan down to Monroe. This is the same float that I like to do and we both agree that it is an easy float for those that might be new to rowing a drift boat. This stretch of river also gets hit pretty hard by those with a jet sled so expect a lot of company. Both kings and steelhead are found in this stretch of the river so make sure you have a jar of freshly cured salmon eggs along. Treat really stressed the “fresh” part of the cured eggs as he has found that last fall’s eggs that have been sitting in your freezer might not entice the bite that fresh eggs can create.

For guys with boats, especially sleds a popular place to fish is near the Wallace River since this is where the kings are heading. The closer you get to the Wallace the better the fishing can be, especially later in the summer when the fish slow down and hold in the Skykomish. Bank anglers have several places to fish as well including the boulder garden just below Reiter Ponds. The famed “Cracker bar” across from Sultan as well as places near the mouth of the Wallace are great for kings and a few steelhead. You can take the road that heads to the Ben Howard launch and continue upriver a ways. Find a place to park and hike down to the river to a corner just above the Ben Howard access site, making sure you don’t trespass on private property. The top of this corner has been carved out and is a deep slot that holds a lot of fish. Locals have a little hidden hole, known as the Ellwell creek hole.

Reports are already coming in since the June 1st opener and so far the Skykomish is a little “hit and miss” with some picking up a few fish while others can’t entice a bite. A mixed bag of both kings and steelhead are being caught but most of the steelhead seems to be coming from just below Reiter Ponds in an area of deep water strewn with boulders. Floating jigs tipped with a bit of prawn or soaked in Northwest Bait & Scent’s shrimp or garlic is popular.

The river flows are running about 2,000 cfs lower than the average for this time of year and as we continue into summer the water will drop even more. This is where fishing beads can pay off. The small presentation of a single bead drifted along makes it almost impossible for steelhead to pass up and as July heats up the main focus will be targeting steelhead. You can dress up the beads with marabou making a great drift fishing or fly fishing presentation. For some great information on the various ways to rig and fish beads go to www.HeviBeads.com where they have some videos providing easy instructions.

Due to the recent lawsuit and settlement from the Wild Fish Conservatory Puget Sound steelhead rivers are coming to an abrupt end with the exception of the Skykomish which will see a huge reduction of smolt plants but will still offer a fishery into the future. Soon this river will be the only game in town for summer steelhead close to Pugatropolis making for very crowded conditions for very few fish. At least this summer we still have a chance to fish other rivers but it is hard to beat the Skykomish for a summer float as you never know if the fish on the other end is a summer steelhead or a feisty chinook.