Northwest Fishing Reports

Greetings fellow matching-wits-against-those-with-fins-that-swim club members,

My name is Jeff & I live here in Kent. I am looking for someone to feel pity on an old man (me) by showing me what’s to be had in the surrounding area. My job moved me up here 3 years ago from the central valley in CA, where I knew most of the lakes & rivers like an old friend. Since moving up here, work, family & mostly an endless supply of excuses have kept me off the water.

A little about me: (I’ll try not to bore you too badly…)

I’m 40, no wait, make that 41 years old (birthday was in July) and I am an avid fly fisherman. The greatest man & fellow fly fisherman I have ever known (my step-dad), placed a fly rod in my hand 34 years ago and had me practice my casting as he was irrigating the pastures on his farm. Eventually he had me watch how the (barbless) fly acted as it sat on & then tumbled around under the surface. From that moment on, I was hooked. No pun intended. I love tying my own flies, but my creations tend to look like something Frankenstein woulda used. The only time I’ll put my fly rod down & pick up a regular setup, is when I go catfishing (my other passion) or after Salmon, which I did 2 years ago on the Carbon river here in WA and dang near had the time of my life. I grew up more or less in the outdoors. Rock & ice climbing, backpacking, Skiing, etc. My passion though, was fishing. I am also strictly catch & release.

My wife & daughter (boss #1 & boss #2) knows how much I love fishing & have grown tired of my excuses that I am “too tired from work” to go fishing, whereas the honest truth was I just didn’t know where to go up here & didn’t know anyone else that liked to fish. Why I didn’t think to join an online forum earlier is one of those mysteries of the universe that I’ll never be able to unravel.

My “hunting” grounds of choice are rivers & streams, but that’s because that’s mostly what there was where I grew up. I’d love to try my hand at a lake & lean the skills required for deep water. My days off are Mondays & Fridays. If possible, I’d like to start local & work my way out. Any type or size of fish is fine. I'm a true believer that a bad day fishin beats a good day at work.

Any help from a like minded individual, who has endless patience & likes a good laugh, would be most appreciated.

Thank you for reading.

-MRG

my expirience is from snohomish and skagit county mostly. so most of my tips and places to go will be up here, its a good drive, but these places wont disapoint.
1.)lake bosworth granite falls wa. from a boat/kayak/float tube or raft. in the cooler months troll carey specials or knudson spiders, in the warmer months fish either very early or very late. nymph way down deep id suggest a blood worm, or san juan worm on a fast sink tip with a good long leader. let it sink down 20-30ft and just drift around with the wind. rainbow trout, very nice sized coastal cutthroat, and kokanee reside in the lake. great largemouth bass opportunities are also present.
2.) rattlesnake lake, northbend, king county. its a selective gears fishery which means there are usually alot of fish to be had. its not a very deep lake, i would stick to the streamers you are most comfortable with.
3.)Lone lake island county. this is managed as a "trophy fishery" with a minimum size of 18" and a daily limit of 1 this lake does have some big brutish rainbows to be had and is open year round.
4.) pass lake skagit county, fly fishing only regs. huge browns and bows to be had, best if fished from a floatation devise.
actually all of these lakes are better fished while in the water.
if you fish nothing but these 4 lakes you will have endless opportunity for either huge trout or 20+ fish days depending on which lake you chose to fish.
ive never not limited out at bosworth for example.

as for streams... i cant bring myself to mention the names here on the forum. feel free to pm me..

@JonB,

Thank you for listing out the lakes above. I'm on break at work right now, so I'll have to wait until I get home before I can look into those that you mention. I would dearly love to hook onto a large Rainbow or Brown & test my skill. I'd prob lose that battle forthwith, but what a battle it would be & that's where "Tall Tails Fish Stories" come from right?! I really need to look into buying myself a 1 man Pontoon so I can get out onto the lakes. Have never used one, so that's another item on the check list.

Gotta cut this short. Thanks again for taking a moment to post & once I get caught up to speed, I'll most definately be sending a PM your way!

-MRG

you could try lake wilderness for trout in the cooler weather. I caught a few fly fishing this spring .There are many lakes in the kent area that are stocked with trout. If you have a little boat or a float tube you can fish a different lake just about every day and not fish them all .I picked up a Thomas map guide and started looking through it was suprized at how many lakes with a fish and game boat launch there are between Seattle and Tacoma to the mountains . It seems that most are around Kent and Federalway .I am a beginner fly fisherman ,but if you wish to hook up sometime and go, give me a shout , I can show you a few places where there are fish to be caught , Im just not too good at catching them yet lol

MRG, Welcome to the Kent/Auburn valley. My roots are in the Central Valley, although I grew up around here. Not a fly fisherman(yet), but there are many options for you. As for rivers you could look up the regs for the south and middle forks of the Snoqualmie. There are also all of the Alpine lakes(the reason I want to learn the fly rod). You can find them listed in the WDFW web site or search for hikes listed on washington trails association. I also hear that Fly fisherman are having pretty good success from the beaches on the puget sound for the pinks right now. I live over in Auburn and usually can get away durring the week. Send me a PM if you want a local guide sometime.

