Wynoochee

Hope to try and fish the Wynoochee this year, any information would be helpful. Best spot to bank fish, etc. How accessable is this river?

Here are a few spots.

Around the 8 mile mark on the Wynoochee Valley RD there will be a firestation on the lefthand side. and a road just past it. This road is known as the "crossover" road. Take a left on this road, and about 1/2-3/4 miles from the intersectrion is a bridge. There is a good hole right ther at the put-in on the west side.

Next spot....Keep going over the bridge and take the first right just before going up the hill. Follow this road to the end, and you will be opposite the "white bridge" boat launch. Go up and down stream, water levels permitting. Ther are a few good holes in that area.

Two should be enough to start, maybe someone else will help out. There is a fair amount of bank access, just make sure you are not trespassing.

Good Luck!

No substitute for just getting out there...head down and spend the day...take a note pad and take some notes...

Thanks Carcass for the information at least will have an area to start taking notes according to Craven Moorhead.
Since this will be the first time fishing this river and did not know the river,was looking for a place at least to start.
Why is that when someone ask a question on how to fish somewhere they never fish before, somepeople have to put in their two cents instead of helping a guy.

This is more or less a question for craven. I hope its not too long and drawn out and I hope you dont think im a dumb dumb after this. I know your a definate advocate of getting out and finding the holes after having talked to you. Im very new to fishing and have never really been an outdoorsman of any type untill the last two years. Now dont even reply to this if you think its to ignorant of a question, but when your looking for these holes do you just go buy a map, and drive around and look for river access, parked cars, etc ect? If I were to hit a river that didnt have a crowd in it, I would have no idea where to find the fish. How do you know which areas are good or how to you tell an area would hold fish if nobody seems to be fishing there "aside of actualy seeing the fish" Can you reccomend a good book to read or a place that tells you specifics to look for? I have plans for next summer to spend some time "especialy on rivers close to me" of doing exactly that. Taking a map and a notebook and finding good river access and trying to find holes that would be good to fish during the off season. The only problem is , I dont know $h!t about what to look for.
Nobody in my family has ever fished and I have one other friend that fishes but he's not real motivated so he's of almost 0 help.

me fish, I will respond to your last question.

The information Dogfish gave you is good to get you started...I obviously wasn't planning on giving you that. Here is my reasoning and I would imagine others out there.

First off: I am old enough to remember when hardly anyone fished the nooch.

Second: I have spent hours and hours and hours putting in my time learning that river. And feel others should do the same.

In conclusion, though I don't fish it as much as I used to I just simply feel that if you want to fish. Go fish, learn all that you can, by doing this you earn the "stripes" of that river...and then you will understand why many like myself don't readily share any info. The internet is an incredilble tool, you could pull the 'nooch up and get arial photos of her, you can "hear" when others are catching fish. I just don't feel like giving anyone a "silver spoon" nor do I think anyone should expect one. Thats my .02, it is not meant to mean spirited or condensending.

Jim

If you are that new to the sport, there are other rivers that have more fish and better access. I would recommend the Cowlitz at Blue Creek or Barrier Dam, how about the Kalama with ten miles of unlimited bank access.
If you are coming from Seattle, why the Wynoochie?

Neurosis and MeFish; I understand completely your situation. When I started fishing 25 odd years ago I was the first of my family and relatives to pick up the long rod. I, too, started from scratch. This was my approach and maybe it will help you out some.

First thing I did was subscribe to Salmon-Trout-Steelheader. Read that thing religiously to learn all I could. Amato publications puts out some good books, too, on steelhead fishing; just read 'em. Next I bought a catch record report of the salmon and steelhead caught in Washington/Oregon. It gave the total number of fish caught per month on every river. From that you can surmise run timing of the rivers around you. Now do some homework and pick just a couple rivers near your home that you can concentrate on. Use your catch data to determine when to target each one.

Now go get a map and check out the various areas of access. Go get a good topo map from Metzkers or something. If the road follows the river, you can see where others have created trails headed to the water. There's a reason people fish the same areas. When you find a spot that people are fishing, really pay attention to the water. Memorize what it looks like, think about WHY it looks that way. Fish are holding there for a reason. Now go find other spots on the river that look the same.

