The weather has been great this month. I’ve gotten to fish and float a good bit and the fishing is good. The Mile, Fremont area, after bay, and the Reef are all fishing great. We still haven’t had any snow so getting around is easy. The reef is open all the way through and below town. The upper river has been fishing great. I’ve mostly been swinging my skagit head around. I’ve been using a 5 weight 9’ sage method with a 225 OPST commando head with a 2.5 float/7.5 T8 MOW tip. The other day I got 18 grabs floating Reef to Lusby. There are some great swing runs right now and the lack of wind has made this month awesome so far. I pretty much have gotten so lazy that I just leave that previously mentioned MOW tip on all winter and it works everywhere. I can vouch for that one. At 450 and 500 CFS it works just fine. Some spots maybe mend it a bit more, some spots not at all. I have been using a tan and white fly that is marabou, craft fur, ostrich, strand of peacock on top with some wraps of guinea at the head and some flashabou throughout the belly. It has been my best fly for swinging this winter. I have also been using a black and yellow sparser version that sometime seems to work better first thing in the morning before I switch to the tan and white. I left some pictures of them below, they are nothing crazy inventive but god damn do they work.
I spend most of my time swinging fence run, lower cable below ledge creek and gravel pit (run just above beaver). Those are the best runs for swinging on the upper reef. By the Richners ranch the public enemy run can be a good one too. Miller time is worth swinging on river right below the big beaver dam hole at the top right of the run. It’s been swinging good at 450 lately. Lusby on river right can be good too. It’s easier to cast on river right and I have just always done better standing on that side. The long shelf at the top of Chicago corner is a great spot that’s usually out of the wind too. Other than those, if I ever just go wade fishing for a bit I’m probably swinging the pump run a bit down from chalk bluff. That’s a great run if you only have time to swing one run but wanna get outta town a bit. It’s a perfect spot and it’s usually out of the wind. Then a ways further down below the bates creek confluence I will spend time at the run downstream with a pump at the far bottom on river right. I never have really heard that run called a specific name but it’s the one again with the pump at the very bottom on river right. I am a good ways swinging up above the pump where the run still have good current. However the run we call gravel pit (just above beaver hole) has been my favorite I always get a hand full of grabs in it, and it swings perfectly. It is pictured below.
I really only use just one hook for my trout Spey flies anymore. I left a picture of them below. If you have ever gotten to actual watch Phlies swing in front of trout or steelhead. And by that I mean actually look down from above on a tree, big rock or bridge, you’ll know how often fish can just barely nip at the very rear of the fly and not actually get a hook in its mouth. Considering this I have really been on the hunt for a small but stout octopus hook that is small enough to get a hook up even with a subtle soft strike. This is probably the best one I have found. Don’t use big hooks, you’ll miss fish.
I have stopped and nymphed a bit and whenever I have it couldn’t have been a whole lot easier to crush em. I’ve even been doing really well just by myself rowing and fishing at the same time. Its been that easy. So if you really just want to go whack the shit outta them, now’s a good time with the good weather. There hasn’t been much of a bug bite. All you really need is an annelid, San Juan, rusty scud or a leech. Don’t overthink it. Remember its February and even though it’s been crazy warm, they still really want to eat mostly from 11 to 4. The lower river has been fishing fairly slow. I think Andy got a huge one somewhere down below but other than that everyone who I’ve talked to has said it’s been slow. Now having said that, I’m sure you could find a day where it is fishing good on the lower, I just haven’t done it lately. I would happily go float anywhere around town or lower and throw streamers all day. I don’t see why you couldn’t find a big brown.
Fremont has been fun. I usually fish it a good bit with my dogs in January. I love when no one’s there. Its been fishing ok for me. I haven’t really had a remarkable day yet this year. I did have a couple of days of amazing dry fly days in December, but so far this year it’s just been so so nymphing for me. It still can be fun to go up there and enjoy having the whole place to yourself this time of year.
I haven’t been to the mile at all. The road is wide open I haven’t just been to lazy to drive that far. But I bet it’s fishing good. Streamer fishing can be really fun during this month and the nymphing is usually productive if you stick with it. Probably worth going up there, especially since there is no snow.
Overall the weather is great and fishing is good. There’s a lot of fun stuff to go do right now and you can take advantage of off season rates but still get top notch fishing.
