Welcome to stillwater trout season, beach cutthroat season, bass season, lingcod season, springer season and in the not so distant future, we can add a long list of rivers, creeks and streams to the mix where we can choose to enjoy our down time. While we all certainly have our favorite fisheries that we return to season after season, time and time again, I personally like to dabble in a bit of everything. All fish are fun in different ways and it's enjoyable to experience not only the inimitable personalities of each species but also the many diverse aquatic environments they call home.
I'm admittedly a lake guy through much of the spring, especially when it comes to bass and panfish. Though born and raised in the greater Puget Sound area where I've lived all my life, deep in the heart of salmon, steelhead and trout country, some small part of me must originate from the Midwest, if only by way of marriage. I get excited about throwing dry flies for bluegill, snaking leeches through mazes of vegetation for largemouth bass and especially strip setting on broad-shouldered smallmouth that ransack a fly from beneath the shade of a dock on a big western lake. That seems to be where I land the majority of the time in May. But I do my best to mix it up some too.
Last week Brandon and I found some lingcod on the fly out in the islands. I made my near-weekly pilgrimage to a beloved Whatcom warmwater fishery and caught crappie, pumpkinseed, bass and of course those dinner plate sized bluegill that always steal the show. This week it was sea run cutthroat on a lonely beach along the Sound. If all goes well, I've got an appointment with some big smallmouth in the early morning before work on Friday and there will undoubtedly be some time allocated to chasing trout in lakes soon, just so they don't feel totally neglected. It's hard to get bored when the game is always changing, though it makes for an eclectic and extra messy desk when I'm alternating between tying chironomids for one outing and 10" monstrosities to ply the salty depths for lingcod the next. We certainly hope you're getting a chance to pursue your favorite springtime fisheries and have gotten a taste of the warmth and sunshine we've appreciated over the last several weeks. It looks like some rain and cooler weather are heading our way in the near future.
We kicked off May with another incredible Speyapalooza at Howard Miller Steelhead Park. Thanks to all of our great vendors for showing up to showcase the latest in the two-handed fly fishing world and especially to everyone who came out to participate. We hope you had at least as much fun as we did. The Skagit was in fantastic shape, we had blue skies and hot weather all weekend and the campfire after party with communal tacos and cold beers was one for the memory books. Mark your calendars for the first Saturday in May next year. This year's event will be tough to beat but we're certainly going to keep trying.
With many rivers and streams opening on May 23rd, it's time to shutter the big winter/spring steelhead rods and begin thinking about swinging some smaller patterns for trout. We still have one spot remaining in our May 20th Trout Spey Tying class with Jerry French if you're interested in joining what promises to be a really fun night. Jerry is a master tyer, fly designer and authority on most things related to the swung fly. While you can certainly watch YouTube and figure out any number of patterns, Jerry's tying classes are a unique opportunity to ask questions, get a glimpse into one incredibly fishy streamer box and learn not only how to properly tie, but how to fish trout spey streamers effectively and up your success rate on the water.
As summertime is fast approaching, we'll start our monthly Spey Wednesdays again in June and will announce that schedule in the next newsletter. As traffic picks up around the shop for our busy season, we're really excited to have Teo back working at the Confluence part time again after a fruitful year at college. We're still bringing in lots of new products in 2026 and just got our first big shipment in from Orvis. Come check it out next time you're in the neighborhood. Here's a glimpse at what's happening out on the water.
Lakes
Lakes are in full swing following the general opener at the end of last month and folks are catching lots of trout on both sides of the mountains as well as in the BC interior. Unfortunately, the drive to the east side to fish the Winthrop area and Okanagan lakes is a little longer these days with Highway 20 still closed for repairs until further notice. If you're heading east of the mountains or north to BC, bring a good selection of chironomids, leech patterns including Balanced Leeches, some callibaetis mayfly nymphs and adults as well as some damsel nymph patterns, we just added a couple of balanced damsel patterns, the Micro Balanced Bung Damsel and the Morrish Level Headed Damsel. These are perfect for suspending under an indicator along the heavily reed-lined shoals where trout hunt for nymphs that are trying to crawl out and emerge.
Closer to home, lots of lakes were recently stocked with planter-sized rainbows and are fishing well. We're at a point where you can fool them with various chironomids and more bug imitative flies if you'd like, but the tried and true Woolly Buggers, Carey Specials, Boobies and other attractors still produce well. On windless evenings, a small Parachute Adams, Adult Chironomid or Tom Thumb can work really well on the surface when the water is dimpled with trout feeding on emerging midges. Lone and Pass Lakes still provide some of the best opportunities for bigger trout locally, with Lone fishing more consistently than Pass for the most part. Chironomids, leeches and damsels have all been effective. This time of year a dragonfly nymph pattern like Rowley's Grizzly Dragon on a sink tip near drop-offs or full sinking line can be a great option as these bugs become more active in the warming waters of late spring. Squalicum Lake received a plant of larger rainbows in late April this year, providing a welcome excuse to saddle up the float tube for the quarter mile walk into this quiet fly only fishery.