Watch what the others are doing, and HOW they're doing it, especially the ones catching fish. Don't be afraid to ask a few simple questions, but remember that the guy fishing is trying to concentrate on his drift, too.

At the end of the day think about what happened. If you got skunked, think about why; water conditions? presentation? timing? not holding your tongue right? Make note of what you'll change/try next time.

Bottom line is that you MUST do some homework and read everything you can get your hands on.

Hope some of that helps.
Rick

me, neurosis and others.

the other option is to spend $150 (or whatever he charges) hire Bob for a day and bug him all day about holding water etc...you will learn all you need to know to really get started on any river. It is a very reasonable amount based on learning curve.

Jim

I tend to agree with the "beat the streets attitude." It's acceptable to swap technique ideas, but what makes this sport fun and still affords us some lonely river banks is the mentality of "let me grab a map and explore on my own." Getting places to go while talking to a friend or BS'n in a bar is great. Most people on the board have learned that asking for places to fish is taboo, and some haven't. The one that really gives me a chuckle are the guys that get crap for asking for a place to fish, then on their next post they ask for the same type of info. but qualify it with an "email me if you don't want to post it publicly." I just don't think some questions are appropriate for people you don't know. Asking for email replies is an aggressive way to get info. from innapropriate questions. Now I know some folks know each other quite well and should feel free communicating with each other. I'm talking about guys that are new to the sport that start their first post with a "where to fish post." I do believe some of the small streams that I used to consider zipper have become very busy due to the ease on info. obtained on the net.

All that being said, there are tons of books out there, plenty of written info. on the net. Grab some catch stats and a map and plan a trip. Get to the river, see a guy like me and ask questions. Being on the river tends to make me tell all, especially to a newbie. This is the one part of the game that should be learned the hard way. Learning where fish lie in a particular river can only be learned the hard way.

Who is bob? Sorry, im new here. I think it would be worth 150 for some decent knowledge. Thats a point worth thinking about.

Haha... Sorry Bob. Does he teach any secrets about where to fish on local rivers? I may even let him have a date with my g/f for that. <img border="0" alt="[wall]" title="" src="graemlins/wall.gif" />

If you are new to this board and new to drift fishing cruise this whole site, not just the BB, for info. There is great technical info to be found here - hell, I have been fishing these rivers since the 50's and I found a new favorite lure (rags) and instructions on making them here. For info on reading water and fishing it go out fishing with an expert - if you don't know one hire one, particularly The Really Big One. And there are huge amounts of published literature, including hole by hole maps, out there in various books on fishing for steelhead - a library search will provide you with a lifetime of fishing spots. Share technical info, fishing stories (only about hugely popular well known areas though), and BS on this board, and take any info on hot spots with a boatload of salt (see the previous reference to BS). Have fun, be happy, and be

I started out fishing for Salmon and Steelhead 20+ years ago when the only school was the school of hard knocks. When I wanted to fish the Wynoochie, there was nobody to ask, so I did exactly what you suggested....I went and bought a Metzkers map and drove down there...I looked for cars...drove down public roads, talked to other guys on the river and ended up catching a fish later in the day.

On the other note....I am not trying to be a jerk about it, but why should I broadcast to the 100,000 plus people who visit this sight each week which rock to go stand on at the Nooch?...Is this fair to the other guy who has done his homework and is headed down there tomorrow...NO

To all the new people in the sport....like the Visa card ads say....Fishing rod...$150, vest $30, wadders $100....finding a spot on your own...priceless

I too am an advocate of the search and learn technique- the reality is that there weren't many alternatives 30 years ago. I think a person who endures that learning process is hooked for life and develops an appreciation for fishing quality- rather than the terminal madness and combat scenes that are common now.

