November has, for me, long been a fascinating month. In A River Never Sleeps Roderick Haig-Brown wrote of November as "a grey, stormy month; the salmon are dying, and the year is done." While this is certainly true, there's a another side to it as well. Despite the stark horizon of bare trees, the woody river banks lined with skeletal remains of last month's salmon, and the bright and colorful October palette replaced with one that is decidedly more drab; the presence of life is still undeniable out there on the river. Although our North Sound rivers have already seen their share of salmon come and go, fresh new ones continue to funnel past the dead with each new blast of rain. The run is far from over and even when the salmon eventually fade into oblivion for the season, their death brings life to hungry char and trout, eagles, bears and other river denizens. The nutrients they bring revitalize the river and eventually breathe life into the next generations of salmon that we'll likely find ourselves fishing for several years from now. And then of course there is the muffled excitement of anglers awaiting the first winter steelhead a month or so from now as the salmon numbers begin to dwindle.
For me there is also something invigorating about standing in dark, rushing waters, steady rain battering my face, cold clumsy finger tips fumbling to hold onto my fly line as I await the sudden and violent pull of a fierce chum or coho salmon. There's always been something about letting the elements slowly chip away at your psyche that really reminds you you're alive. As a bonus, the crowds of summer have long since faded away and you'll generally have plenty of water to yourself for a change. Sometimes produce a lot of fish, others you just can seem to find the motherload, which reminds of another favorite quote from Haig-Brown. "There will be days when the fishing is better than one's most optimistic forecast, others when it is far worse. Either is a gain over just staying home."
If you're still drying out from the latest series of atmospheric rivers and want to tie some flies, we still have 2 open spots for our steelhead fly tying class with Ben Paull on November 20th. We also have a fun Iron Fly Event coming up with North Sound Trout Unlimited at Structures Brewing in December. If you're around Island County, I'll be giving a presentation on fishing Late Season Salmon and Char in the North Sound rivers for the Whidbey Fly Fishing Club on November 13th. On Thursday, November 14th Steve Duda, celebrated writer and former editor of Bellingham's Flyfish Journal will be doing a reading from his recent book, RIver Songs at the Hotel Leo at 7 pm. You must register in advance for Steve's event and space is limited. We'll be adding additional events to the calendar as we transition into winter. We realize for a lot of folks the sun has set for the year on their favorite fisheries but even if you're done for the season, the next best thing is planning and prepping for all the opportunities yet to come and immersing yourself in the culture of the activity you hold near and dear.
Rivers
Salmon fishing on our local rivers continues to provide one of the most impressive seasons we've seen in the past decade. Great numbers of fresh coho continue pouring into the Skagit and the chum salmon run, which has struggled in years past, is making its presence felt up and down the North Sound. A variety of flies have been productive for both species, with fly selection really being dependent on water conditions. If the water is high and dropping with a foot or two of visibility, Pink or Purple Starlight Leeches, Pixies Revenge, Showgirls, Popsicles and Dirk Wigglers have been our top patterns. As the water clears, smaller patterns like Coastal Buggers, Barbell Egg Sucking Leeches and Xmas Trees have worked better. As salmon numbers begin to wane later in the month and into early December, it becomes increasingly important to find areas in the river where strong current or natural features in the river help concentrate fish into more confined areas. Remember that it takes numbers of fish present to really find success in the salmon game.
Chum salmon in particular will really stack up in certain areas, both on the Skagit and the Nooksack. We find that in these conditions it can be more difficult to fish over chum without inadvertently snagging the odd fish, which is invariably a nightmare to deal with for both you and the fish. A great option in these situations is to fish a floating line, 9' leader to 12 or 16 pound and strike indicator. Suspend your fly beneath the indicator so that it will drift a foot or so above the level you think the chum are holding at. Fresher and more aggressive fish will move to the fly, the old moldies will continue doing their thing unabated and you will never experience the chagrin and horror of a dorsal-hooked chum. All will be right in the world...perhaps not quite, but at least you won't be snagging salmon.
Bull trout are back on the scene and hanging out around spawning salmon. Avoid wading through salmon redds or disturbing salmon as they spawn, but look for areas that dislodged eggs might naturally be carried to by the current. Fishing egg patterns, flesh patterns and any streamer with a bright orange or pink splash of color like the Pocket Rocket or Barbell Egg Sucking Leech is a good bet.
The Methow is still open for fall steelheading. We've enjoyed reports from several folks who've made the trek east and there are definitely fish around. As the temperature drops, weighted patterns like Reverse Marabou Speys in purple or black/blue, Lead Eye Eggs and Barbell Egg Sucking Leeches become increasingly productive, as does searching out fish in slower flows where they can be more comfortable as their metabolism downshifts into a lower gear.
Lakes
There's not much to report on the lake scene this month. A few intrepid souls ventured north into the BC interior late last month or earlier in November for a final hurrah before it gets too cold. We do have some productive year round lakes locally that can provide surprisingly good fishing in November, December and January. Lone Lake at the south end of Whidbey Island was recently removed from the toxic algae report and is open to fish although Pass Lake still remains closed until the algae levels drop. It never hurts to check the WDFW stocking report as a handful of year round lakes receive fall trout plants. Cranberry Lake was recently stocked. Some of our favorite cold water lake patterns are Blobs, Boobies, Hot Head Squirrel Leeches, Rowley's Holo Worm and White Bunny Leeches.
Beaches
Not much happening on the local beach scene until spring time.