North 40 Fly Shop eMagazine October 2015 | Page 42

WHEN IT’S

AND

This year’s snow pack
was dismal at best. Most of the run
off was over by mid-May. From then
on, the rivers in the eastern side of the
state, as well as others in the droughtaffected region, started to drop… some
more gradually then others. A lack of
rainfall throughout the summer didn’t
help either. For example, my home
river the Methow is running at about
300cfs. That’s about 200cfs under the
normal flow of about 500cfs.
When the rivers are like this, what I call
“Clear and Skinny,” I take a different
method to fishing for steelhead. Even
approaching the water needs to be
done a little differently. The way you
may have come into a run before may
not be the best way when the water is
low. I’ve found that where you normally
would start your casts when the water
is running well is too close to the run
when it’s skinny. You need to stay back
a little further then what you “think” is
the right place.
With the clear water and its low level,
the fish will have a better chance of
spotting you. Stay further upstream
from the run and seek out water that
has a more broken surface. Be stealthier
in your approach then what you may
have in the past. Even the color of the

SKINNY
by Keith Roe

clothes you wear can become a factor.
I have found that black clothing is not
the best under these conditions. Avoid
bright colors as well. Stay with earth
tones to camouflage your presence.

If you can see the fish, they
can see you…or already have.
To supplement your stealth-mode
approach, I’ve found it prudent to
walk softly and not bang around on
the shore rocks or when you enter the
water. I’ve seen fish shy away when an
angler walks across a rock/gravel bar.
The fish in October are more inclined
to be in the head of the runs in faster
moving water instead of the tail out.
There’s a couple of reasons for this. One
is the overhead cover that it provides.
Another reason is the summer chinook
are beginning their spawn. The chinook
are very aggressive toward other fish
in the area. A cutthroat or bull trout
when it gets run off, most of the time,
will come right back, but a steelhead is
less likely to do it. They have a habit of
staying away from the chinooks. Also,
the steelhead that hang in the head
of the runs have the opportunity to
feed on any chinook eggs that may be
drifting free from the run above when
the chinook are feeding.