However- I think there is a good argument for getting new fisherfolks into fish quickly. Fishing is a political/economic game- votes and advocacy count. What counts even more in that game is a negative reaction (fishermen are selfish) or complete apathy. Younger people have less patience and may peter out quickly without the quick fix of some "action". Even if the fun fades as we get into the high hours to hookup ratios that are soon to be here, maybe they will have caught the fever at the expense of being directed to a few popular chum spots, and they will endure the winter drudgery (or enjoy the serenity it's all perspective) on their own.

Just a different opinion to consider. The preceding might just be a pile of crap- I have no insight on how people think, just a concern for the fishery. I'm fortunate enough to have developed a network of friends to get my info from, but it took a long time and lots of no fish days- hmm those still happen frequently.

Neurosis- I see this is a post concerning the Nooch, but here is some green Chum info- you've asked about that on other posts. Head East from Hwy 18 and find Flaming Geyser or Metzler's Park. Both are popular and will have fish now or very soon. Be courteous and observe. Take the time to walk up and down from the kill zones to find other fishy water, rather than continue in the harrassment mode of one school of fish. Share info with other newbies and develop a personal network- it'll be much more satisfying in the long run.
Enjoy.

First Craven: I know and realize your not trying to be a jerk my question is a serious one and I really am looking to go on a search. Im just looking for the tools to get me started so I dont have to ask people "where are you catching fish" . I am truly interested in learning how to find these spots on my own, I just dont have a clue where to start. I'll use the board to my advantage when I can, but I will take all advice and beat the streets as well. Im not lazy even though some times my sentiment may seem that way.
Im just trying to have fun at the same time. I admire the tribulations that you have been through and only hope that I can enjoy the same fishing experience after time spent.

Next I also am just looking for people to fish with the same. I dont care to have them show me their secret spots or drag every fishing secret they hold out of them. Im more or less looking for people to fish with that enjoy it as much as I do. I enjoyed fishing with you and trouthead and hope to fish with you again. I also want you "believe it or not" to teach me some C & R etiquette. I was going to make seperate post about it, but maye i'll just add it into this one. I C & R most of the fish I catch, so it will come in handy to know the proper way to do it without trashing the fish. The people I have fished with so far "not you guys included" are for the most part, as new as me and usualy dont release anything they catch.

Next.... About the green.

Thanks for the info. Ive never tried around Met. park, but have been to the other. I fish there regularly durning the winter although never cought anything. Im going to try float fishing this year up there and hopefully I can get some better luck.

One thing you don't want to depend on when fishing the nooch is media reports. In today's Seattle Times a fishing reports descirbes the Wynoochee as good for winter steelhead.
The only way you could fish for steelhead on the nooch in the last couple of days is with a shovel. It has been MUDDY at best.

I must say I am pleasently surprised!!! In the past...when certain rivers are brought up the thread turns into a ***** fest and everyone ends up pissed off at each other...it is great to see everyone lending a hand and not being a d*ck because a neophyte asked about a certain river.

Secondly...I began fishing long before I could drive so that gave me all the time in the world to spend studying up on technique and places etc. etc. So when I finally got my license, I was able to hit the rivers with gusto!!

What helped me the most??? Published literature...

Must haves include Stan Jone's Washington State Fishing Guide, Terry Rudnick's Washington Fishing, Wa. State regs which can be a great source if you are intuitive and most importantly the DeLorme Washington Atlas and Gazeater!!...this last one is required!!!

To better understand reading steelhead water, Bill Herzog's Drift Fishing for Steelhead is the best source. It will give you the ability to drive around looking at a river and be able to understand where to fish and why.

Lastly, hire Bob for a day. Let him know you want to learn how to read water, drift fish, ask 101 questions about everything...including steelhead behavior which is commonly bypassed.

Hope this helps...and keep a journal!

One more thing...

Dont pay much attention to Fishing and Hunting News or newspaper reports.

