Summer Paradise

With the sockeye bonanza occupying everyone's time over the past month and a half the pressure on the Skagit river has been well below average.  Pair the low angler pressure with a later than normal spring runoff and the river conditions in late August and early September and what you get is some truly great days on the water.

Following the trends observed by many anglers there were abundant populations of bull trout already present throughout the lower river in mid August.  Careful observation when approaching any of the deeper holes would allow you to see the bull trout flashing.

A carefully presented streamer swung near the bottom would generally result in a solid take, assuming the fish were not previously disturbed.

Most bull trout present in the river are between 16" and 22" but occasionally they can reach much larger proportions.

My favorite streamers to date for targeting these fish is a simple Clouser minnow tied on a size 4 stainless steel salmon hook.  Olive over white, black/gray over white and black/chartreuse over white each with some red crystal flash added along each side are my personal favorites.  I have also begun experimenting with egg sucking leech patterns tied with 1/4" orange brass beads which tend to snag a little more due to the hook point running down rather than upward on a Clouser type pattern.

Occasionally the bull trout will even fall for a well presented nymph.  I have found this is a viable alternative when you are trying to hook fish that have already been fished over and potentially disturbed.

The pressure decreases substantially after the Labor day weekend, but if you are looking for a quiet getaway and some excellent fishing think about making the drive out to the Skagit on a nice sunny day even into October.

Cheers,

J