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I knew Hank was back the moment my skater bug got just crushed, with a quick shake of his head though he was gone again. “That’s alright though.” I said to myself almost shaking with re-assurance as Hank’s predictability sunk in. Robert Benkhe writes that a west slope cutthroat trout can spend it’s whole life in just one to two miles of stream only going upstream to spawn in the spring only to drop right back to the same spot each summer. After crossing paths with Hank or Hank the Tank as he’s become known last year in the early summer I’ve started to learn his haunts. Both initial contacts with Hank it happened down-stream of his summer long home in a small well aerated pocket, but clearly as the water in the main stem drops the same sort of O2 building drop occurs up-stream at the mouth of a small tributary and that’s where Hank spends his summers in the temp stable, well oxygenated, food rich spot he loves so much.
Six days later the river level had dropped and I could see the perfectly formed seem I was, barely deeper than Hank is tall if the spot wasn’t so perfect you would never see a fish so big in a pocket so small.
Hank the Tank 1st time
Even though I knew right where Hank would be I started at the bottom of the small pocket and worked my casts inside to out with instant success. In just four casts I had landed three nice little 12-13 inch cutthroat but not the one I was looking for. I couldn’t wait any longer; I moved my next cast up still staying about four feet down from where I thought Hank would be, not wanting to line the smart old fish. I don’t know if he heard the splat of my grey Chernobyl ant or if he just saw a flash of movement down-stream to his left but without hesitation he turned and ran from just the spot I thought he’d and slammed the bug with one hardy gulp.
Hank up close
The fight was on, out across and down to the spot where he bashed his face on a shallow ledge just down-stream of the spot I was standing just the same plan as last year but this time I was ready. I turned Hank back out into mid-stream where he proceeded to burn across river at least five nerve racking times. Finally I was lucky enough to bring Hank to hand, the same great fish two years in a row.
Hank the Tank 2nd time
As a kid growing up on the Methow River I just used to know certain holes always had great cutthroat and now I’ve come to learn those same cutthroat I fish now are very likely progeny of the fish I had caught as a child or in the very least old friends like Hank the Tank.
Methow Valley Fish Report
Temps have come down a bit again, mid thirties by day and upper twenties at night which can be a good thing for steelhead. I would much rather see a cloudy thirty six degree day than a bright one and right now that’s what we’ve got in spades. With the inversion almost like a giant back eddy in the clouds we’ve got very stable weather and the fish have liked that.
Chironomids have been the thing; red, black, double, single, whatever just put it out there. Fish are still in the very slowest water whether that’s inside at the top, around whatever is left of the back eddies or under the foam at the low end of the hole they are there.
Winter Cuttbow
Believe it or not it’s still winter out there so target the 10am -2pm stretch on the warm days, use some smaller stuff and try to be stealthy because the water is slim.
Catch has been good all the way from the mouth to Twisp and even as far up as Winthrop, though I would focus on Twisp down.
Steelhead Gear: 7-8 wt floating line with a nymph and strike indicator set up. Switch 6-8 wt rod work great also. 7-8 wt floating line with a dry skating fly works well early in the season. 7-8 wt floating line with a sinking line for swinging.
Summer River Gear: 4-5 wt dry fly hopper/dropper set up, a deep stone fly nymphing rig with a strike indicator and a 6-7 wt sinking line with a big bugger/nymph set up.
Chewuch River – CLOSED – Open May 25th – Aug 15th.
Methow River – OPEN FOR STEELHEAD – Open for trout May 25th – Sept 30, Catch and release only.
Twisp River – CLOSED – Open May 25th – Aug 15th.
Unseasonably warm temps have been a nightmare for skiers but is sure has given a rare chance to throw flys at many bitty fish all without the hassle of picking the ice from your guides. My friend Jeff “the General” Lyman and I got a chance to hit a few holes over the weekend and had quite a few memorable fish, from Jeff’s two steel in two casts to my keeper buck in the lower river witch put up quite the fight and with ice shelves was a chore to land.
Another nice catch on the Golden Stone.
Most fish for me have come on my Golden Stone or my red ice cream cone head double Chironomid, Jeff how ever had luck on black Little Prince.
Jeff “the General” with one of two fish in a row.
A rare keeper
Most fish came on rock walls or deep runs with very soft flow and were very spooky, stealth was a must.
