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[Ryan.maccie]

Has anyone been up there yet this year?  What did the water levels look like? Upper/lower? Any hits?

[ajransom]

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...

[jackie]

Anyone been up there recently? Thinking about heading up there for a few nights this weekend, just wondering how the fishing has been.

[Every Day]

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)

[jackie]

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 !

[jackie]

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.

[bobby b]

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.

[Ryan.maccie]

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!

[bobby b]

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

[bobby b]

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'.....