Skykomish River Steelhead Fishing Report

Don t let the Sky s closeness to metropolitan Seattle fool you. The Skykomish on a regular basis ranks in the top ten rivers in Washington for hatchery steelhead harvest and its run of both wild summer and winter steelhead is still worth losing sleep over. The Skykomish remains un-dammed and free flowing and if there were a manual detailing every type and cross sect of steelhead water the publisher could need only talk about the Skykomish. From its headwaters in the South and North Forks to the lower reaches where it meets the Snoqualmie to form the Snohomish it offers everything from whitewater and plunge pools to long, large runs held in check by classic gravel bars. (Check this site out)

The headwaters of the North Fork Skykomish River are located in the Henry M. Jackson Wilderness near Dishpan Gap along the Pacific Crest Trail. It goes as a small stream off the north slope of Skykomish Peak. The Wild Sky Wilderness protects tributaries and forests bordering to the North Fork Skykomish, though not the river itself. The river goes usually in a southwestern direction from its source to its mouth. Just before picking up Goblin Creek, the river goes through a short but remarkable canyon and inside that canyon the river drops over Deer Falls. A short ways down from that, the river goes through an shorter but twisted and interestingly shaped canyon at Bear Creek Falls. (ridgetoriveroutdoors.com)

It has opened, however still good, Chamberlain said. There are fish at Reiter Ponds for the bank anglers, and likewise for the boats fishing between Sultan and Monroe. I know some ship guys at Sultan who fished the Wallace Flats had a good number of steelhead, and those who put in their boats down around Monroe did well with some having the chance to land limitations of steelhead without any problems. (blogs.seattletimes.com)

The most well-liked water for drift boats is from High Bridge down to Sultan, roughly 8 miles.   Hatchery Steelhead may be found during this stretch of water and sled traffic does not usually get heavy till the end of the float near the Wallace Flats.   Drifting small egg clusters and sand shrimp works well here, as does backtrolling Tadpolly and Hot Shot plugs and bait divers rigged with a turn’n Glo and shrimp rear.   there’s also lots of excellent floatfishing water on this stretch and pink worms, jigs, sandshrimp, and egg clusters presented under a float will all draw strikes from hatchery fish. (hotshotguide.com)

My ship continues to hammer on the Walleye over in Eastern, WA. It is been so productive I have not, however barely bass fished my last few trips out weird for me . Reason being, I have been bug-eye catching. Troll, troll, troll and just keep on trolling and you’ll catch walleye now. I could grab some dozen worms, my favorite worm harness, some weights between 1/2oz and 2oz and GO fish either Moses Lake, Potholes Reservoir and/or Banks Lake now for walleye. One Pro Pointer for the day, be sure and pay attention to what your electronics are showing you. It is your job to decipher and conquer. (bonnersoutdoorjournal.com)

We have seen some pretty good steelhead numbers coming out of the Reiter pond part of the Skykomish River since Thursday. We have had some customers in yesterday and today that have had limitations out of the Reiter Pond / Proctor Creek part of the River. Some of the boaters have also found some fish in the center and lower sections of the river as there looks to be a just number of fish that are moving up the river now. Those fishing in these sections of the river are catching transitional fish that are making their way up to the hatchery complexs at Reiter or the Wallace. In these sections of the river they move through with no hesitation and move to the hatchery regions as quickley as they can. (tedssportscenter.com)

On the flank of the Wenatchee Mountains, the Skykomish is never devoid of people but space is generally there for swinging a line, testing flies and challenging the usually held assumption that people who fish in the winter must be crazy. If the thought of venturing forth in the bleak days of ‘rain forest central’ is just too much, summer run fish also course this lovely drainage system falling tumultuously from the green hills of the Cascades. Some of steelheading’s most noted fly anglers cut their teeth on the Sky, and now, generations afterward, flies like the Skykomish dawn still hold court with fish and fishers. (emeraldwateranglers.com)

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The walleye action continues on a strong note over on The Potholes and Moses lake. Trolling worm harnesses and crank baits are the top producers. Crab Creek, Lind Coulee, and the mouth of the Frenchmen’s have all been super productive on the reservoir. Fish early and late if you’re aiming at trophy fish. The big and Smallmouth bass are in full swing. This year has given up some of the biggest bass we have seen in years on the Potholes. The bass we target will average right around 3lbs…, with the bruiser’s pushing near 10lbs!! My favorite fishery on The Potholes is chasing these Lunker Largemouth bass…, hands down. (talltailsguideservice.com)

Today will be the last cold day for the next week or so before the temperature rises and we get some rain. This will help finish off the zombie Chum salmon and bring in some new winter sea-run trout and char. The rivers are the clearest they have been in months but will change caused by the forthcoming weather. Dropping temperatures in the mountains will help keep this to a minimum. I have heard reports of Steelhead being caught in British Columbia s Vedder River and also the Snohomish/Skykomish Rivers. (yeagerssportinggoods.com)