When most people think of saltwater fly fishing their minds drift to tropical climates and fish species such as tarpon and bonefish. While the Pacific Northwest lacks the hot weather and the typical saltwater gamefish, it more than makes up for it with outstanding fly fishing and spectacular scenery.
I have spent some time fishing in warmer climates, but I always want to return back to Washington State. Whether it's casting along the beaches of Hood Canal for sea-run cutthroat or fighting the swells and currents casting flies for coho salmon in the Pacific Ocean, I cannot get enough of the saltwater fly fishing opportunities available right here.
Much of my summer is spent fly fishing the Pacific Ocean for salmon and bottomfish. Bottomfishing is targeting fish such as rockfish and lingcod. This is fishing right up near the rugged rocks and shorelines that line the Northern coast of Washington. The fishing is often fast and furious. Once you find the schools of black rockfish, you will catch them one after another. They are aggressive, and can even be caught on poppers occasionally. While fishing along the coast, you will see sea lions, seals, tons of birds, and possibly a whale.
The other primary saltwater fly fishing target in the Pacific Ocean is the coho salmon. Neah Bay is located in a perfect place to intercept millions of salmon as they return to rivers from Oregon, British Columbia, and Washington. The strong currents concentrate the fish as they feed on baitfish and shrimp. This is incredible saltwater fly fishing, with 10-30 fish days possible. Most coho salmon run between 4-6 pounds, but fish in the high teens are landed every year. Casting baitfish patterns on sinking lines is the primary way to catch salmon, but fishing on the surface is becoming more popular. Pink salmon are also available every other year, and they only add to the fun.
The offshore fishery requires a sturdy boat and some experience, but Washington State also offers great saltwater fly fishing right around the Seattle metro area. Stretching from Bellingham to Olympia, Puget Sound is a large protected body of water. Draining into Puget Sound are numerous rivers and creeks. These watersheds produce annual runs of coho, pink, and chum salmon that are available to not only anglers with boats, but can be caught from shore. Along with the salmon, Puget Sound and Hood Canal offer outstanding habitat for the sea-run cutthroat trout. This native trout moves into the saltwater to feed. Casting flies along the beaches is a popular fishery for these trout.
The cutthroats are like ghosts as they cruise along the beaches. The beaches I like to fish typically are rocky or have large amounts of oysters. This habitat supports the feed, such as sculpins, baitfish and shrimp that cutthroat love to eat. Fishing surface patterns such as Gurglers is becoming much more popular, and is a great way to search for fish. The cutthroat will often show themselves boiling at the dry, and then switching to a subsurface baitfish pattern will result in a solid hookup.
If you are traveling through the Pacific Northwest, you might want to remember that where there is saltwater, there is saltwater fly fishing.
Chris Bellows, owner of Topwater Charters, Inc, which runs fly fishing charters off the Washington Coast. His websites offer more information about Saltwater Fly Fishing and Neah Bay Halibut Fishing
There are several elements that go into creating the ideal charter fishing experience. The most important of these elements are not within the control of the charter service, captain, or the customers:THE WEATHER: By weather,... Read More
Have you ever noticed some people have all the luck when it comes to catching huge bass? Maybe, it's not luck at all, it is most likely they know where to look for the lunkers... Read More
When you are going fishing, whether nearby your home or on a long distance trip, there are many fishing safety rules that you need to keep in mind.These rules can help prevent injury to yourself... Read More
Good Fly PresentationObviously, the goal when casting a fly is to present the fly to the fish in a realistic manner. You are trying to simulate nature here. If you are going for trout in... Read More
When planning for your fly fishing trip in Wyoming, there are several factors that should be considered. A little time spent planning will make your fly fishing trip more enjoyable, and your time on the... Read More
High fuel prices got you down?Imagine how most of us feel in the recreational fishing world.Let me explain.Here we are rounding into September, the time of year that all true "sport fishermen" look forward to.... Read More
Fishing on your pontoon boat can be both a relaxing and fun experience. Fishing from a pontoon boat can much more enjoyable than fishing on other smaller vessels. While fishing on a pontoon boat, you... Read More
When fishing for bass in deep water try a spinnerbait that you have confidence in and have used to catch fish before. If the fish are inactive try a slow study retrieve. Spinnerbaits as you... Read More
Fly fishing has a history stretching back to the ancient Greeks, whose historians record people fishing for "spotted fishes" with fixed-line wooden poles. They used for bait wound with cloth and animal hair... Read More
