Somewhere in Okanogan County

Sunny with just a few clouds 10 AM air temp 58, 4 PM 74   water temp is 58

I met up with Gary and one of his old time Buddies "Scott" and we fished the same lake as I did yesterday. I made one pass around the lake and then headed back to where I caught my best fish yesterday and saw lot of rises a long the shore. I rigged up my Sage -One 596-4 with a #12 Hopper and pitched it about 4 ft from shore let it sit a minute and gave it a sharp strip and stopped  within seconds there came the EXPLOSION, the Tight Line and my reel started to sing that sweet sound. a nice 20 inch Brown on the Hopper. After releasing it I pitched out again almost in the same spot and waited after a couple of short strips a repeat again and again
. 
Gary was close by so I told him what I was using he didn't have any hoppers so he tried a Adams. After seeing me land 3 or 4 more nice fish including this 4+ pound Tiger, he rowed over and got one from me and he did 5 or 6 but was having a hard time casting in the wind, and staying in one spot without an anchor. So he went back to trolling around with the Punkinhead I gave him and Terry before we got into the water.
.By the time we left shortly after 4 we all had a great day on the water.

      

Yup I went Fishin again.

SOMEWHERE IN OKANOGAN COUNTY

   It was over cast and looked like rain, most of the day got up to 78 water temp is getting back down in the low 60s. Tomorrow calls for the same, but without as much wind. So I'll be going back again.
      
   There isn't much that I can tell ya about this lake other than it's only 11 acres.

  " SOMEWHERE IN THE COUNTY THAT'S                 ALL THAT I CAN SAY"

If I where to tell ya more about it everybody and their brothers, uncles, fathers, sisters, mothers, cousins, and distant relatives, and there in-laws would want to be there too fishing. 
  I do plan on meeting up with my buddy Gary and he and I will try to get a picture or two of us holding one of the Monster Rainbows or one of the Big Browns. I hooked and landed a Bow today that was well over 24 inches that had to be over 6 lbs.
   This Brown was just at the 18 inch mark but fat, It took a size 12 Chromimid in 12 ft of water. It was one of  six Browns today. Bows over 10. Three were taken on a Punkinhead casting and stripping after fighting the wind I anchored up and sat in one spot for more than 2 hours. with my bobber lobbin rig and I had a few fish hitting my strike indicator "bobber" more than 5 took me into my backing!!!! What a blast.

Kettle River Part II

Kettle River 7:20 AM, Clear Cool Air temp. 56, Water temp 54 and Gin Clear

I called Jim that lives Down River and picked him up to drive my truck down just past his place this should be about a 5 mile float and with the water running at around 250 CFS pretty low.  It did cloud up a little just to take brightness away and the glare down.   All in all I'd say the fishing was better than GOOD 

My first is this nice Brownie about 17” just below the gravel bar in the deep water to the left. I did have some great fighters today and lost what I think was the biggest fish of the day, casting into a shadowed spot just under some pines on a #16 BWO. I saw the explosion, the swirl, line go tight, the stripping of the line with a bent rod but not too tight, the head shake, a rise down river, then nothing, my line went limp.

I did pick up some nice Bows here and there one that was close to 20 inches but it was skinny. 3 Browns was all for the day, and one Whitefish. 

   I will do my best come back here maybe one more time before it closes for the season.

 Steelhead season  is fast approaching. the nights are staying in the 50s, now.

Some of the guys are starting to call to ask about the lakes so for the next few time out the lakes are where I'll be seen.

Untill next time FISH OFTEN FISH HARD ENJOY TIME ON THE WATER AND BE SAFE 

  

Kettle River

5 AM headed up to the Kettle today I'll take the Sage One 596-4 and put some small dries in the water.and use my Sage RPL 590-4 for my nymphing. It's a about an hour and half ride to get to Customs Road.So I better make me a lunch and get out of here.  

I took a ride today

Well I took a ride up and looked at both Johnson and Salmon Creeks they both muddied up with the heavy rain last night. I did also look at the Okanogan River flow, the temp.is dropping just almost as fast as the number of Salmon coming over the Wells Dam. Today is only suppose to get up to 77 and calls for more rain off and on all day. I should do some chores around the house "mow and edge the lawn" Oh yea!! tye more flies.    