For one, they are hardly ever accurate and most importantly if you spend all your time chasing down the lastest hotspot, you will always have arrived too late and you will never have given your chance to learn a few rivers well...once a river or two becomes a part of your life, you will become the best fisherman you possible can!!

neurosis- shoot me an e mail at philpac33@hotmail.com...i may be able to help you enough so you can get started on your own...i'm not going to show every spot on the river nor will i take you on some wild goose chase..simply put i can take you to a couple of the more popular drifts, give a few tips on gear and techniques, what type of holding water to look for (which will apply to most or all rivers), and most likely put you on a couple fish...i didn't learn to fish without the help of some friends(and strangers), but it takes a lot of individual time and effort, as you will see...hit me up if you'd like

Craven is great guy. He and FJ took me out for a drift on the Wynoochee in April without knowing who I was. Great guys, both of them. I got to return the favor by showing them the ropes out at Sekiu.

I hoped to give you a starting point. The area I told you to go is right in the middle, with LOTS of area to explore both up and downstream.

Folks have shared with me, I will also share. Gotta keep the Karma going.

Andy

The Gazatteer and the Steelhead book are on their way from Amazon! That Gazatteer looks great.

Here I set reading a posting from someone one a bulliten board and on the home page it reads.

Welcome to the Piscatorial Pursuits Website - the premier source of information for anglers seeking salmon, steelhead, and halibut fishing information in the Pacific Northwest.
Then I wonder if this is what the webmaster (Bob) had in mind when he created this site. "Can not tell you" "find it out on your on" You can find out all kinds of info and the web" Well here I am on the web looking at this heading on the homepage figuring I have found a place with some info and everyone is a zipper lip. Sure wish Bob could get his site back to the way he had origionally planed it to be. One of those sites on the web that people could find informitive information on fishing the NorthWest.

P>S> I know I will get the treatment on this one.

kingfisher -

Why don't you do this... ask Bob what river and location he was on yesterday when he hooked into those nice looking steelhead. See how much of that type of specific info he gives out.

I'm w/u Kingfisherman. This board had a slightly different...well.... ambience, for lack of a better word, than it had when I first discovered it. But, as in nature, everything evolves or (and?) it becomes extinct. It is kinda interestin to watch how the character of this bulletin board changes over time. In my limited experience things usually go 'full circle'(eventually). And, w/Bob as a moderator/czar I'm sure that this will continue to be one of, if not the best, BBs around. So there!

Sincerely,
Roger

Kingfisher-
It is in my opinion that the information given forth by not only my self but the other members and their replyys is much more valuable then telling the fellow exactly where to go!

What good will that do??....aside from him asking about more spots and spots and spots when the spots he tried prior did not produce.

By giving him a general direction and giving him the tools to learn he will be a much more effective fisherman, have a much better time and become 100% self-sufficent!!

Sparkey: Being one of the newbies that dont know where to go. I totaly agree with what you just posted. I'd rather know how to find the spots myself than have you tell me exactly where they are. I dont mind someone showing me where to fish, but knowing how to find them yourself is more important. enuff said.

No treatment KF Things certainly aren't what I thought they'd be when I first put up the initial half-dozen pages or so back in March of 1997.

I will say I'm happy with where it's at now. There is a load of information here, and in most cases, accurate and helpful, yet quite the "go stand on this rock" type of info. I too think that is one folks ought to work a little for.

Despite all the feelings of many anglers that think the site has given up all the secrets of salmon and steelhead fishing in the NW, and especially the OP ... I don't think so.

I like the idea of helping others, after all it's what I do for a living ... but you don't spoon-feed people either.

My basic reports I believe are helpful w/o disclosing so much information without having everyone on the river show up at one spot. That was never my intention and never will be.

Much of the information was available previously ... by every major river there is usually a tackle shop, and for many years before the web, there were telephones, you used the phone, called the shop to find out if the river was blown or not. Now, instead of making the call, you make a few mouseclicks ... really no different except the phone company doesn't get your dime. Maybe all the belly-aching people work for the phone company?

Sharing techniques, successes, failures, things you see on the water, issues regarding the fisheries, information such as tides or river heights ... this is what I envisioned and would like to continue to see.

There was a day I came to Forks and had no idea where to go and someone was kind enough to point me in the right direction. I'll be forever grateful for that and am happy to help when I can. I've steered a few folks I've met to places they might try here as well as in AK (there are some REALLY lost souls wondering rivers there) ... but I won't broadcast it in such a manner that says "Everyone fish on this rock".