Whether you're already a warmwater fanatic or just thinking about getting started pursuing these species, it's prime time for bass and panfish and we've been doing well with a variety of surface and sub-surface flies. For panfish, the Bream Poppers are effective, but we've also been getting fish on small Purple Hazes, Flying Foam Beetles and Quick Sight Ants near the shore pretty regularly. Subsurface, Bluegill Bullies, BMW's, No Name Damsels and Pheasant Tails are getting it done, as are Balanced Leeches fished shallow under an indicator right in the middle of the lily pads. For largemouth, Bass Turds, Bass Masters and Mini Dragon Tails fished around structure continue to work well. In the evenings or on overcast days, Luna Poppers, Pearly Poppers, Neon Poppers, Covert Missions and Dry Rind Frogs are some of our favorite topwater patterns. Rio's PTO Popper is also a fantastic popper design, especially if you only have a 5 or 6 weight rod as these still cast exceptionally well on lighter equipment. If the bass are seeming skittish or spooking with these noisier bugs, a more subtle fly like Rio's Soft Chew often does the trick.
Whatcom and Samish have both been fishing well for smallmouth lately. Depending on what part of the lake you target, you'll find a mix of some pre-spawn and some fish on beds. Target the rocky areas and dock structure and you may be rewarded with one of the strongest, hardest pulling freshwater gamefish around. Effective smallmouth patterns include Jawbreakers, Zonkers (especially yellow), Zoo Cougars, Marabou Muddlers, Bass Masters and Clouser Minnows. You can also fish poppers in the evenings with success, though we still get a lot more fish on sinking patterns on an intermediate or full sinking line.
Rivers
The Skagit is currently open from the Memorial Highway Bridge in Mount Vernon down to the mouth and both forks. It is also open from the Memorial Highway Bridge upstream for chinook through May 15th. There is a proposed fishery from North of Falcon to open the river on May 16th from Highway 530 in Rockport up to the Marblemount Bridge. As always, check the WDFW emergency regulations for an official announcement as these things are always subject to change. Likewise, the NF Nooksack has a proposed chinook fishery scheduled to begin on May 23rd. Keep an eye out for that announcement as well.
If targeting bull trout and cutthroat from Mount Vernon down, patterns like BH Rolled Muddlers and Little McFry continue to be effective. Though we haven't really seen a ton of salmon fry out migrating this spring, there seem to be just enough of them to keep the trout and char interested. Fish will tend to orient to structure like logs or depressions in otherwise shallower water where they can duck the current and wait to ambush pods of fry moving downriver. For bulls, larger patterns like Dali Llamas, Galloup's Dungeons and Brig's Rippin' Rooster are your best bets. In the right conditions, like when you encounter aggressive bull trout actively blowing up on baitfish on the surface, a skated fly like Morrish's Waking Wounded is undoubtedly the most exciting way to catch them.
If pursuing spring chinook on the fly, begin by amassing as much good karma, positive energy and mojo as you can muster. Grab some larger Intruders like the Guide Intruder, Squidro or Stu's Ostrich Intruder in blue/black, chartreuse/black, purple/black or pink and put in the time. Chinook typically favor deeper, faster holding water than steelhead and can be much more difficult on the fly as a result. The first few hours of daylight are generally going provide your best opportunity to find one.
Saturday, May 23rd marks the general river and stream opener this year. We're excited to add a variety of moving water fisheries to the already long list of local fishing opportunities and expand our river reports once again in the near future.
Beaches
May and June are some of our best months for cutthroat and bull trout in the North Sound and beyond. Fry patterns still work, but Clousers, Deep Minnow Stingers, Rio's Just Keep Swimming, Imitators and Rio's Flash Drive also produce well and sometimes better. We've got some great tides coming up next week and at the end of the month, making it an excellent time to get after it.
If you've got a big boat or even better, a good buddy with a big boat and a desire to chase lingcod on a fly, the season is open through June 15th. Lingcod can be very aggressive towards flies much of the time. The challenge is in getting your fly deep enough into the depths where they typically hang out in order to draw their attention. Rio's Striper Lines and the fastest Outbound Shorts can be productive in 20-30' of water. Depths of 40'-50' are challenging but possible with the right set up. I like to loop 30' of T-17 or T-20 to a running line and watch it plummet. This has been my single most effective lingcod set up. It is far from pretty to cast, but we're much more interested in getting down fast than throwing an impressive laser beam loop out 80'. The biggest flies you want to tie in the 8-12" range are in order. And add extra-large lead eyes. Even two sets if you so desire. I'll demo one of my favorite North Sound lingcod flies for our fly of the month later this May. Fish tacos await.