Hopper Dropper Rig

The Gear for Salmon Creek today: Sage Flight 370-4, Simms Headwaters Waders, 2 Full Bug Boxes, & Simms Sling.
I'm learning more about this space every time I use it.

Well I gave Pat a all he is busy today, Nick is in Alaska, Rich B, is movin again. So it looks like I'm fishing solo again. Makes it hard to get pics, so I'll did my best. Just so that you can see that i catch fish.
I got to the water just before 9:15 suited up and strung up my rod Sky was clear with a slight breeze.
I put on a hopper dropper rig tho. it isn't my favorite way to fish just to do it. No challenge for me with the first four cast  I landed six fish. YES I SAID 6 FISH. #1 sm. Brookie, #2 two sm. Brookies, one on each hook, #3 an larger Bow maybe 13" #4 a sm. Brookie on the hopper and smaller Bow on the nymph. Even tho there small fish and the rod can handle it hard on me to put them in the net.
So I went back to my single size 16 dry fly and stayed that way the rest of the day loosing a few to the bushes and trees. But I had a grand old time once again.

I think the dog days of summer are over.
 With the nights getting cooler, the days getting shorter soon I can be hitting the Stillwaters more often !!!!
Not that I don't love the sounds of the creeks or the size of the fish. I just don't like to walk up on RATTLERS.

FISH OFTEN, FISH HARD, PICK UP THE TRASH AND TIGHT LINES.

Salmon Creek

Salmon Creek 5:30 74 Cloudy and windy 

With a fresh full box of bugs I arrived just after 5 and strung up my Sage Flight 370-4 with an #18 BWO put on the waders and walked across the field to the water passed a small rattler on the way, that why I wear my waders at least I have a little protection if I get to close.

As I was getting close I slowed down and approached slowly to the big pool. striped out some line above the bridge and let the first case hit just above the shadow and drift through half way you can see my first little Brookie. I pulled out a few more before I moved down stream. 

My biggest fish of the evening was maybe 13" but like I've said in the past when it comes to me catching Fish SIZE DOESN'T MATTER if you use the right gear. 

It's another great day to go out and wet a line. So I'm going to make a few calls to see if I can get someone to hit the water with me.

 TIGHT LINES and hope to see you on the water, just not in my spots PLEASE !!!!!

Cancel Salmon Creek or Johnson Creek

After working for awhile today I was going to head back up to Salmon or Johnson Creek today but remembered that I needed to refill my bug box first. Plus the wind is blown pretty steady and there is no since in putting more of my bugs in the trees today. So I sat at my bench and did some much needed tying. size 14,16, 18 Red Quills, Caddis, Royal Wulff, BWOs, PMDs and Trudes. Half dozen each.  I'll give Pat a call and see if it's windy up above and see if he's wants to go if not to windy and he doesn't want to go Guess I'll go alone maybe after 5

I worked today for about four and a half hours. Then, I went and got my new hearing aides. Everything is loud. One of the first things I had to do was when I got into my truck was turn down the radio, and  no more driving with the window down. I drove over to the River by Shell Rock Point, turned off the truck and was able to hear the fish giggling at me as they swam up river past me. There were a couple of ducks chatting away and an eagle sailing down stream. I can hear the leaves blowing in the light wind. all these new sounds were giving  me a head ache. So rather than going back to work for the rest of the day I headed up to fish awhile on Johnson Creek Below Haverleys place. A place that Nick showed me a few weeks back.
Johnson Creek  1:20 pm big black clouds and windy. 82
I pulled out my Sage Flight 4864 loaded up with S/As new Sharkwave line.
I have found this to be one of the best lines to throw small flies a long way in the wind and still have the control that is needed there is room for a long back cast 40+ feet. I laid the line up stream and just to the right to get the current to put me up under the bank.Matching the current flow with my strip I saw my line get tight and lifted the rod tip and set the hook. My first Brown Trout taken from Johnson Creek and on a #16 PMD.!!!!! After putting him to the net I remember to put the new Hearing Aides back in and lesion the to the sounds of the water, line passing me by and it was like I have never heard anything better.
I only made a few more cast be fore I reeled in my line and sat down to hear the sounds of nature.  