I also remember the days I lived in Seattle while going to the UW and made calls out to Forks to see if things were fishable. That's all I wanted to know ... sure, it's fun to recount tales of long drives to places that ended up being blown out. But I also recall how nice it was to know sometimes that I'd be wasting my time to make that drive ... that's where my original intentions for reports came from, and that's why that's normally what comprises them.

You might notice that I've never included maps to holes or put-ins on the site, and never will. The only holes I ever make mention of period are the terminal hatchery areas on the big rivers. They've always been crowded, always will be and that's just part of NW fishing. If it's time to fish them, the local businesses will love to see you come ... there isn't much else to come to Forks for in the middle of the rainy season!

Much of the state of Washington has suffered pretty drastic declines in their fisheries over the last twenty years .... many fisheries have closed or are under severe restrictions ... yet the state's population has doubled and we wonder where the extra fishermen have come from, that applies to pretty much everywhere that still has decent fishing.

Thus RRR, I think you're seeing the shifts in attitude that you mention. Pople are worreid about traffic in their areas. And it's a realistic concern in some instances, but until Washington fisheries turn around ... it's going to continue. That's one hope that I have for this site ... that it will play some, however minor or major, role in the change of that current state of affairs of fisheries in this state.

Until then, remaining fisheries will continue to get busier, people will get more irritated, and will be less likely to help others, lest that angler might take your rock.

In some cases, the pressure has shifted to the Forks area: other coastal streams now have king closures (how many used to fish the Hump?), Puget Sound Streams have steelhead clsoures, Hood Canal has almost nothing but chum anymore.

But this fall, you got to see the opposite. The Forks streams were critically low which then saw the closures ... which saw a mass migration out of this area (including a few local guides who piss and moan about Puget Sound stream guides showing here in recent springs) to the Cow and the Skagit.

I wonder whose website in those areas caused that to happen??

Anyhow, I'm rambling now ... basically the way I look at it is: you share some things, some others you don't.

A PS just moments after I finished this: This just came through via email, this is what I envision:

Lest all the beginners get nervous about whether they will ever catch a fish, let me share with you a thought or two.

I've been down this road. I can remember being pissed off years ago when a guy answered, "In the mouth" when I asked him where he caught his steelhead.

I can remember some years when the fish did not come very often.

Then, after many hours on the river, they started to come.

After some more years, they started to come more often.

Now, they come pretty regularly. At least twice a year, most years.

I tried a lot of different things as I was trying to figure this fishing thing out. Let me tell you what doesn't work.

Knowing what hole on what river is hot. I have little fear of telling anyone where I fish. For the record, it's the Skykomish, the Chehalis, the Satsop, the Snoqualmie, the Cowlitz, and the Columbia. There is so much more important information than what river. I caught more steelhead than you want to know on these rivers in October. There were plenty of people there, but most of them weren't feeling the love. You've got to be on a river, and the river has to have fish. But far better to be on a river that you know well, that has a few fish, than on a river that you are clueless about, with lots of fish. You'll usually do better on your home river.

I don't care if you know when I fish. I'm going to the Skykomish tomorrow. See you there, Lewis Street ramp, 7:30. I'll be headed upriver, BTW.

Having the hot lure. I don't care if you know what lure I'm using. K15 kwikfish, silver and green, in case you're checking.

What I do care about mildly is if you are sitting on my rock in the river. So, please understand if I/we hold back that last bit of data, because which stump the fish is behind is something that I figured out or lucked into, and I kind of like that piece of info.

But that last piece is the piece that is easiest for you to figure out, and the most transitory of advantages. The fish is behind that rock for five minutes before it goes upriver. Then it may hang out behind your rock, then behind Mike's rock. Everyone anchored or standing in a hole is telling you exactly where they think the rock is. Make a note of it, and realize that a lot of the folks don't know. Pay attention to the folks with wet nets. And you know what, if you're in the spot I wanted, I'll go look for others, or I'll bat cleanup behind you with different gear. And I'll learn more about these fish we like to chase.

