Category:
Fly Fishing drinking on Friday fishing fly fishing guide pikeminnow pikeminnow sport reward fishery professional fisherman singlebarbed Underground Entertainment
Added Date:
Friday, 29 Aug, 2008
Summary
Sure, you could become a guide and get paid, but everyone knows you're not fly fishing when you're guiding - you're simply holding the hands of people who can't fish, but have more money than you.
Content
Leave it to Roughfish-Hugger Singlebarbed to put us on the trail of a unique opportunity to fly fish - and get paid for it. Sure, you could become a guide and get paid, but everyone knows you're not fly fishing when you're guiding - you're simply holding the hands of people who can't fish, but have more money than you. Besides, guiding's a one-way ticket to an advanced degree in body piercing, courtesy clients who can't cast.  No, my little Undergrounders - your path to professional status comes via the Pikeminnow Sport Reward Fishery, a power-company funded attempt to preserve Salmon and Steelhead in the Columbia and Snake rivers. Sure, a few nattering nabobs will say that controlling predators across an entire ecosystem in an attempt to bolster a fading species is a one-way ticket to the environmental equivalent of the fiery abyss, but I'm pretty sure they're just jealous eggheads who couldn't catch a Pikeminnow if it jumped into their hands. From the Pikeminnow Sport Reward Site:
In the 2008 season, we will pay anglers for fish 9 inches and larger. The reward will remain the same at $4-$8 for each northern pikeminnow caught in the lower Columbia (mouth to Priest Rapids Dam) and Snake (mouth to Hells Canyon Dam) rivers. This year's qualifying tagged fish will be worth $500.
Lemme see: if all the Internet stories we read are true, then most Internet Experts Who Couldn't Catch a Non-Virtual Fish fly fishermen could clear a couple hundred a day. For some, that only covers the daily cost of cigars hookers and booze, but for rugged individuals knowledgable in the ways of the wily Pikeminnow (like the grubstake-seeking Singlebarbed), it's a plan for retirement in five years or less.
I say we quit our jobs en masse and establish a Pikeminnow Bum camp on the Columbia. It's Friday, most of you have started drinking already, so who's with me? ( Pumping fist in the air, fight-the-power style.) I say we can't miss. See you at the Pikeminnow check-in station (and I'll be rich), Tom Chandler.
(1)
Centrally located just east of the Cascade Mountains, Ellensburg is surrounded by several great trout filled rivers, making it an ideal place to stay. Considered by many to be the ... morefinest fishery in the state, the 214-mile long Yakima, curves around the town’s southern border, adding to Ellensburg’s historic charm. Another top choice is the 80-mile Methow River, known both for its ample fish and exceptional beauty. Excellent fishing can be found on this river within a two-hour drive from town.
In close proximity to town, the 75-mile long Naches River is about a half-hour drive. Most of the Naches river basin is located in scenic national forest and wilderness areas, including the renowned Wenatchee National Forest. Often referred to as the “Miracle Mile” of small waters, The Rocky Ford Creek, about an hour from Ellensburg, is best known for its numerous and sizeable rainbow trout. Considered by anglers to be a challenging stream, it is also ranked as one of the best trout rivers in the entire Northwest.
While Ellensburg is not thought of as a town exclusively dedicated to anglers, it does have much to offer including 4 well stocked fly shops with knowledgeable owners. What it lacks in numbers (population 18,000) it makes up for with its historic buildings, a major University and a large choice of things to do.
If you are with family members or others that don’t care to fish, there are opportunities to go biking on and off road, white water rafting, horse back riding and hiking. Despite its small size, the town has an active arts community with galleries, museums and theaters. Finally, there are events like the Winterhop Brewfest, featuring local microbreweries, Buskers & Burg, a fall celebration with giant puppets, and a highly regarded, large-purse, Labor Day rodeo.
Summer is peak fishing time with a high concentration of anglers. The spring and fall seasons remain busy while only a few die-hard choose the winter months.
There are several options for traveling to Ellensburg.
Fly into Seattle (SeaTac Airport) and drive for approximately 1 ½ hours
Fly into Takima Air Terminal and drive for approximately 40 minutes
Fly into Spokane and drive for approximately 2 ½ hours
Fly into Bowers Field, a general aviation airport, minutes from Ellensburg
The Columbia River is the largest river in the Pacific Northwest. The river rises in the Rocky Mountains of British Columbia. It flows northwest and then south into the US state of ... moreWashington, then moves west to create much of the border between Washington and Oregon before ending at the Pacific Ocean. The river is 1,243 miles long, and its largest tributary of the Snake River.
The Columbia River is a top sport fishing river. From the mouth of the river at Astoria, Oregon and Ilwaco, Washington to the Hanford Reach, quality fishing for Salmon, Steelhead and Sturgeon exists year around.
The Klickitat River, located in south-central Washington, flows generally south from its origin on Mt. Adams in the high country of the Yamaka Indian Reservation to its confluence ... morewith the Columbia River in the Columbia River Gorge. The designated segment is the lowermost 10.8 miles of the river. At the upper end of this segment, the river flows through a broad canyon. As it drops toward the Columbia at a steady gradient of 26 feet per mile, the canyon tightens and small rapids spike the channel.
