Thanks to all my supporters

Dear Friends and Anglers,

I have officially shut down all aspects of my fly fishing business. This blog will remain up as an archive and for when I feel inspired to discuss fishing and fishing related issues. I want to thank everyone who has supported me through this adventure. My clients are incredible people that I really enjoyed spending time with over the years, dating all the way back to 1994 in Colorado. I hope to see many of you out on the river. Feel free to email or drop me a line anytime!

Jason Cross

For local guiding and lessons, please contact my good friend Ed Megill @ cascadesfly.com.

Tuesday, January 22, 2008

South Fork Nooksack still waiting for wild fish!

This last weekend I floated the South Fork Nooksack from Saxon Rd. to Acme for both Friday and Saturday. The weather was kind to us on Friday but left a little to be desired on Saturday. Friday we hooked a steelhead in the morning on a tail-out with a black and red marabou. The fish was on for less than a minute when the knot gave way. A sad steelhead story, a nightmare for a some, but I won't dive into it too much further. It was great to see a fish on the end of the line. Just to make that connection is what it's all about.

I use a non-slip mono loop knot exclusively when I am swinging flies. This is an incredibly strong knot that is recommended by Frog Hair (my preferred tippet material; deep blue for steelhead). This loop allows the fly to dangle, swivel and even slow down its material compression during the swing. While I have no problem using the improved clinch knot for trout, the shear force that a steelhead can place on your leader, especially on the dangle, can cause knot breakage. This also brings about an earlier blog discussion where I touched on getting all of your ducks in a row. You never know when it's going to happen, but sometimes you might have a feeling about a certain spot in a run. Check your fly, the hook, its sharpness, the knot, your leader, leader knots and make sure your gear is ready before every run. I am not saying that I am religious about this during a run but I usually do check when I know I have thrown a poor cast with a tailing loop or nicked a rock behind me. Yes, it does happen to the best of us! I get sloppy some times, even some days!

The South Fork is a jewel. There isn't any other water in Whatcom County quite like it. The bulk of the wild run comes after it closes in March and April but from now through February you can catch some nice wild fish. The North Fork is very similar with its wild run of steelhead but it does see the earlier hatchery fish through January, padding its numbers and striking our fancy.

Saturday was one of those days where clients ask chilled to the bone, we endured several hours of varying precipitation. It's funny how after the "don't I get a free steelhead today?" Wet and shore coffee break you don't even notice the rain for at least the next hour, then the onset of cold creeps over you and you know it is time to row out.

I would like to thank everyone this weekend for getting out with me. Steve, Jon and Bob it was a pleasure. Bob, that chromer is yours next time. Ed and Audrey, your day is coming, I can feel it. If I could send you all a punch card for a free steelhead, I would!
Posted by at

No comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)

Local Information

Nooksack River

The Nooksack is our most Northern Puget Sound river. From the flanks of beautiful Mt. Baker and the Mt. Baker Wilderness the Nooksack River travels 75 miles to Bellingham Bay through diverse terrain. Three forks make up the main stem that locals say starts in the town of Deming. The North Fork provides most of the water in the drainage right off the northern side of Mt. Baker and parallels the Mt. Baker Highway often unseen. The Middle Fork is smaller and faster tributary with a steeper gradient and deep plunge pools. The South Fork, although some 50 miles long that stretches into Skagit County, is only fishable for 14 river miles before it closes to protect endangered Chinook spawning grounds.

The North Fork Kendall Creek hatchery provides a decent fishery for winter steelhead and October salmon fishing. Chinook and coho hatchery returns are mainly from the Native hatchery on the South Fork at Skookum Creek. Salmon fishing opens on the Main Stem in early September and stays good through a healthy chum run well into December. Both forks open in October for salmon but can be fished for sea-run cutthroat trout in September. Thanksgiving brings about hatchery steelhead season which carries through into January. Wild steelhead start trickling into the system in December and really show up in good numbers in January and February. Sadly for the fishermen the river closes in the end of February.

The main stem is a true spey rod river with some beautiful classic steelhead runs that will remind you of other nice places you have fished. The forks are smaller and lend themselves more to the single handed rod or a switch rod. The North Fork Nooksack is a wild and scenic river and boasts an incredible population of bald eagles. The river shifts quite frequently throughout the vast channel as the waters rise and fall with rain. Tree roots and log jams make up much of the excellent fish habitat on this fork. The south and middle forks are more defined channels and runs and holes remain more consistent. Wherever you are on this river the backdrop is spectacular. Around one bend you will look back and see The Sisters and the next bend will offer a pristine view of towering Mt. Baker.

Resident trout and anadromous dolly varden are found throughout the system in small numbers with the latter being off limits to target. The North Fork Nooksack above the 100 foot Nooksack Falls can be fun summer trout fishing with light weight rods and surface flies. Some open tributaries such as Canyon Creek can be great fun on the dry fly in July through September for small to medium sized trout. These tributaries of crystal clear cascading water sooth the sole and bring you smiling back to the roots of fly fishing.

Puget Sound Beaches are fun relief from the river and Stillwater settings. Sea-run cutthroat are available for the catching along several nice cobblestone reaches. The shelter of bull kelp beds provide a great feeding grounds for this fun anadramous salmonid. Late summer sees the arrival of solid hatchery coho fishery easily within reach of shore.

Come on up and get away from the crowds. You wont believe how beautiful it is and you won’t regret it. And, oh yeah, you might catch some nice fish!