NO Skykomish River Dam!!

Many fishermen are on the water every chance they get, and as a result get to know their home waters like the back of their hand and learn to love them. It can take years to learn the ins and outs and all the secrets of a particular system. For me the Skykomish River is becoming those waters. I still have many years and many fish to go before I even come close to knowing the river like the back of my hand, but this river has become my “go to” river, is near my home, and has become a river that I thoroughly enjoy fishing. Part of having “home waters” is working to protect, clean, and conserve those waters.


Cold Skykomish River

A study has been developed that would propose a dam on the Skykomish river above sunset falls. The plan would call for the installation of a 55 ft weir that would inflate and deflate as necessary. The dam would divert water into a tube that would run to a power house further down river. The dam would put out enough energy to power about 10,000 homes. This covers about 1% of all of SnoPud’s customers (most of the power coming from Bonneville). The Skykomish River has been designated “Wild and scenic” and is free flowing and should be left this way. Aesthetics, river contamination, fish habit, and financials, should be just some of the concerns here.



Skykomish River Summer

 I am not an engineer nor am I an environmental scientist, and very rarely do I jump on the tree hugger band wagon, but in this situation I think I will. The Skykomish River was designated wild and scenic for a reason. It is a beautiful free flowing river where myself and countless others love to fish, hike, raft, and just plain enjoy. The plan would cost $150 million dollars and would power 10,000 homes. It does not seem worth the risk, when this money could be put towards upgrading current power supplies or other means of energy. With millions of dollars spent to knock down dams on the Elwha River, this plan seems a contradictory and unnecessary.

Below is a link to a petition that can be signed. Also are links to my sources and other articles.

http://www.savetheskyriver.org/

http://www.oregonlive.com

http://www.kirotv.com/news/news/skykomish-dam-plan-moves-ahead/nYJ9n/

Skykomish on Dwellable

The Big Debate: Trout Bead Droppers

Many old time “purist” fly fisherman would consider anything other than a dry fly flung by a bamboo rod to not be fly fishing.  I’m sure many of these old timers were rolling in their graves with the introduction of the bead dropper. It’s been a hot debate for some time now whether or not using a single bead a couple inches up from a bare hook under an indicator can be considered “fly fishing”, and in some cases even “legal”.

Trout Beads

A dropper is a very common and very productive practice in fly fishing, and has been for a very long time. However, when beads came into play as droppers, there was some controversy that developed. These beads can be rigged several different ways. The bead can either be rigged with a tooth pick inserted into the bead, or once the leader is put through the bead it can be doubled back through, this way the angler can move the bead up and down the leader. The idea is that the bead will be placed just a couple inches above a bare hook, and when the fish grabs the bead it slides down the leader and the fish is hooked in the corner of the mouth. There are couple different schools of thought on this, one being that using a plastic bead is not a fly but actually a lure. Two that sliding the bead up the line above a bare hook and then hooking fish in the side of the mouth is considered snagging.  Third, is that it’s just another good old fly fishing tactic, so who cares.

I see where all three thoughts come from, and I hate every meat headed snagging poacher as much as the next guy, but I have a hard time viewing the bead as a snagging tool. Washington State Rules and regulations state, “It is unlawful to possess a fish taken from freshwater that was not hooked inside the mouth or on the head. The head is defined as any portion forward of the rear margin of the gill plate.” (pg. 16, Washington Sport Fishing Rules effective May 1, 2013 – April 30^, 2014).  This makes hooking a fish in the face with the bead method perfectly legal in the state of Washington. However, cross the Columbia River and go into Oregon and you better leave your beads at home. Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife defines snagging as “Taking or attempting to take a fish with a hook and line in a way or manner where the fish is not enticed to voluntarily take the hook(s) in its mouth. Game fish which are hooked other than inside of its mouth must be released immediately unharmed.” (pg. 12 2013 Oregon Sport Fishing Regulations). So hook that hatchery brat in the side of the face in the state of Oregon, and you gotta let it go.

For me, FLY fishing with beads is very new and I have only tried it once to no avail. But it was a topic that interested me due to all the controversy behind it. Personally, I see nothing wrong with it. I have been on rivers where guys tie on a treble hook, a hunk of lead, and then rip their line back hoping for the best. That is not fishing. But a bead is an egg imitation that entices a fish to bite just like your grandpa’s hand tied royal coachman would do. When the fish is hooked in corner or side of the mouth, very little damage is done to the fish. I chose to fly fish for many different reasons, one being that I enjoy catching fish, and even though the bead may be frowned upon by some, I see it as just another tactic. The bead is a very productive way to fish, and many guides have used this tactic to catch fish and the keep their customers happy. In my opinion, as long as you are staying within the legal realms of the water of that you are fishing, bead on.

