“With clouds overhead, all we had to help us spot the fish was the nervous water pushing in a huge V wake, and the black tails of 20+ lb permit peeking out of the water. Blake holds out the rod and asks “Well, Jack, want to take a shot?”. Of course the answer was yes. With howling winds at my back and a heart rate faster than anything I’ve felt in the past year, I tried to place a cast about 50 feet away on a target the size of a dinner plate. I inevitably failed miserably and tried picking up the line and recasting. By the time I laid out the cast, the permit were about 75 feet from where I ..read more

While maybe under the radar of a lot of fly anglers, lakes can produce some incredibly exciting fishing. Many of them are closed through the winter in Washington – lake fishing can be slow anyway when it’s cold – but lakes will be opening up very shortly and I’m stoked. Bass and trout are the main quarries locally, although you can find many species of panfish, salmon and even Tiger Muskie in some of the larger lakes such as Lake Washington, American Lake, and Lake Tapps. Fishing lakes with a fly is a different challenge compared to taking on a river or walking the beaches of Puget Sound, an ..read more

Those of you who read my March preview last week know we had plans to camp and scope out the Yakima and try to have our finger on the pulse of the Skwala hatch; I’m here to tell you we didn’t make it and I have no news about Skwalas. As our freshwater Fly of the Month for March, it’s obvious we are anticipating some of the most exciting trout fishing Washington has to offer – except Washington also offers rain, spring runoff, and whatever else made all our rivers blown out and unfishable last week. A little heartbroken our grand weekend plans were scuppered, a “what about the Deschutes?” fro ..read more

Washington’s full closure of coastal Steelhead fishing caps was a rather frustrating month for most anglers in the Puget Sound area, as Sea Runs have been elusive and Steelhead returns were even lower than expected. Resident Coho Salmon fishing is always a little inconsistent but has actually been decent in some places. Sea Run Cutthroat fishing seemed to have peaked for the winter right after the turn of the year, and likely won’t heat back up until the Chum salmon fry begin to hatch. This will typically happen through March/April but is based on water temperature. If we get some sustained n ..read more

Join us this Saturday for a free Spey casting event! Every two-handed rod we stock will be available to cast from 9 AM – 12 PM. If you have ever wanted to try out a Sage X two-hander or Trout Spey rod this is a great opportunity to check them out and learn a few tips and tricks.  When: Saturday (02/12) 9AM – 12PM  Where: Gig Harbor YMCA Ponds  Directions The post Free Spey Casting Event February 12th appeared first on Gig Harbor Fly Shop ..read more

Renzetti makes vises from entry-level workhorses to works of art. They have an incredibly deep bench of vises and one of them is perfect for you. I will break down the four different families of Renzetti vises to help you make an informed decision if you’re looking to buy your first vise or update your current one! Renzetti has been perfecting fly tying vises for 50 years, if you’ve been around the tying game you know all about them. They’re a USA-made product from down in Florida, crafting high-quality devices with a lifetime warranty. Renzetti’s entry-level vise is the Apprentice, which is ..read more

As the holiday season comes to an end, many of us are getting back into town or finding more time to hit the water again. Whether you’ve been out of town and haven’t been out in a while, or you’ve received some sweet new fishing gear for Christmas, there are plenty of reasons to get excited about fishing as the new year begins. In the shop, we’ve received good reports for Steelhead, resident Salmon, and of course Sea Run Cutthroat. As I mentioned in last month’s report, Cutthroat fishing out in Puget Sound has picked up dramatically from the summer and fall months. Shrimp, squid, and euphausi ..read more

Wild steelhead returns to the Columbia this past year were at a historic low. And now, wild winter steelhead runs for the coast have some sad news. For those of us that love these wild fish, it is disheartening. Additionally, for those of us whose livelihoods are based on these fish, it is troubling and conflicting.  The vast majority of coastal runs in Washington are shut down for this year. This includes the entire Chehalis basin (Wynoochee, Satsop, etc), the Quinault, Queets, etc. Only three river systems will be open for fishing: The Quilayute (Sol Duc, Calawah, and Bogachiel ..read more

Fishing in the winter can be a daunting task. Frigid temperatures and the occasional snowstorm are often enough to make us want to hunker down and start tying in preparation for warmer days, but if you’re brave enough to endure the elements you can get into some amazing fishing.  The nice thing about winter fishing is that the water the fish are holding in is much less impacted by the weather above the waterline. This means that whether it’s raining, snowing, or hailing, the bite will still be on. Conditions below the waterline are really what matters, there are a couple of ways that can ..read more

For starters, I am a huge fan of Sage. Being based out of Bainbridge, Sage is a neighborhood company for the locals here. A huge bonus of them being right in our backyard is that their ability to turn around repairs is unmatched. I know they will always be there for a repair whether it’s my fault for slamming the tip in my car door, or if I accidentally hook into a big king that is just too much for my rod. Sage is huge on its conservation efforts and is an active member in the protection of fish around the country. Not to mention they make killer rods, these are just a few reasons they will ..read more