Salmon Creek 7am - 9am  Clouds just slowly passing by. No waders just wading shoes & socks.
It was 64 degrees when I got up to the Woods old place I strung up my #3WT 7.5ft.  Bamboo Rod and put on a Tan Fat Albert with a # 12 Batman about 16 inches down. There is a big bend in the water with a deep cut edge. I pitched my line across creek gave it a mend and down goes FA to a nice 16" Bow on the Batman. I had to jump down the bank of about 3 ft to put the net to it and when my feet hit the water I scattered the rest of the fish that were in the vanity into the next county. I know, I tried, to pull another out of there for about 15 minutes. I then moved down creek about 100 yds. and pulled out one on the FA. saw some small  Blue Wing Red Quills and switched out my leader to 12 ft 7X and tried on a # 16 Red Quill. casting up stream along the bank I nailed 3 more Bows in 20 minutes all cookie  cutter 13".  It was as if time was standing still for just a little while I heard nothing but the sound of the creek and my heart race with each and every strike until my phone alarm went of to remind me that I  had to go to Work.     But it was a great way to start my day  !!!!
Fish Often and Tight Lines. 

It's been a few days since I was on the water. Back to doing building maintenance part time to cover the cost of INSURANCES, health, auto, home, business and pet. Then there is TAXES business, city, state, sales, property and gas. Licences auto, drivers, fishing, and guide. The other bills we must pay like water, sewer, trash, power, internet, cable. So these are just a few thing I have to pay out just like you just in order to be able to keep up the IDEA of GOING FISHING.
It hurts my brain just to try to thing up some of the stuff I must do so that I can FISH. SCREW WORK for awhile I'm going to go wet a line for a few hour before I go to work.
Salmon Creek here I come.

Salmon Creek
 Sunny 9 am -1:30 pm temp 75 -89  #18 Blue-Winged Olives and #12 orange or olive stimalators  Sage LL 389 (8’9″ 3wt).
With my old Sage loaded up I hit the water just above Green Lake Road. the first pool is only maybe 12 ft. wide and 20 in. deep with a over hang on both sides, I creep up slowly and while still 10 feet from the bank I striped out 24 feet of line and made my cast up stream just a little to catch the current to take my BWO just to the edge the far over hung bank, the drift was almost perfit  a couple of mends and out of a shadow the explode-gen happened. First cast first fish 14" Brookie. while I can't say it was that way all day long, I lost a few fish and flies to the bushes. Most of the Brookies were in the 8-10" range but I did tangle into a nice 16" Bow around noon doing a dead drift around a small bend with an orange stimalator.
I did see a rattler just off the bank and we both keep our distance. 
   

Big Blue

I meet up with Gary at 10 am out at Big Blue
Sunny 68 Water temp. 72 no wind
We both like to fish the middle part of the lake so we headed in that direction I was loaded up with my RPL for bobber  lobin, full sink line and of course intermittent line. Dragging my inter. line just pass the shallows with a Punkinhead I got my first tug a heavy Brown just as I was putting the net to it the knot failed at the tippit. So I retied and replaced. and nothing for a long time. I did notice along the east shore there was some top water action and headed that way. I didn't see anything coming off. I tyed on a water boatmen and gave it a shot just before the weed line.let it sink a little and gave it a short strip BOOM fish on. nice little bow. I did this for about a 1/2 hour picking up 4 Bows and a little Brown.
Gary was pulling his  Zugbug and doing very well.
 About noon there was a Eagle making it rounds doing his fishing I stopped to watch for a while and saw him pick up a small Bow. but dropped it he cam around again to pick it up and a miss. but out of know where there came another Eagle and grab it and flew off to a tree. the other followed. They were gone for a short while but returned to hunting and were doing great. Gary and I watched them as a team grab up 4 more fish in about a hour.
Weather I caught  another fish at all the rest of the day it didn't matter just being able to watch the Masters at work made it all worth while for me.        