Preparation is the Key To Successful Night Fishing, You Better Have These...Night fishing requires quite a bit more preparation than daytime fishing does. Even if you "think" you know the waters pretty well, you need... Read More
Fish do indeed perceive color. Every fly fisher knows that or ought to know that. Like humans, the retina of a fish have rods and cones. Cones are used in the day and rods at... Read More
This aint exactly rocket scientry boys...I picked up a copy of The Oregonian this morning and read a story about how the ocean conditions this year are killing off seabirds in record numbers. Murres and... Read More
If you're coming to experience Hawaii sport fishing, you have one heck of an adventure awaiting you! Anglers from all over the world journey to these deep blues waters teeming with trophy fish. This is... Read More
The wet fly swing sounds like something one does at the square dance hall. Instead the wet fly swing is one of the oldest fly fishing techniques. It is used for all types of fish,... Read More
The Best Type Of Line For Night FishingHere is a topic that is often debated between night fishermen. Depending on how you like to fish at night, here is what you should look for in... Read More
Now that we've covered what nymph fly fishing is all about, let's next take a look at what sort of fly fishing gear you're going to need to do it. While nymph fly fishing uses... Read More
Like most fishermen my age I originally learned about spinnerbait fishing for largemouth bass with my Dad. My class room was the back of an aluminum rental boat drifting the brush flats and rocky points... Read More
It was one of those fishing trips. You know, everyone catches fish but you, you loose six or eight of your most expensive streamers, it rains buckets, and you sink the boat. That's right; I... Read More
Bluefin tuna are one of the greatest challenges to anglers off the coast of New England, and Massachusetts continues to be a center of activity for giant bluefin tuna.Most tuna are caught chunking or trolling.... Read More
It has always been my private conviction that any man who pits his intelligence against a fish and loses has it coming. ~John Steinbeck1. How Fish ThinkWhen you hunt for deer, and any other animal... Read More
The Garmin Fishfinder 250 is Garmin's latest addition to their family of marine chartplotters, handheld GPS, fish finders and GPS sounders and its already gaining a great reputation amongst the angling community.We met up with... Read More
Garmin 240 Fish Finder Depthfinder with Transducer - a reviewThe lakes that I normally fish are deep and quite rocky, and I have been delighted with the performance of the Garmin 240 Fish Finder, which... Read More
Nothing is better than to snap a photo of your big fish that you just caught. You've spent the day out on the lake and then you feel a pull at the line. You... Read More
If You Have Never Used A Blacklight While Night Fishing, You're Missing OutWe all know the benefits of night fishing - bigger catches and calmer waters are just two, however, night fishermen have several challenges... Read More
It's late December... temperatures are racing towards 0 degrees. Ice is covering most of the lakes in Wisconsin and getting thick on the lakes in the Northern half of the state.This is the time of... Read More
One of the most popular trout fishing techniques is called trolling. Trolling is popular as far as trout fishing techniques go because on still bodies of fresh water like lakes and ponds, the act of... Read More
Brown trout fishing can prove very challenging. This is due in part to the fact that brown trout are smart fish. They tend to feed at dusk or at night. They do put up a... Read More
Experienced fishermen know all about the cutthroat trout. That is because it is a huge gaming fish and it is difficult to catch. Why, then do so many fisherman go cutthroat trout fishing? These fish... Read More
As the landscape of the World Wide Web changes at lightning speed, so do many online trends. Communication and the exchange of information have become instantaneous and the rate at which we can find and... Read More
Originally published in Procats Online MagazineSettin' It UpOnce Jeff has picked his area by marking the right bottom contour near the thermocline and the right space between the fish and the bottom, he is ready... Read More
Just when you thought you had seen it all. Just when you thought what in the world can I get for a unique and different Christmas present,Fathers Day gift,or executive gift-- along comes a fun... Read More
"FISH ON!!"I yelled, as my seven weight fly rod bent over and the line played it's magical tune of "zinging in the rain". It was hard to tell just how big the fish was or... Read More
The thrill of trout fishing! It is the best, isn't it? No matter where you plan to go trout fishing, you know you are more than likely going to enjoy your trip. The sport is... Read More
I started fishing a little lake just south of Somerset, Ohio, called Clouse Lake about 35 years ago. Matter of fact, when I first started fishing it, I fished with a fly rod. One day,... Read More
Have you ever thought why fishing timbers is so productive? Well, for one, most anglers don't want to fish them because they're afraid of losing a $5.00 lure. This makes it better for us that... Read More
Fishing Fishing |