So the point is, get on a river, and start looking for _your_ rock. I spent years trying to buy a fish, by getting the right rod, lure, bait, egg cure, etc. Now I know that it's really about getting a reasonably good lure behind a reasonably good rock, at a reasonably good time, often enough for some luck to happen.

I'll say it again, if you want to know where to fish, go out driving on a saturday afternoon during the season, and the parked cars will show you where everyone else thinks the rock is. If that's too busy, then start looking at the map.

Good luck. Chummies tomorrow.

I will agree to a certain point.
I don't mind sharing info but like most I don't want to give them the exact rock or hole.

But here is something else to think about.

If a guy goes out and scouts out a river and talks to locals and spends time really learning the river but not fishing it. So one day he and his buddy goes to this river he has been scouting out and has good luck. While they are there they see only 2 other guys.

So now these two guys have found a hole in this river that is hardly fished(as far as they know) and continues to come here on a weekly basis.

One day they show up and see 4 or 5 guys fishing this hole. They are polite to them and just fish along side of them but not crowding them or interupting there fishing. As the 2 buddys fish one of them over hears the group of guys make a comment " I remember when this was a quiet place and it was just us who knew about this place. Another guy says to them it's the internet and all the stupid magazines out there giving away our secret hole, I wish they would learn to find there own river and stop mooching off others."

The 2 guys don't say a word and do there own thing. That night one of the guys logs on to his favorite web site and starts his reading.
A certain post catches his eyes so he clicks it on and reads it. It is about how they are sick and tired of people showing up at there secret hole and wish these people would stop crowding there once peaceful hole. he rants and raves about how these guys probly got the info fron the net or some magazine and there pissed.

The guy reading this post can't believe what he just read, no one told them about this hole he scouted out and was not givin a freebie. So he jumps down the guys throat and replys back saying all kinds of nasty things and how he found the hole and he did not get any info from any web site or magazine other then the WSF&G rules book. They continue to argue.
In the end they find out the guys post was about some other river and involving different people. The other guy says sorry and made a mistake.

So when you do all the work and put in hours of you own time to scout a rive rand suddenly you are getting chewed out by the old timers and hearing comments like this was a secret hole before you guys showed up, just remember they once had to find this hole and I am sure some one at one time complained about them.

So if a new guy shows up a a hole you thought was a secret how do you know if he got the info from the web or chat sites or he did his own hard work ? Especially if he does not say anything.

This is just a thought , or more of a ramble maybe not even really related to this topic.
But I think we all have been in a situation like this at some point in out fishing days, maybe.

There are no secret holes on the Nooch. On any given day in the winter you will find 30 or more boats floating the river and twice as many bankies. In the 1970's and 80's it was a different story, you could float the river during the week and not see another boat. Bottom line,that was then this is now. As a local, it is hard to deal with at times, especially when people leave their garbage on the river bank or park and walked across private property of those nice people that have lived up the the Nooch their entire lives. Thats my two cents!

Me Fish.. The nooch has limited access in the upper end for the simple fact thats its a long hard walk to most places..The lower stretchs are mostly private property with a few places to bank it...your best bet bankin it would be to walk in below black creek or fish just below black creek launch..just up about a mile is another bank spot but need water at 1200+ to have enough water...Gravel bar offers some bank acces as well and crossover and white bridge there are some bank spots too..There are a few other spots too but I will not be posting them here you just have to get out there and explore...warning though.Do Not trespass some people have a bad taste in there mouth of that and will call cops...If you can find someone with a DB that is willing to give you a ride your alot better off...I will be floating the nooch all winter feel free to email me and I'll float ya down... TM

I am glad that the internet was not part of my early learning curve!!Some of the best times of my life were the adventures,exploring the rivers.I have never listened to somebody telling me where all the fish are anyways.

NR,
You want a hand figuring out holding water and a little bit about how fishy's think I will gladly let you out fish me.I am headed out th e door nowShoot me an email,I love to meet ya.