F8 Lake, WA

Yesterday was my birthday and for the last five years I had gone to Kidney Lake down south but this year we thought we should switch it up and go back to the walleye lake we fished last year. Last year the only luck I had was the first morning I hooked up on a walleye but it broke off. This year I decided to borrow my firends aluminum pontoon boat with a good trolling motor to even the odds it didn't help. This year would be worst, for me. I caught a fish, a little bull head. However, my buddy Dalton who was also skunked last year caught two real nice crappie. Our two buddies hooked a couple crappie and walleye themselves as well. They even lost a huge bass, broke the line.

Summary:
Location: Somewhere near Franklin, WA
Time: All Day
Rod: Spinning Rods
Tackle: Slip Bobber with worm & jigs
Fish: 2
Species: Crappie, Bass, & Walley
Biggest Fish: 14"
Smallest Fish: 12"
Rating: 7/10

Grayland, WA (Surf Fishing)

As I said the day before, buddies were out for some clamming but also some surf fishing. We got up and drove out to Grayland to dig some clams. Showing up a little late our day was looking grim. Out of no where we started plucking clams. This was a good thing because now we had some fresh fish bait. Never having surfed fish before my buddy showed me how to rig up a rod. Using a pyramid weight, with a slip line set up, and a piece of clam, you just kind of huck it out there and weight for a bite. I didn't have any luck but both my buddies caught a fish each.

Summary:
Location: Pacific Ocean, Grayland, WA
Time: 11am-1pm
Rod: salmon/surf rod
Tackle: 2-3oz weight with clam as bait
Fish: 2
Species: Surf Perch
Biggest Fish: 11"
Smallest Fish: 10"
Rating: 8/10

Lake Sylvia

Buddy Dalton came out to go clamming and we did well. Thought we would spend the afternoon on the lake. Caught some fish and enjoyed some sunshine.Oh, and caught a Cutthroat which I wasn't expecting.

Summary:
Location: Lake Sylvia, Montesano, WA
Time: 5pm-7pm
Rod: 5 wt sinking tip
Tackle: Black/Brown, Brown, & Black Wooly Bugger, & Casey Special
Fish:4
Species: Rainbow Trout & Cutthroat
Biggest Fish: 13"
Smallest Fish: 8"
Rating: 8/10

Lake Sylvia

I forgot to mention that next to my house is also a few lakes that I can go trout fishing in. Fayor, Aberdeen, and the one I fished today Sylvia. Another co-worker of mine just bought an aluminum pontoon boat from a co-worker and being as I have a truck he asked me to take him out. How could I resist. This lake is stocked heavily in the spring and getsplanted for high school spring break. I had come a few time earlier this week in  my float tube and once with a friend in my raft and caught a few fish. They sock oversize fish as well and I had seen them by the dam. My buddy and I trolled wooly buggers around the lake catching a fish here and a fish there. After an hour or so his rod taco'd hard and I thought we had a big boy on. Turned out to be a nice hold over maybe. The ticket I have found are a mixed brown and black wooly bugger but straight browns and blacks will work as well.


Summary:
Location: Lake Sylvia, Montesano, WA
Time: 11am-5pm
Rod: 5 wt sinking tip
Tackle: Black/Brown, Brown, & Black Wooly Bugger, & Casey Special
Fish:5
Species: Rainbow Trout
Biggest Fish: 17"
Smallest Fish: 10"
Rating: 8/10

 

Kalama River (Winter Steelhead)

After being skunked on he Wynoochee the day before, one of the twins being from Portland and a friend being from Portland we headed back down to Kalama. Keeping the same stroke and rhythm as before we put in at Red Barn and floated the river. Rowing up river a little and fishing the first tail out again we got hit again in the first hole. Fortunately it was on the friends pole who we brought along so he got some action but unfortunately we were unable to land it. We drifted down the river, again trying everything we had but successfully were unable to hook up again. 


Summary:
Location: Kalama River, Exit 32 off I-5, near Kalama, WA
Time: 7am-3pm
Rod: 8 wt w/ sinking tip, spey rod, spinning rod, & bait caster
Tackle: Purple egg sucking leach, black and purple streamer with an egg bead, yarn balls, bubble gum wiggle wart, and other plugs.
Fish: 0
Species: N/A
Biggest Fish: N/A
Smallest Fish: N/A
Rating: 7/10

Wynoochee River, WA (Winter Steelhead)

As I mentioned in an earlier blog I live really close to this river. I haven't fished it near as much as I have wanted to, but now my buddy has a drift boat and its time to give it a drift. We have watched the river for weeks and it has come into pretty good shape. Putting in at the 7400 bridge we set a drift down the river. We were no alone. Talking with other anglers we had heard many different methods to fish the river. After our new found confidence the week before on the Kalama we were feeling pretty good. One method that had been discussed is getting behind th line of boats that drift the river and fish a small single egg. See many fishers use big globs of eggs with little success. Following them with a single egg fly has produced in the previous weeks. We tried this and many other methods; new hot shot plugs, slip bobber, egg bouncing, flies, and other plugs. Unfortunately we didn't catch any fish after floating all the way down to whit bridge. Checking in with other fisherman, every other boat had two fish landed. Most of what they were using we cured sand shrimp. Noted for next time.

Summary:
Location: Wynoochee River near Montesano, WA; Twin Bridges
Time: 7am-4pm
Rod: 8 wt w/ sinking tip, spey rod, spinning rod, & bait caster
Tackle: Purple egg sucking leach, single egg fly pattern,  yarn balls, bubble gum wiggle wart, hot shots, and other plugs.
Fish: 0
Species: N/A
Biggest Fish: N/A
Smallest Fish: N/A
Rating: 6/10

Kalama River, WA (Winter Steelhead)

After floating this river last weekend we had gotten smarter about what are plan of attack needed to be. We brought a couple more plugs, picked up a few tips, and found a weekend were the river had cleared up a little more. The Kalama is a funny river. It will rise really quick and drop extremely slow. If you hit it when it is right then its hot. Today turned out to be one of those days. Putting in again at red barn, we paddled up river a hair to hit the tail out of the put in. First hole = first fish! A long lean hatchery steelhead caught on a blue pirate. Excited we moved our way down the river. In the spot we had hooked up the weekend before another fish, this time a much smaller hatchery fish, but still another fish. Then just above the lower hatchery at the very start of a tail out my pole got hammered. Luckily for me, my drag was way loose and the fish was able to run. We could tell it was big and it was chrome. Pulling the boat over Kyle jumped out with the net, ran to the bank, and down river from me. I on the other hand, clumsily caught my back foot getting out of the boat and did a rolling maneuver keeping my pull tip up. Figuring out my drag as I made my way to the shore and a conveniently located beach continued to fight the fish. After a great fight we managed to land it in the net 50' down river. In the process of removing the hook we found the plug had been broke by the fish during the fight and somehow managed to stay intact enough to land the fish; a beautiful, chrome bright, wild steelhead. Getting the picture off we let him go. Continuing our float we hooked up one more time at beginner hole but lost that fish. What a great day.

Summary:
Location: Kalama River, Exit 32 off I-5, near Kalama, WA
Time: 7am-3pm
Rod: 8 wt w/ sinking tip, spey rod, spinning rod, & bait caster
Tackle: Purple egg sucking leach, black and purple streamer with an egg bead, yarn balls, bubble gum wiggle wart, blue pirate, silver/pink and other plugs.
Fish: 3
Species: Steelhead
Biggest Fish: 16lb
Smallest Fish: 6lb
Rating: 9/10