At about river mile 2.5, the Klickitat drops into a tight, rock-walled gorge. The water cascades and crashes through the rocky channel where the tribes and bands of the Yamaka Nation have used dip-net fishing continuously for generations to catch salmon and steelhead. Of the mid-Columbia tributaries, the Klickitat is one of the favored fishing sites, due to both the number of fish and the narrow canyon with its high water volume.
In addition to the river's outstanding hydrology, the geology of the gorge between river mile 1.1 and 2.5, and the dip-net fishing sites, the river is also the most significant anadromous fishery on the Washington side of the Columbia in the stretch from Bonneville Dam to the Snake River. It supports steelhead trout, Chinook salmon and coho salmon, with six distinct runs.
The lower Klickitat offers a variety of recreation opportunities, including boating, fishing, hiking, camping and sightseeing. Boat fishing is popular when the salmon and steelhead are running. There is an undeveloped boat put-in/take-out on Klickitat County Park land just below the Pitt bridge, and river access at several places along Highway 142, including a Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife fee camp site. The take-out is before the fish screw trap at about river mile 5, just above the Klickitat canyon gorge. Ongoing construction of the fish bypass at the top of Lyle Falls requires boaters to take out at this point. The falls also marks the beginning of the tribal in-lieu fishing sites and no boating is allowed through this area.
The only permits required are from commercial outfitters; existing commercial outfitters include beginning kayak schools and fishing guides.
The Spokane, Portland and Seattle Railroad built a railway linking Lyle and Goldendale in 1903. This branch line was abandoned in 1992 and is now the Klickitat Rails-to-Trail. The trail parallels the river's east bank from the Columbia River to Fisher Hill Bridge, where it crosses to the west bank and continues to the town of Pitt. It crosses Highway 142 and continues along the west bank leaving the wild and scenic river portion and continues for many miles upriver.
(1)
Jackson is the ideal hub for exploring the Snake River, a surging, full spirited river that provides a direct connection between Yellowstone National Park and Grand Teton National ... morePark. The setting is breathtakingly beautiful – jagged peaks jutting into the sky while the river and its maze of channels and tributaries “snake” their way through the verdant, lush valley. Important to early explorers seeking passage west, the Pacific and Atlantic Creeks reach the Continental Divide at Two Ocean Pass near Jackson and part ways. The Atlantic Creek turns east, merges into the Yellowstone River and eventually flows into the Missouri while the Pacific Creek turns west and merges into the Snake, becoming the largest tributary of the Columbia, eventually reaching the ocean.
Known for its own unique trout, the Snake River finespotted cutthroat can only be found in the waters around the Jackson Hole valley. Considered by experts to have once been the only trout species in the Western interior, it has evolved into 14 different subspecies. To this day, its native range is limited to the upper Snake from Heart Lake to the Palisades Reservoir. Despite the finespotted’s hearty, undiscerning appetite and a seeming willingness to eat just about anything, experienced anglers view this fish as the most aggressive, hardest fighting trout to snare. As a result, when you catch one you earn major bragging rights.
The most heavily fished areas of the Snake’s run through western Wyoming are the 35 miles in the park between Jackson Dam and the 17 remaining miles flowing through Jackson Hole. This section of the river is ranked as one of the best dry-fly streams in the West. Snake enthusiasts recommend floating the river although newcomers are advised to only go with a guide and veterans are reminded to exercise caution, as the water can be turbulent and unpredictable. Should you decide to wade, be mindful of swift currents along undercut banks and stick to quiet, shallow river sections and side channels. Great stream fishing can be found at Gros Ventre River and Flat Creek.
The Naches and its tributaries drain a portion of the eastern side of the Cascade Range, east of Mount Rainier, and northeast of Mount Adams. At 75 miles long, it is the largest tributary ... morethat flows into the Yakima River. It’s a fun and fast paced river to fish.
The river’s name comes from the Indian words “naugh,” meaning rough or turbulent, and “chez,” meaning water.
The Trout Season
The Naches opens the first Saturday in June and runs through October. The river is not fishable until the end of June due to runoff. The first part of the season (the end of June/beginning of July) is when we focus on the upper part of the Naches, fishing from rafts. After July the water gets too low in the upper part of the river and we start fishing the lower part of the Naches.
The Naches river offers Rainbow and Cutthroat with an average size in the 10 to 12 inch range, however there is a chance daily for fish pushing the 20 inch mark on dry flies. Out of respect for this unique fishery we limit the amount of pressure that it sees, making it a sought after destination.
The Methow Valley located in North Central Washington is and continues to be one of the best-kept secrets in the entire Pacific Northwest. With a myriad of outdoor activities to choose ... morefrom, the Methow Valley has served as a sportsmen's paradise for Washingtonians for decades now. Just one of the many activities practiced in the Methow Valley is fly-fishing for Summer Run Steelhead on the pristine, Methow River.
With classic riffle and bolder strewn run after classic run, the Methow River is truly a Steel-heading paradise. This magnificent river affords fly fishermen of every skill level the distinct opportunity to swinging flies, fish heavily weighted wet flies and nymphs or skate and wake dry flies for the most sought after game fish in the world, the Pacific Northwest Steelhead.
