I received a call last night from a mom who’s son recently moved to Seattle. He is really enjoying the fly fishing there, and his birthday is coming up. His mother would like to send him a bunch of flies, but does not know what to send. Any ideas? All I know is that he has been focussing on local trout water. Don’t know if he is targeting salmon yet.
Don’t know if he is fishing, small/large streams, log ponds, etc. Might make a small difference on the choice of trout flies. Can’t go wrong in the N.W. with Spruce Fly, Coachman’s, Royal Wulfs, Muddler’s and a Parachute type fly. Size’s 8 to 14, depending on the type of water. Does he have a floating fly line and or a Sink Tip line? All these things will affect the type of fly he might choose. I know you will get lots of good advise from other members. Good luck, Jonezee
I learn more about the world while talking to myself when fishing alone
troutgeek,
I’m just south of Seattle and here’s what works for me. Dries, BWO’s sizes 16 to 20, Adams-12 to 20, PMD’s-12 to 18, Caddis with grey, brown or green bodies in 10 to 20, October Caddis size 8.
Wet flies, Bunny Leech-size 6 and 8 2XL, Partridge and (yellow, orange, green bodies) size 12 to 18, Doc Spratley size 10-14, Chili Pepper-size 8 to 12, and of course wooley buggers in black, brown, olive in a variety of sizes, Reverse Spiders in Black, red, yellow and varigated bodies.
If you have any questions, feel free to e-mail me.
REE
This was exactly what I was looking for – thanks all. I do not know what size streams he fishes. His mom had said that he caught some brownies. I thought that the upper northwest was more known for rainbow, cutthroat, and all of the Pacific salmon varieties (yes, I know – rainbow and cutthroats are now classified as salmon). That’s all the info that was given to me.
Troutgeek, unless I am totally clueless Rainbows and Cutthroats trout have not been reclassified as Salmon, Steelhead yes.
Curious, where did you get this info?
Most of the better trout fishing on the west side of the state is in lakes, ponds and smaller streams with a few exceptions.
Most of the bigger rivers will have Steelhead, Salmon and sea-run Cutts in season.
Although there are usually a few trout available many of the trout caught in these streams are probally Steelhead smolts.
Most of the streams in the western part of the state are not hatch rich so the fish are not usually that selective.
Much of the better trout fishing is in the central and eastern part of the state.
The flies previously mentioned are all good choices.
Rob
Troutgeek - You are right about the rainbows and cutts being predominent in the N.W. You will find brookies and browns in a lot of large mountain lakes. As far as Rainbow and Cutts being classified as Salmon, I think it might be that the season for sea run fish in general dictates when and what you can fish for in coastal and migratory streams. Most western states require a “punch card” for Salmon and Steelhead. Cutts are the same as trout in the sanopsis. Either way, like Idaho says, you can’t go wrong with the choices given you.
Ron Eagle Elk has it nailed. I’ll add Mosquitoes in 10-16 and damsels in 10-12.
Pete
i live in southwestern washington, and i catch alot on yellow bunnie strip matukas, and muddlers. i also like small dries such as adams, mosquitos, and royal wullfs
In 1989, taxonomists placed the rainbow/steelhead and cutthroat into the genus Oncorhynchus, the genus that includes the Pacific salmons. I say rainbow-slash-steelhead because there are no significant genetic differences between resident and anadromous rainbows. The progeny of resident rainbows can, and do, adopt an anadromous lifestyle and vice-versa.
Rainbow/steelhead, formerly Salmo gairdneri, are now listed as Oncorhynchus mykiss and cutthroat, formerly S. clarki, are now O. clarki.
Thanks Preston for clearing that up for me. I will admit when I am wrong.
That said I sure cannot figure out why CT and Rainbow trout are now considered Salmon.
Pacific salmon spawn once and die, obviously Ct and Rainbows spawn more then one time if they are able too. Go figure?
I knew they re-catagorized steelhead as Salmon, which made no sense to me either.
I would not be the least bit surprised if down the road in a few years they don’t go back to reclassifying them all as trout again.
Rob
Oh my. Yes, the taxonomy and common names are a bit messed up. Brookies and lakers are chars, rainbows and cutts (and goldens) are salmon, and Atlantics are trout – just to name a few. Well, they got the brownie correct!
A fish a fish, by any other name would be as sweet.
[This message has been edited by Jonezee (edited 21 July 2006).]
Actually, there are other Pacific salmon which do not die after spawning. The Japanese masu, or cherry salmon (Oncorhynchus masou) survives occasionally to spawn a second time. The two genera, Oncorhynchus and Salmo, probably had a common ancestor 15 to 20 million years ago from which the two diverged, one becoming isolated in the Pacific and the other in the Atlantic and the Mediterranean. The Pacific strain, again, evolved into the seven species that now exist. The inclusion of rainbows and cutthroat in the genus Salmo was based on similarities in morphology, but modern genetic science has shown them to be much more closely allied to the genus Oncorhynchus.
Preston, Something else new to learn. I guess old dogs can learn new tricks.
All of the Cherry Salmon I saw in Kamchatka were so small (2 to 5 pounds) making me think that they spawn only once before dying, but I did not see a huge amount of them in the rivers I was on when I was in Kamchatka.
And I defintely saw spawned out and dying Cherry’s on the shorelines occassionally.
From what the Russsian told me it sounds like the rivers in Kamchatka that host Cherry Salmon usually do not get very large runs of them.
Rob