Eastern Washington Fishing Report 06.06.19
Any day is a good day to be on the water doing what we love to do. Our rivers are on a steady downward slide in flows and are coming into shape day by day. The spring winds have calmed down making for a little easier time on the lakes. Most importantly, the fishing has been good.
Current Conditions
Chopaka Lake - It’s damselfly time. Once the day warms a bit, the nymphs will start their march toward the shoreline, climbing out onto whatever is close and start the hatching process. This week's weather may be a mix of sun, clouds, and little rain so come prepared for what mother nature might throw at you. Temperatures are starting to edge up a little during the day so keep track of the temperatures in that top 10 feet of the water column.
Omak Lake - With the spawning urge pretty much over for the Lahontan cutthroats, they are looking to regain some weight and are back on the hunt for some swimming protein to dine on. The weather out at the lake has been pleasantly moderate with broken clouds and minimal winds. You won't see many, if any, fish cruising in the shallows so move out to the dropoffs.
If you are shore fishing, Nicholson (Beer Can) Beach is okay first thing in the morning. Cowpie Beach to the south might be a better bet with fewer non-anglers. If you are using a boat, start looking in some of the areas that can’t be accessed from shore and that have underwater rock structures.
Other Area Lakes - The fishing remains good at all the lakes in the area. With moderate weather in the forecast, you should have no problem finding fish. Remember, we have a variety of fish species in our lakes. As a side note, the CCT has stocked approximately 25,000 triploid rainbows in Rufus Woods in the last 30 days.
Okanogan River (WA) - The river is on a steady drop now and should be coming into shape in about a week. Smallmouth bass action is already picking up, down close to the mouth.
Methow River (WA) - The Methow has dropped 1,000 cfs in three days. Right now, the swing is the thing for most of us. Based on what our snowpack looks like this year, I don’t foresee any big bumps in the flows, even if we were to have some hot days.
Match the Hatch
For just about all our area lakes, it is damselfly time -nymphs in the morning and dries once you see them coming off. You will be casting in close to the shoreline and out about 10 to 15 feet depending on depths in those distances with the nymphs. Once the dries are active, it pretty much will be in close or around the exposed vegetation in the water.
A mix of scuds, chironomids and small leech patterns are working depending on the lake. I am seeing more use of unweighted pheasant tail, hares ear nymphs and the good ole’ Carey special right now. These simple patterns account for a lot of fish being caught right now. Also, don’t forget to try minnow patterns or crayfish patterns if you are getting limited action on your normal stillwater patterns.
For Omak Lake right now, any medium/large-size streamer will be money. One streamer that we have had here in the shop, that I turned a couple of customers onto, is the G/S roosta in olive/white. They had some good results with it. I was able to fish the Methow last night for about 30 minutes close to my house. A #6 olive zirdle bug hooked me into a nice chunky 14-inch rainbow. Plus, remember the Methow River is under selective gear rules, so if you chose to use streamers, make sure they are single barbless hooks, like a sculpzilla or the TFP bald eagle. If you want to fish dries on the river, I was seeing a lot of crane flies out and some fish were going after them.
Need to fill the box before you go? Order flies online here.
Tips & Techniques
If you are fishing a damsel nymph close to shore, depending on the weight of the fly, a dry line or intermediate will be all you need. Another little trick I’ve learned is to use a damsel nymph that has some foam on the head on a short sink tip line. The nymph will look like it is swimming up as it gets close to shore or vegetation.
If you are going to swing a fly on the river, you might think about using a compact Skagit head on a single hand rod. Most of your cast won't be too long and single hand Skagit casting seems to work well, at least it does for me.
Did you know...
This weekend, June 8th and 9th, is a free fishing weekend in the state. Check the state rule pamphlet for details. This would be a good time to get someone you know that has shown a glimmer of interest in fly fishing out on the water at no cost to them. I’m sure you have a rod they can borrow and the time to take them out and have fun.
Want to win a Winston rod? Stop into North 40 Outfitters on Saturday, June 15th for our “Cast a Rod – Win Two” event. Simply cast a Winston fly rod and fill out the raffle for your chance to win two Winston Rods of your choice.
See past reports from the Omak region, or click here to view all northwest regional reports.