Okuma Helios Review

With all the big box store putting our local mom and pop fly shops out of business, I thought I would do my part and go to Wal-Mart and look for a fly reel. Normally, I would stay as far away from Wal-Mart as possible for my fishing gear unless I was looking to pick up some power bait, but I received a gift card, and had no choice but to spend it on fishing stuff. I never pegged Wal-Mart as a place to shop for quality fishing gear, but when I was messing around on the interwebs one day, I came across the Okuma Helios reel. I was forced to spend my gift card on the 7/8 model.

I purchased the reel without ever getting the opportunity to play with one or feel it for myself, but I read many positive reviews, and heard great things about the reel around the internet. Okuma has a history of providing good gear at affordable prices. My first 8 weight reel was an Okuma Sierra that has no bells and whistles, but is tough, holds a lot of line, has a solid drag, and is a reel that I still use regularly today.


When I opened the box to my new Okuma Helios 7/8 the first thing I noticed was how light the reel was. I was also impressed with the aesthetics of the reel. A large arbor, made of machined bar stock aluminum, the Helios is light and precise. The Helios has two ball bearings plus one roller bearing on a stainless steel shaft to make it strong and smooth. A major selling point for me was the sealed drag. The sealed drag will protect it from the elements, taking away any worries I may have had about using the reel in saltwater (which I have already). The drag is easily adjustable and super smooth just like the rest of the reel. Me, being a southpaw, the reel also offers and easy conversion from right to left.

There is no shortage of reels on the market that will break the bank above $300, but the Okuma Helios is half that, coming in around $150. The Helios is a great reel for the price, and can easily compete with $700 bank breakers out
there.

               

 

Klickitat River in August

Friday night after a long torturous day of work at our “real” jobs, we decided to brave the wind, dust, forest fires, and lightning and make a b-line for Leidl Campground on the Klickitat River. The Leidl campground is located about 23 miles outside of Goldendale about three miles up from the Stinson Flats campground right on the Klickitat River.


Klickitat River

The Klickitat River is a glacier fed river, and is one of Washington’s longest free flowing rivers. Not a huge river, it runs cold and can be temperamental with weather changes. Hot days create glacial runoff, and a little rain up in the hills will create some color in the river as well. Don’t let the color fool you, even with a little tinge, the river is still very fishable. Though the river lost visibility pretty quickly, the bipolar Klickitat seemed to regain visibility in the afternoons and evenings, making this the better time to fish.

Talking with some of the locals, steelhead fishing has been a bit slower lately than past years, but the fish are still there. As tree hugging fly fisherman, we’ve already handicapped ourselves to the bait fishing, plug pulling, meat slingers of the Pacific Northwest, so when fishing was tough on the Klickitat over the weekend, we were doomed. The trout bites were plentiful, and if rainbow trout were the name of the game we would’ve been balling. Trout fishing is a ton of fun, but we were there to slang chrome. Unfortunately, there was little chrome to slang. We swung flies, skated dries, and even tried dropper beads with scent, still no metal lovin’. We only heard of one fish caught up above Liedl. So this became a reconnaissance trip to scope out some buckets to fling our flies into on future trips.

The Klickitat is a very accessible river to the boatless wandering on foot fisherman. The river was running low over the weekend at about 780 CFS, and was very wadable up near the Leidl Campground. Stinson flats also offer some very nice water that is easily approachable via felt soles. Watch out for snakes though.  August makes for some hot days on the river, and has made for some great summer run steelhead action, but perhaps this is a trip better designed for the fall.

Sunday, we traveled down river to the town of Klickitat. There was more fishing activity on this portion of the lower river. Visibility was better and the river was even more accessible with the highway running along the river for many miles. Klickitat offers a couple general stores and no shortage of cabins for fisherman. If it is attractive people with spikey hair, popped collars, and martinis you are looking for, stay far away from the town of Klickitat. You will not find those things here. But if it’s a beautiful easily accessible steelhead river that you are looking for, then the Klickitat is perfect place (all you need is a Discover pass to camp at Leidl and Stinson Flat).