Classic Flytimes

Dry Falls Lake

I found this old report on WFF. It's posted October 1, 2001 and it's probably the first fishing report I ever posted online.

I arrived at Dry Falls Friday just in time to hit the evening chironomid storm. It was the thickest hatch I have ever seen. During its peak, almost exactly at sunset, the rising trout brought the lake to a boil. Unfortunately I never got dialed into the right pattern, and only caught a couple of very nice rainbows.
Saturday was very kind to me. About mid morning I figured out that they were rising to adult chironomids that were trapped in the surface film. I convinced them to rise to a #14 Lady McConnell and #16 callibaetis cripple. As the sun got hot and high I broke for lunch.
After lunch I switched to a full sinking line and a #10 waterboatman. I would cast the line out as far as I could then troll out the rest allowing it plenty of time to get down. Then with short, rapid strips I would bring it in. This was the most succesful tactic of the day providing a lot of fun until the evening hatch.
Again the hatch was extremely prolific. However I only managed to land a couple of fish. When it was floating well and I could see it a #14 or #16 racoon was a good pattern, but mostly it sits right in the film(or below it) and is hard to see. Perhaps something like a parachute pupa would be a good pattern. I know for sure that they were not interested in a Lady McConnell.

Pass Lake Brownie

Brown Trout

Jiggly Minnows

"There is NOT a hatch over here that shows up on the radar..."

That's the PM I got over at WFF after I posted a response that suggested that such an event happens on an unnamed springcreek in Eastern Washington.

Here's how it all went down. I'm not sure what his angle was but he seemed naive and innocent so I changed his name to Dude.

Dude:
There is NOT a hatch over here (EASTERN WASHINGTON) that shows up on the radar, nice try name dropper, story topper. Think before you speak please.

WT:
What?! You don't know about the big hatch?

Dude:
Guess not

WT:
I know some people at NOAA and they give me the heads up when it shows up on the radar and satellites. Its a good hatch.

Dude:
I not bitting, there is NO hatch around here like that, if so please have your friend from the NOAA email me from his "work" email or send me a pic, the most prolific hatch around here is the mothers day hatch on the yak. If that email does not occur I will keep asumming you are full of shit as you are.

WT:
Here's the deal. The guy at NOAA is a staunch fly fisher and is real protective of his hotspots. Using super advanced high tech radar and satellite technology that only NOAA, NASA and the NSA have access too he has, over the years, zeroed in on some epic hatches across the region.
He thinks that I'm a graduate student in entomolygy and that I'm using the info he gives me to further my studies. If I gave you his email and you sent him some half-witted message about superhatches you would probly blow my cover. If that happened I would have to be content with fishing the Mothers Day Hatch with the rest of the uninformed.
You'll just have to take my word for it.

Dude:
I just think you are a dip shit. Places like the evening hatch know the desert creeks and rivers around here like nobody else, I dont care who your buddy is. let me say it again THERE ARE NO HATCHS THAT BIG IN WASHINGTON STATE, YOU ARE FULL OF SHIT. GOOD LIE THOUGH

Evening at Pass Lake, 7/17/06

Pass Lake

Whenever I suggest fishing at Pass Lake in NW Washington my good close personal friend Mario Batali always advises, "Pass on Pass". Mario has fished there enough to know how moody Pass' fish can be and has given up fishing there altogether.
Well he didn't miss much. The evening rise never materialized. The four fish I caught had to be dredged up from the bottom with a dragon pattern. Nothing like dry fly fishing but as always is better than work.

North Fork Lewis River

Green Drake

Last weekend I spent some time on the North Fork of the Lewis. The NFL is possbly the prettiest and most diverse river I have ever fished. Parts coastal river, North Idaho cutthroat stream and Rocky Mountain freestone this little stream in SW Washington felt like many other rivers around the west.
It did however fish differently. While I would not have been suprised to pull out a brown, cutthroat, redband, brookie or bull I only managed to catch a whitefish and many smallish rainbows. Indeed the largest fish brought to hand was a 12" 'bow. Yet, suprisingly, I was not disapointed. You see, dear reader, I was plenty satisfied not only with the beauty of those little trouts but with the scenery, scents and sounds of the river's surroundings. I must be getting old.
While I never saw what one would call a hatch I did see a smattering of caddis, drakes, duns, stones and one large millepede seen here posing next to a #8 stimmy.
More importantly there was always the feeling that there were large fish to be had. Behind every boulder, beneath all the deadfalls and at the bottom of every dark pool swam a leviathan. Its just that none of them chose to take my fly. Did I see any of those big fish? No. But they were there, are still there and will definately be there when I return. When I do one or more of them will take my fly. I hope

Freestone

Upper North Fork Lewis River

Pass Lake

Renegade

The Renegade is the fly to have for the nightly 'film fest' at Pass Lake. It doesn't look like a midge but it sits low on the surface like one that is trapped in the film. The white fore-hackle makes it easy to see as well. This particular fly is the last of three Renegades that I used last night to land a half dozen 'bows up to 18".