@SeattleSteeler,

I have actually been out to Lake Wilderness quite a few times since moving up here. It’s my family’s rescue dog’s favorite place to romp. While there, I have seen several small schools of fish right off the shore & off the dock next to the beach. I’ve seen a little action off to the left as the lake curves around. They were jumping over near the submerged logs. I have also seen a few people bait fishing along the bank, though all said the fish weren’t biting. I did talk to one guy that was casting a fly & said he had had a couple small strikes, but that was it. You aren’t the first person to mention a 1 person pontoon float boat. I’m really gonna have to invest in one. I just have to find one that will hold my weight and not break the bank. You’re right, there are a whole slew of lakes up here. The trick I’m finding, is knowing the rules & regulations for each & that’s where I’m needing the most help with. As for the offer, I’m most definitely interested in meeting up to try our luck on a river, stream or even lake!

@DaveM,

Thanks for the welcome! I’m glad you mentioned the Snoqualmie, as that’s a river that I have been giving some serious thought about. I have watched a few videos on Youtube of people fishing it, and apart from it looking like a beautiful river, the fish look like they have spirit. My biggest hurdle, will be to learn all the rules for each location, as I’m finding there are many such rules pertaining to the lakes, rivers & streams here in WA. As for not yet trying your hand at fly fishing, If you love the noble challenge of matching your wits against those of a fish, well in my humble opinion, there is no better way than to do so via fooling them with a natural looking bait. I’ll make you a deal. I have an extra fly rod & reel & a large selection of flies that I can set you up with to try in exchange for your knowledge of where we can go. If you’d like, we can meet up somewhere & I’ll go over the basics of casting & let you get the feel of it before we head out. Keep in mind that I’m as far from being an expert as I am from say, walking on the moon, but I’ll gladly show what little lore I know.

Sounds great MRG. I will send you a PM with contact info. Also here are some regs for the Snoqualmie above the falls and the forks. As well as the Raging river. Tried to clean them up a bit, it is hard to read the way it copied. Highly recomend getting a REG booklet and keeping it in a pack. Then all you have to do is check the emergency rule updates before you go.

RAGING RIVER (King Co.) from mouth to Hwy. 18 Bridge (3 miles upstream from Preston) (842)
TROUT First Sat. in June-Jan. 31 Min. size 14". Daily limit 2.
Other Game Fish First Sat. in June-Jan. 31 Statewide min. size/daily limit.

SNOQUALMIE RIVER (King Co.) from Snoqualmie Falls upstream including NORTH and SOUTH forks (852)
All SPECIES - selective gear rules. Internal combustion motors prohibited.
TROUT Saturday before Memorial Day-Oct. 31 Min. size 10". Daily limit 2.
Other Game Fish Saturday before Memorial Day-Oct. 31 Statewide min. size/daily limit.
All Game Fish Nov. 1-Fri. before Memorial Day Catch-and-release.

upstream of Snoqualmie Falls, and tributaries of North and South forks, (except Tate, Sunday and Phillapa creeks
All Game Fish Saturday before Memorial Day-Oct. 31 Statewide min. size/daily limit.
Boxley Creek (King Co.) (South Fork Snoqualmie River) from falls (located approximately river mile 0.9) upstream
All Game Fish Saturday before Memorial Day-Oct. 31 Statewide min. size/daily limit.
Coal Creek (King Co.) (near Snoqualmie) from mouth to Hwy. I-90 Juvenile anglers only (under 15 years old).
TROUT 4th Sat. in Apr.-Oct. 31 No min size. Daily limit 2.
Other Game Fish 4th Sat. in Apr.-Oct. 31 Statewide min. size/daily limit.
from Hwy. I-90 upstream All Game Fish Saturday before
Memorial Day-Oct. 31
Statewide min. size/daily limit.
Kimball Creek (King Co.) (near
Snoqualmie)
Juvenile anglers only (under 15 years old).
TROUT 4th Sat. in Apr.-Oct. 31 No min size. Daily limit 2.
Other Game Fish 4th Sat. in Apr.-Oct. 31 Statewide min. size/daily limit.
SNOQUALMIE RIVER, MIDDLE
FORK (King. Co.) from mouth upstream
including all tributaries except Pratt and
Taylor rivers (852)
All Game Fish Year-round Catch-and-release and selective gear rules. Internal combustion
motors prohibited.
Pratt River (King Co.)
Taylor River (King Co.)
All Game Fish Saturday before
Memorial Day-Oct. 31
Catch-and-release and selective gear rules.