Newb**Fly fishing In or near Deming

[emcdonald]

I just got a fly rod.. I'm very excited.. I spent all day getting my cast down.. Ive watched and read a lot of material on the subject. Ive always been an angler.. but never tried fly fishing. i moved here from Florida a lil over 2 years ago.. Any pointers advice or anything that will help me land my  fish on a fly rod is appreciated. I live off of mt baker and see all this water.streams.. creeks.. even a river ( i think its the Nooksack??. lol i'm just not sure if there's even fish in there or how to catch them??Thanks

[Sheepdog]

Congrats on the new fly rod.  I'm excited for you...I've been tying knots in leaders for years and love it.

As you can probably tell by now, there aren't many fly fishers on this forum anymore.  You might check out the Washington Fly Fishing forum.  Members there are from all over the region, country, and world.  And there are a handful from Whatcom County.  There's a wealth of knowledge there.  Here too but this one has gotten more and more quiet.

So, to get you your first fish on your new rod could be tough at this time of year.  The salmon season has wound down but steelhead should be starting to show up, in theory anyway.  I haven't checked lately but I think the north and middle forks of the Nooksack are still closed.  The south fork might be open and there's supposed to be a small run of steelhead there.  That said, getting a steelhead on a fly is tough to do, especially on the Nooksack.  I've devoted a lot of time to it the last few years and felt pretty lucky to get one each season. 

Depending upon what you have for gear, you might be able to pick up a bull trout or a sea run cutthroat swinging a fly in the river.  I've never targeted SRC's but intend to give them a go this spring.  They're supposed to be a fun little fish. 

I'm guessing you have a 4 or 5 wt rod, which is more suited to trout sized fish.  There are a couple lakes that are open year round....Pass, Squalicum, and Samish ( I think)...but you'll need some sort of a boat or tube to fish them....and the fish can be pretty finicky in some of those lakes.  Fazon is another small lake in the county that opens after duck season.  It's more of a warm water species lake and you'll need a boat or raft there, too, but those little blue gills can be kinda fun.  There are bass in there, too, and maybe some planted small steelies/trout.


Check out Confluence Fly Shop.  They're down in Squalicum Harbor (and have a web site).  Brandon & Scott are good guys and will help you out. 

Have Fun

[emcdonald]

Very cool! Thanks for the info! What kind of flies do you recommend to catch a trout?

[Nick]

There's a lot of good opportunity locally for fly fishing. Starting out I'd forget about steelhead, at least for a while. In the spring lakes are stocked with trout and open up in April, and are a great place to learn and catch a few trout. You can't go wrong with a black or olive woolly bugger dragged behind a float tube or cast along the shore.

[Sheepdog]

First off,  don't make the mistake of thinking I really know what I'm doing...cuz I'm still learning every time I go out.   That said, if you can't wait until spring and just gotta get out and start flogging some water,  the south fork and (I think) the main stem of the Nooksack are open but it's pretty much catch and release.  Double check the regs and take the time to learn how to properly handle and release a fish. Be nice to them, they're pretty cool.

For flies to swing, I'll recommend a pink & purple egg sucking leech, a black maribou bugger or leech, maybe a similar one in white...weighted with hourglass/dumbbell eyes..size 2 or 4.  And maybe a flesh fly or an egg pattern. Throwing a weighted fly will change your casting tempo...but there's no better way to learn than trying.   If you don't have a sink tip or a sinking line, you might be able to get by with a 1/16oz worm weight and a longer leader...but that'll make it that much more of a challenge to cast.

I've been throwing flies for so long that I can't really remember what it was like starting out....other than not being able to cast a dry fly no more than 10 feet or so and getting pretty frustrated.  So maybe what I've suggested is too much.  I dunno, you'll have to be the judge.  Consider taking one of your weighted flies, cutting the pointy part off and doing some casting in the yard or a nearby park or open area.  Wear a hat.  A weighted fly can leave a good welt...and protect your eyes, they don't grow back

Also go get a copy of Chester Allen's Fly Fishing for Sea-Run Cutthroat.  Like I wrote in my first reply,  I'm going to give them a try this spring.  It's a pretty good book with fly suggestions and tactics.  The SRC will be after the chum and pink fry that will be heading down stream in a few months.  I'm guessing the rod you have will be perfect for them.  I'll be returning the library's copy soon so put it on reserve.

If you have a boat or tube, head to one of the open lakes.  Like Nick suggested a woolly bugger is a good option.  A month or so ago, I did all right with a darker muddler minnow on a slow strip.  And don't forget your PFD, the water's pretty cold and I'm guessing drowning sucks.

Also, get signed up for the monthly newsletter from Confluence when you stop down there, it has lots of good info.

Most of all, have fun with it. 

[emcdonald]

Thanks for your help and tips guys!! I really appreciate it!