The Methow River originates high in the North Cascades Mountain Range and meanders through six major vegetation zones with precipitation ranging from 100 inches to 10 inches a year. The Methow dashes, darts cutting its way over eons of time across large river rock boulders as mountain snows thaw during the warming months of spring.
Eventually, the Methow converges with the mother of all steelhead rivers, the Columbia River at the small town of Pateros, Washington. Salmon and steelhead returning to the Methow system must navigate over 500 miles upriver from the salty waters of the Pacific Ocean, while breaching 9 mainstream Columbia River dam passages. A phenomenal feat of nature in its own right.
In their lifetime, these magnificent Pacific Ocean going fish breach these man made obstacles twice. They pass over the dams on the way to the ocean and upon their return to the Methow River. Here salmon and some steelhead will perform their last living passage, the spawning ritual. Surrounded by farmland, timber and bushy, green meadows, the Methow River is truly a fly-fishing paradise, running clean and clear for much of the season. Remaining relatively wild, it is not uncommon to see numerous mule deer feeding along the river or road, eagles and osprey picking at a decaying salmon carcass or the occasional wild turkey sighting. Experience this wild life adventure while you cast flies for some of Washington States finest steelhead east of the Cascades Mountain Range.
The Methow River steelhead are a summer run species that enter the Columbia river between the months of June and July. Typically they make their way up river in force during the first couple weeks of September. This however, is dependant solely on the amount of water in both the Columbia and Methow River systems. With high water flow, fish tend to arrive early to the system. During periods of low water and a warm Columbia River watershed, steelhead movements will slow until water conditions improve. Once flows increase and water temperatures recede, steelhead resume their up stream travels.
Low returning Steelhead numbers in the mid nineties prompted an indefinite closure of all sport fishing for salmon and steelhead in the Methow River as well as many other Upper Columbia River tributaries. Since that time, the returning numbers of Steelhead has steadily risen in the Upper Columbia River, due in part to an intensive hatchery rearing program spearheaded by several local, state and private fisheries agencies.
In September of 2002, a “special emergency” opening for catch and release fishing was prompted on the Methow River. To say fishing was good is the understatement of the decade with anglers catching almost unheard of numbers of steelhead on a daily basis. Since then, the steelhead numbers have continued to grow, prompting special openings each year in October for steelhead on the Methow system. Each year we eagerly anticipate the opening of the Methow River, generally during the first few days of October.
The Worley Bugger guide team attacks the Methow in two differently modes. By October, flows are low in the Methow allowing a steelhead fly fishermen to access the river by foot. There is plenty of access points along the entire 35 miles stretch of river, where steelhead stage and a fly anglers can nymph, swing or skate a dry fly. Here you have the ability to travel up or down the road in warm, comfortable vehicle targeting key spots throughout the day.
For those that prefer to fish longer stretches of river or want to see more of the Methow, a float trip on a two man raft is also available to you as well. Here you can fish one full section of river putting the boat in the river at point "A" and float several full miles of river to point "B" while fishing every nook and cranny between.
Anyone who has fished the Methow before knows that at times the fish are in the lower river, sometimes holding in the upper portions, and many days they are in both the upper and lower portions of river.
"Jack Mitchell - The Evening Hatch built THE STEELHEAD RANCH on a plateau above the valley of Washington's Klickitat River. The beautiful home is both lodge and the centerpiece in ... morea complex of new buildings for clients and guides. Unique among non-wilderness lodges, the superb guides are on site 24/7. And they find steelhead; angler success is astonishingly high. Accommodations can be brochure boilerplate, but here fly fishermen live large with new friends. I don't know of another steelhead river served so well. See you there!" Trey Combs
Multi-day trips We operate 'The Steelhead Ranch' at full operational level from August 15 until November 30. Prior to that, The Steelhead Ranch Lodge can be scheduled based on a trip by trip basis.
Come and join us at our 40 acre ranch for a 2-4 night/day fishing pkg. Enjoy fishing for summer run steelhead on the wild and scenic Klickitat river daily and our conveniently located ranch nightly which features a beautiful double mountain view and 'Bonanza style' ranch like comfort - the nearest neighbor is 1/4 plus mile.
Notes
Requires double occupancy
The Worley Bugger Fly Co., fly fishing operations is headquartered in Ellensburg, Washington. Home of the Worley Bugger Fly Co fly shop, the Yakima River's first, full service professional ... morefly fishing shop. Our Professional Guide Team works closely with several state fisheries organizations and fly fishing clubs every year to maintain this beautiful flowing stream and enhance the quality of it's fishery for all fly fisher's.
Worley Bugger Fly Co. maintains the only staff of local, professional fly fishing guides operating guided tours on the Yakima River and Central Basin fisheries on a daily basis. Each individual works exclusively through the "Yakima River Pro Shop" in Ellensburg. This team is sought after season after season for their knowledge, patience and expertise in the fine art of fly fishing. Quality over Quantity is our standard every day of the year and the core of the WBFC Mission Statement.
|