Skagit report

[Jake Tucker]

So, I taught my friend how to fly fish on the Skagit this weekend. It was absolutely beautiful. It was hot enough that we didn't need waders, which also meant it was high. Real high. The water level raised about a foot while we were there. I was able to catch one 13 inch rainbow over two days, and my friend got skunked. I only met 1 other fisherman who had caught a thing (a big bull trout). There were plenty of mayflies coming off, but no fish feeding on the surface. It would probably be best to wait a week or two for the water to go down.

[zugger]

try nymphing next time....I've been there in the same conditions and its tough.....but if they aren't taking flies off the surface they are definitely taking them under....good luck.

[professori]

try nymphing next time....I've been there in the same conditions and its tough.....but if they aren't taking flies off the surface they are definitely taking them under....good luck.

Right, if you can find them. with high water, the fish spread out through the system and get a lot tougher to locate. In a couple of weeks it should start to come into shape.

[TieFlier]

Planning to head up to this area in a month or so, any must haves that aren't obvious that I should pack along?

[Jake Tucker]

Not sure if it's not obvious, but a gray drake. Pretty large. But the hatches might be different in a month. I think I was also seeing some pmds.

[ivanski]

Is anybody familiar with floating down the skagit in a float tube or canoe. I was there in September last year, and it looked pretty mellow. I was wondering if it was possible to float and/or walk your way down to Ross lake.

[Tangler]

There are lots of logjams and some fast sections and the water is a lot higher now than in September. A float tube would probably be a good way to become part of said logjams...
If you have good fast-water canoe skills then you might survive, but I guess it depends which section you plan to paddle.
I am not familiar with all of the river, but can think of two bad logjams between the bridge and Strawberry flats alone...

[professori]

Anyone who thinks of trying the Skagit in a float tube better tell the family to dig out the insurance policy. Thos things are not, let me repeat that, NOT designed for flowing water, log jams and deadfalls. Keep them on the lakes where they belong. I am pretty confident with a pontoon boat on moving water (class 1 and 2) but wouldn't bother trying the Skagit. If the water is reasonable, it is an ideal walk and wade, but there is not enough open space to make a reliably floatble water way.

[ivanski]

Sorry, just asking. Maybe last year when I was there in (September) the water level was unusually low, I am not sure. How about heading north up the river in a canoe, or kayak in September from Ross lake.

Also how does it work fishing on the American side of Ross Lake. Do you have to purchase another license, and if so where would you purchase that.

[professori]

I was out yesterday and the river is coming into shape very nicely. Only hit it for about 3 hlours, but managed a dozen fish in that time. Not many rising, despite reasonably good hatches, yet they all came to #12 stimulators. A couple takes were so aggressive, that the buggers cleared the water going after the fly. The fish were your regular Skagit types, 13" to 15", and great fun on a 3 weight. I had one larger fish that I turned at least 8 times, but he simply wouldn't take the fly. He rolled on it everytime it went over his lie. I changed up to a larger stimi...nothing. I tried a smaller stimi...nothiing. I tried Adams, comparaduns,mayflies,nymphs (including Gile's River dragon,my go to in hard situations)...nothing. Back to #12 stimi and he rolled on it a couple more times, but no love. All told a very nice day. On a side note, I forgot my polaroids at home, and believe me dry fly fishing without them was difficult to say the least.

Ivanski, the Skagit is a small river with a lot of debris throughout. When the water levels drop, there are lots of very shallow areas. You could give a canoe a try, but really, my feeling is you do much better walking and wading. There are very few inaccessible sections to waders, and you might run a gauntlet of irate fishermen as you paddle through the runs they are working. You will be doing your fair share of portaging as well as you try to get past riffle runs and deadfalls.