Come down ol’ mighty Methow come down please! Daytime temps are up while nighttime temps have stayed below freezing. Flows look like they may have crested for now (1540 cfs at Pateros) and I hope to see them coming down to a more fishable level by mid next week. Once flows get back under 6-800cfs things should look better, on the bright side though added water is bringing more fish upriver which will make for great fishing over the next month.

It is still possible to get into fish right now on the river, I recommend a boat and if you do wade Be Careful as water is very swift. I would recommend egg patterns and stone on the nymph rigs or swing some traditional buck tail patterns, blue purple, black, and chartreuse are favorite colors for me.

Omak Lake

Lahontan Hen

When Methow is too high I enjoy heading to Omak Lake on the Colville Indian Res. Not only is Omak lk. Beautiful, so are the Lahontan Cutthroat that reside there. Right now Lahontans are making their way up out of the depths in which they reside for much of the year (between 60 and more than 100ft) now they are in about 20-30 feet of water and can be taken on sinking lines and whooley buggers. In last half of March and first half of April look for packs of fish from 16-30+ inches in packs of 10-40 fish cruising flats in less than 16 inches of water!

As for now keep an eye on the USGS Stream Flow gage at Pateros, once you see it back to or under 800cfs it will be time to get your steelhead on again! For any info on fishing Omak Lk. the Methow or anything in this area, or if you would like to inquire about booking a trip give a call at (509) 429-7298 or just drop us a line on our Guides page. Fish On Yawl!