Fishing with Rod Discussion Forum

Fishing in British Columbia => Fly Fishing Cafe => Topic started by: Ryan.maccie on July 08, 2016, 03:42:12 PM

Title: Skagit
Post by: Ryan.maccie on July 08, 2016, 03:42:12 PM
Has anyone been up there yet this year?  What did the water levels look like? Upper/lower? Any hits?
Title: Re: Skagit
Post by: ajransom on July 11, 2016, 09:40:53 PM
Not yet but was up two weeks after opening last year and it was very low. Was shut down pretty quick too. Sadly this year probably won't be much better...
Title: Re: Skagit
Post by: jackie on August 19, 2016, 05:16:17 PM
Anyone been up there recently? Thinking about heading up there for a few nights this weekend, just wondering how the fishing has been.
Title: Re: Skagit
Post by: Every Day on August 19, 2016, 05:34:22 PM
Water is low, but it's been very good to me.

Fly fishing I'm getting anywhere from 5-12 bulls a day (most are small this year - 3 or so pounds), along with a dozen or so rainbows each trip (av trip = 5 hours). I normally bull trout fish on my way up and then switch to a nymph setup on my way down and burn through the runs quick (mostly just casting out and walking with it until I get one). I'd imagine if I was actually targeting the rainbows, and spending some time in the better looking runs, I'd be having MUCH better days for them as I sure haven't been  trying hard, but still getting decent results. Rainbows are nice this year too... average around 13-14 inches and Kitty got one the other day that was taped in at 19".

Spoon chucking we've been hitting anywhere from 30-40 bulls in a day with some rainbows as by-catch (I just bring the spinning rod along some days and burn it through the runs if I know the fish are there, but not biting flies).

Bully flies: Pink 4 inch pink bunny leech for the bulls... also works in solid white, blue/white, and a black/red/purp combo

Rainbow flies: Size 8-10 hare's ear and size 10 golden stones have been killer (Hare's ear have been better)
Title: Re: Skagit
Post by: jackie on August 20, 2016, 11:20:51 AM
Thanks for the sweet report, a 30-40 bull trout today is insane! If I manage half of that I'd be content haha. Will report back in a few days !
Title: Re: Skagit
Post by: jackie on August 23, 2016, 05:46:13 PM
Fishing was the best I have seen it in my 3 years of fishing the river... All rainbows were very fat and healthy and out of the 20 or so I caught in the 2 days I was there all were over 12". Not much of a hatch at night but was able to pick up a few fish here and there on a #12 grey drake, the fish wouldn't take any of my small dries and keyed in on the larger bugs.

For nymphing I used #8-12 prince nymphs, stonefly nymphs and hares ear nymphs all of them caught fish.

Bull trout were quite tight lipped but I was able to find a run with a large amount of fish stacked up well away from the access point where I was able to get into a lot of fish swinging large black and blue moal leeches and sex dungeons. I found the bigger the fly the better anything over 4" worked great.
Title: Re: Skagit
Post by: bobby b on September 05, 2016, 10:27:00 PM
Was there yesterday. Landed 4 rainbows and 1 bull ... lost 3 others. 
Caught 1 rainbow on a black stonefly nymph, all others including the bull on dry flies (mayfly and caddis).
Was a great day out, water was crystal clear and low.
Title: Re: Skagit
Post by: Ryan.maccie on September 05, 2016, 10:52:47 PM
I need to start fishing with you folks..  In both  my trips out this year I managed to land 2 rainbows.  One caught on a olive wolly bugger and another on a flesh colored streamer, both of wich were on my last trip up.

I really wanted to get into some bulls' but for my first two times fishing trout and the skagit I would say I did ok.  I would really like to get a day up there with someone that knows the river and how to fish it to learn, as I love it up there!
Title: Re: Skagit
Post by: bobby b on September 06, 2016, 06:55:23 PM
I have only been there twice.
There is a lot of river to cover and being low makes it easier to travel up or downstream.

My first time out I only landed 1 and lost 2.

I had way better luck wading upstream than downstream, as being so low and clear the fish can see ya coming if you wade downstream towards 'em

Title: Re: Skagit
Post by: bobby b on September 16, 2016, 12:10:47 PM
Was back there again yesterday. Such a beautiful place, I saw no other people all day so I had it all to myself!!!

I did, however see a big black bear!!

Details in 'fishing reports'.....