Fished the Skagit yesterday out of necessity. We'd wanted to float the Sauk
but the white chocolate color of the water dissuaded us and we decided to
ply the very clear waters of the Skagit above Rockport instead.
We started on a classic fly run near Marblemount's famous Bunny Farm. The
water flows over basketball-sized boulders in a long wide flat on the inside
of a very gradual bend. With plenty of room and no competition, we were very
comfortable fishing this run until lunchtime.
The only hint of action came as I fished my way into an especially good part
of the run. The seam slowed and deepened, and I got that tingle you get when
the fly's fishing with just the right amount of tension and all conditions
are *GO*.
Right on schedule, the my rod tip does the triple slam and the Sage 8150
bends to the cork. I let out an enthusiastic FISH ON! as I'm jolted back
into the present moment.
Line peels off the reel and then . . . stops?? I lean back and still feel
the fish, but it comes in rather docilely. After a few more halfhearted runs
it surrenders - a big fat Dolly with the pink shrimp hanging from the corner
of his mouth.
We break for lunch around 12, then decide to head downriver and check out
the Mixer. We arrive and find nobody on the water. Amazingly, there's also
quite a bit of color in the water and the visability is down under 3'. We
fish the run with high hopes (this run fished much better than it has in
recent years), but neither of us connects and we quit around 4.
As we were leaving I stopped in to see a BC friend down for the week and got
the report that Dec Hogan's client, who was also fishing the upper river
above Rockport, had gotten a Steelhead. There are a few fish in the river
right now - Very Few. Guides around the Howard Miller park are optimistic
that this latest pulse of water will lure in a fresh batch and that fishing
will improve. I'll be back up there in a week or so to see for myself!
Tight Lines!
Brian
