#fly shop

[whereifindsanity]

A favorite of mine.

[eopederson2]

Motel with kitchenettes and fly shop, Grand Forks, British Columbia, 2016.

[emrldwtranglers]

September 13, 2019  Spey Time These days we are able to employ spey casting in nearly all facets of our fly fishing endeavors but when fall arrives in the PNW, particularly here in the Seattle area, we feel its relevance even more.  With flows at low fall levels, swinging flies on the Yakima and Cowlitz for rainbow and cutthroat trout are terrific options and for those seeking slightly larger interactions, steelhead on many of the rivers around here is beginning to uptick.  Skykomish, Klickitat, Cowlitz, Hoh and Queets would all be great options to consider.  Low and clear water will demand longer leaders, possibly smaller flies and while your winter Skagit heads will work just fine with a floating tip, why not pick up and enjoy casting a Rage or Scandi head with a longer front taper.  These heads will turn over flies with delicate precision and elegance, showing off those casting skills so well. Questions on anything spey, call 206-708-7250, we are here for you!

[emrldwtranglers]

November 7, 2018 Welcome Mikela! We are beside ourselves excited to welcome Mikela Rigney to our Women’s Program as an instructor and guide.  You will begin to see more of her showing up over the next few months as she gets herself ready for the spring season.  You can read a bit more about her on our guide profile page here. Steelhead are on our brain as we move into the winter season but as we speak many of the rivers for chrome are a bit out of shape with more rain coming.  The Skykomish has a few fish in right now as does the Klickitat and Grande Ronde.  Not a ton of fish but some and there have been some of these magnificent fish looking up for skating flies which is maybe the most exciting way to connect with one.  Watch for flows to drop here shortly and be ready to get on the water! The Yakima River had a slight bump in flow and was tainted with some color from some of its tributaries as a result some of the rain we have received lately.  It is on the drop and the fish are still very active towards BWO’s and smaller streamers on the swing and strip.  We have been spending a ton of time lately exercising our trout spey rods of choice being the Thomas and Thomas DNA 3wt and the Loomis IMX Pro 3wt, both of which are nothing short of a blast to cast and create a very different perspective of this fishery.  Come by and get caught up on the latest. Puget Sound has been having some good and difficult tides.  Super high water forces you to find access where a back cast is possible which is yet another reason the trout spey has been so much fun because the new lines from Scientific Angler and Airflo which are integrated shooting heads make fishing the Sound possible with this set up completely possible.  Salmon are about finished for now which means the SRC’s are super comfortable and curious so this is a great time to be on the water with baitfish patterns.  Our final thought here is as we move into this time of year, when all the rivers are puking chocolate milk which is going to happen, the Sound is just sitting there with clear water and fish waiting for something to do so get to know it NOW. As always, we are here to help you be successful on the water, any water so don’t hesitate to come by and ask questions or call, email or even face-time.  We look forward to talking with you soon.

[emrldwtranglers]

December 2, 2017  It’s Been That Good! We know, it’s time to hang up the gear and break out the vise and feathers for the year...wait a minute, no it’s not!  Fishing on the Sound has been crazy good lately, good enough to find us doubling up with clients on fish multiple times.  Foxy Minnow, Sound Searcher, Euphasid (small shrimp) and even some larger shrimp patterns have been working, depending on who you are talking to.  So if you have waders and boots, a 5-6wt fly rod with floating line and a rain jacket, you are completely prepared for the Sound right now, come in and grab a few flies and get out there. December 14th we will have our customer appreciation evening at the store, in store specials that evening with some things to sip on and all the advice you could possibly want.  Have a great Holiday Season everyone.

[emrldwtranglers]

October 8, 2017  Cutthroat Time of Year This is a shout out to the fact that living in Seattle pits fly anglers dead center of a difficult decision, to chase native West Slope cutts on the east side of the mountains or stay home and get after Coastal cutts in our local saltwater of Puget Sound.  You really can’t go wrong either way, it really depends on what you have a hankering for the most.  Yakima and Cle Elum have October Caddis coming off and these big bugs are the trouts last chance of the season at large quantities of calories in a single bite before winter sets in.  Skating and skittering these giant insects on a micro spey is about as fun as it gets as these trout simply get excited about them and show it in their pursuit and eventual take.  On the other side of the coin we have our beloved sea run cutthroat within minutes of our doors cruising all over Puget Sound.  This time of year, sun is low, tides remain pretty good and while not imitating an insect, these cousins of the east side trout will gladly give you a show on a surface fly meant to imitate an injured baitfish or just about anything you like really. Just because kids are back in school and the weather isn’t in the 80′s doesn’t mean you can’t or shouldn’t be out bending the rod!  Winter clothing is in now so no excuses.  Happy fall everyone...

[emrldwtranglers]

April 27, 2017  Yakima River, WA So while walk and wading the Yakima and Cle Elum at the moment isn’t necessarily the greatest way to fish these two rivers doesn’t mean that floating the upper stretches of the Yakima from Cle Elum down to Thorp isn’t a bad idea.  Fish have to eat, bugs are around and the water is high but in shape to fish.  Some fish looking up during various times of the day, particularly early AM and evening but nymphing and tossing streams is going to most productive at the moment.  Smaller sized Pat’s Stones followed by Lightning Bugs will do the trip or if runnin’ and gunnin’ is more your style get your streamers going with some Dahli Lama’s in Olive/White or Natural/White, JJ Specials or Sculpzilla’s in Olive or Natural...wear a hat and sunglasses and have fun! This is the perfect time of year to look critically at which fly rods you use for which situations.  Many preach the 5wt as the end all be all of trout sticks but because we live in an area where nymphing, streamers and long casts on Puget Sound are the norm, we really like the 6wt.  A fighting butt always comes in handy when fighting big fish and will handle these demanding fishing situations just a bit better than the 5wt.  So if you are fishing a slower 5 and working hard to come up with a reason for a new stick, there it is!  Come by the store, we are happy to go cast with you at any time any number of rods you might be interested in.  Food for thought...

[emrldwtranglers]

May 1, 2017  Puget Sound, WA Well, after a beautiful weekend we are back at it with rain again in the air and on the ground.  We at times try to keep it simple with regards to suggesting particular flies for fishing Puget Sound and most of the time, the sea run cutthroat aren’t that selective. Flies are what they are but because of the live nature they are intended to emulate it becomes increasingly more important to be sure your presentation is giving your fly the right amount of “life” or action to be appealing to the fish.  This is rarely more true than when speaking of the resident Coho moving about the Sound right now.  Recent studies of the Coastal Cutthroat Coalition has been showing that while Chum fry are thick in numbers, the salmon are more focused on shrimp!  Sometimes, when your relative next to you is eating something different than you, you give it shot and this is what cutts will do sometimes so it behooves anglers you have a broad selection of flies in their box when hitting the Sound which includes shrimp patterns.  Such flies might include those coming from the more tropical family of flies such as small Gotcha’s, Christmas Island Specials and of course Clousers.  Come by and we will help you pick a few out and figure out where to go.  Rain only makes the beaches less crowded, even better reason to be out there now.