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Last updated: January 2nd, 2006

12/27/05 Puget Sound, Washington
50° water temp. @ Southworth
Current Seattle Tide
Current Puget Sound Winds
South sound is still fishing very well right now for cutties on smaller patterns for krill. Some late coming coho roaming around creek mouths as well, most are pretty well lock jawed but never the less, might take a fly if pissed at it enough. Need ideas for local fly patterns, check out www.pugetsoundflyfishing.com.

Favorite flies for this season: West's Smelt, West's Herring, Southworth Special, Herring Popper, Reverse Spiders, Morrish's Small Fry, Rolled Muddler, Silly Leg Spider and Euphasid patterns, Saltwater deer hair dry flies, Chernobyl ants/hoppers, Miyawaki's Popper.

12/25/05 Lake Nunnally, Lenice and basin lakes, Washington
Closed until spring!
Favorite flies for this season: Hale Bopp Leaches, Thin Mints, olive buggers, brown buggers, snow cones, chromers, bionic worms, midges, blood worms, buggers, damsels, dragon flies.

12/25/05 Cowlitz River, Washington
6260 cfs @ below Barrier Dam 43° water temp.
Cowlitz River fish counts
The steelhead run was a little late this year but they are coming in now. Water is fluctuating for electricity demand as the daytime ends and the evening begins so time your day based on how the water might be at the runs you really want to fish. Water may be too high at some and not enough at others.

Favorite flies for this season: Bunny Leeches, Egg Sucking Leeches, Flatwing General Practitioners, Mega Moal, Morrish's Trailer Trash, River Rats, Fergus Rock Star, Skunks, Purple Perils, Skykomish Sunrises. Mickey Finns, spiders, reverse spiders, orange soft hackles, hares ears, rolled muddlers, woolly buggers for SRC's, pink and chartreuse flies for the springers and coho.

12/25/05 Yakima River, Washington
1910 cfs @ Umtanum 37° water temp.
This most recent burst of warm weather and a lot of rain has blown the Yak out a bit. The river was flowing nicely at around 600-650 and has now made a dramatic jump. The good news is that is looks as though it may have crested so look for fishing conditions to be in good shape again in the very near future. When they do, lightning bugs, midge patterns during the warmest time of day, copper johns and stone fly nymphs will do the job.

Favorite flies for this season: San Juan Worms, Elk hair caddis, X- caddis, brown and mottled streamers, soft hackles, hare's ear nymphs, Bloody Mary's, lightning bugs, small hopper patterns, Turk's Tarantulas, caddis emergers, para caddis, cutter's caddis, princes, JJ specials, Tekillya's, Anato-may nymphs, baetis emergers.

12/25/05 Skykomish River, Washington
19,900 cfs @ Goldbar 39 ° water temp.
Water is blown out and is way above where we would like to see it for fly angling conditions. However, if you are determined to go out, look for the fish to be right at the shore line as high, muddy water will put them there for several obvious reasons.

Favorite flies for this season: Small speys, Coal Car's as opposed to Cop Cars, Purple Perils, Olive Egg Sucking Bunny Leeches, Starlight Leach, Flatwing General Practitioners, Skykomish Sunrises, Mega Moal, Morrish's Trailer Trash, River Rats, Fergus Rock Star, Wally Wakers, Bombers, and flesh flies and eggs for Dollies.

12/27/05 Snoqualmie River, Washington
2660 cfs @ Snoqualmie 49° water temp.
1270 cfs @ Tanner on Middle Fork 48° water temp.
Blown out currently. Steelhead and chum are in the main stem of the river below the falls. The forks are up and fairly clear but wading and fishing will be challenging. Wade safely and fish close to the banks for the trout, nymphing obviously best bet.

Favorite flies for this season: Para Adams, Humpys, Royal Wulff's, H&L Varients, Madam X, lightning bugs, Anato May's, stimulators, copper johns, skunks, purple perils, small marabous, egg sucking leaches, stone fly nymphs, skunks, purple perils, and similar patterns for steelhead. Mickey Finns, reverse spiders, and other streamer patterns for the SRC's, Egg sucking leaches, Mega Moal, Morrish's Trailer Trash, River Rats, Fergus Rock Stars for steelhead.

12/27/05 Skagit River, Washington
4140 cfs @ Marblemount
Dollies are all over the place while we await the arrival of winter steelhead. A few fish around but not a ton. Water is doing its usual winter fluctuations so be careful wading and where you anchor your boat, water rises quickly between about 4000 and 7500 cfs.

Favorite flies for this season: Bunny Leeches, Egg Sucking Leeches, Flatwing General Practitioners, Flash flies, clousers of various colors, Skagit Minnows, Mega Moal, Morrish's Trailer Trash, River Rats, Fergus Rock Star, Marabous all in various colors and flesh flies for Dollies.

12/27/05 Sauk River, Washington
836 cfs @ near Darrington
3490 cfs @ near Sauk, WA
Blown out at the moment. This is a great time of year for the dollies in the river as the decaying salmon have made them very hungry for flesh colored flies and other egg sucking leach patterns of choice.

Favorite flies for this season: Bunny Leeches, Egg Sucking Leeches, Flatwing General Practitioners, Mega Moal, Morrish's Trailer Trash, River Rats, Fergus Rock Star, Skagit Minnows, Marabous all in various colors and flesh flies and egg patterns for Dollies.

12/27/05 North Fork Stillaguamish River, Washington
1350 cfs @ Arlington
Great level to be fishing right now on the Stilly. A few steelhead being caught and plenty of chum around to make things interesting. Get bored with them, switch gears and go for the dollies. Same fly might even work for all three of them!

Favorite flies for this season: Small Egg Sucking Leeches, Flatwing General Practitioners, Skunks, Bombers, Waller Wakers, Skykomish Sunrises, Purple Perils and purple/orange/black spey flies.

Dave McCoy, Owner/Head Guide
Emerald Water Anglers, LLC
Seattle, WA
206-545-2197 Office
206-601-0132 Mobile