Lil, Green

I drove up to Buzzard and it was raining pretty hard with flashes of lighting I headed back down t to Lil Green for a few hours.
Overcast very little wind and the threat of thundershowers but they never happened.
Water temp 73 Air temp 75 fishing fair. 10:30 am - 2:30
Not knowing if Bluegill have been put into Little Green. I strung up my #4 and #5 rods and pushed out into the water.there were ripples on the water almost like rain. I tyed on a small #16 PMD and gave it a fling as soon as it hit the water it was exploded on by a 6 inch Bluegill. This happened until my fly was destroyed after 8-10 takes, the first was the biggest, I never made it more than 50 ft. from the launch. I came to do some trout fishing so I set up my type 6 sinking line and headed out to the middle of the lake where i knew it was 20+ ft. deep. Put on my Punkinhead  Leach gave it a long cast and a 30 sec. count and started striping and kicking slow it took a few cast and my first hit was a small bow of 10 inches then it was awhile before my next one. but I did hit some small BGs. The wind picked up a little and the clouds rolled in heaver and I could hear the thunder in the distance. I started heading back to shore but by the time I got close the sky open up and I decided to stay awhile longer and just dry fly.  

Aeneas Lake 8/14 9am to 12:30 pm Overcast and a few drops of rain
Water temp 75 air temp 70
Well the fishing sucked!! For the 3 and a half hours on the water I put 6 bows in the net. They were hooked on the west side of the lake on a wine micro leach in 16 ft of water but only down about 7-8 feet. I worked my way completely around the lake spotted lots of fish, and tried lots of flies.
I sure that having a low pressure front setting on top of us had a lot to do with it not to mention we are just coming out of the full moon.
Today I will head up to Buzzard Lake

                                                                 Green Lake
I was going to head up to Salmon Creek to wet a line, but after getting a call from my TU VP Gary he wanted to go over to Ferry County and fish Long Lake on Sunday. So i went out and put all my stuff together to hit the lake.
8/9 11am water temp 76 air temp 84       2:30  air temp 94 smokie
So I hit the south end of Big Green, Had the whole south end to myself. with the soft hackles tyed up in #14 Peacock and Partridge  and my bamboo 2 weight I had a blast for more than 3 hours every cast my rod got bent.nothing bigger than 6 inches and lots of 3-4 incher but O what fun.
By 2 pm the smoke was heavy and i pulled out with a big smile on my face. No I don't have to catch BIG fish just fish.

                                                    Ferry County Long Lake
Picked up Gary at 9am and made the 75 mile trip over Waconda Pass and thru. Republic WA in no time. We were set up and fishing by
 10:30 am water 66 air temp  76           5:30 a. temp 84 smokie
 For my first cast I had on a #16 Calibaetis  dry and got the first cuttie of the day a 13"  I had almost forgot what it was like to use lite rigs the #3 Sage  loaded up with the SA Sharkwave the line is so eazy to get out there 45 -60 feet with no effort..
Gary is a troller and love to use his ZugBug and he does very well with it. He was picking up 5 to my 1 fishing deep while I stayed up casting dries.By the time we got to the far end of the lake Gary 20, me 4. I then switch out and put on a Punkin head  on my intermediate line and with a slow strip Boom my turn to catch up on the fish count. By the end of the day our counts we could not remember. I did go back to fishin dries and hooked a few. Another Great day!!!!!! FISH ON  and TIGHT LINES

August 7th Salmon Creek 9am
 Hazy do to the Carlton complex fire.
 # 14 Beatles & Hoppers
Up about 4.5 miles above the Y
With my Sage Flight #3 and a hopper loaded up the first cast a small and thin 10"  Brookie.  Pretty fish as, were the most of them. Every once in awhile I would get a stronger tug and larger explosion the biggest fish of the day came in a deep dark hole I found and pulled out a fat Bow a EZ 16"  by noon the air temp was hitting lo 90s and was time for me to head out. I had a blast    

No Longer at the Omak Big R

                                   As of August 1st I'm no longer at the Fly Shop !
 So I will getting out and fishing more and telling you all what is happening up here in the Okanogan and Ferry Counties. Where I'm Fishing.        What I'm using.         How I'm doing it. Weather Conditions
I cross paths with lots of Caricatures out there that some you may know that have that secret fly. I will only use their first name. I'll try to get this out at least once a week if not more.
          I'll also try to keep you up to date with the Okanogan County Fly Fishing Club. 
                      Went and where the meetings are, projests and Guest Speakers.  Along with 
Methow Okanogan Chapter of TU

https://www.facebook.com/M.O.TU.Chapter