Winthrop area in the next 30 days.

Jim in Anacortes

Life of the Party
I drove through this area a few days ago and have been trying to plan a trip back to stream fish and car camp. I was astonished at the fishing opportunities just 4 hours away from Anacortes. I am looking at camping at Falls Creek campground, Andrews Creek campground and the Thirtymile campground. And I plan on fishing Boulder Creek, Chewuch river and Beaver Creek, and checking out the Methow. I've been looking at the maps and you tube, and it seems that in the next few weeks, the trout fishing in this area could be very good. Any guidance would be much appreciated as I am completely ignorant of this fishery. I typically rely on a spin fishing rig with spinners (single barbless hook) to prospect for trout and then flail along with my fly rod with nymphs or streamers...but dry flies are what I want to learn. Again any input regarding fishing, campsites, tackle shops and good places to eat breakfast is most appreciated.
 

Skol_Engh

Steelhead
Forum Supporter
Hoppers, chubbies, golden stones, Caddis. Go for broke on big dries. Maybe switch it up to a streamer or a hopper/dropper if you’re feeling like you need a change. Honestly I’d focus more on the met then the tribs but that’s just me. I’m here now and it’s fishing well.
 

Greg Price

Steelhead
I found a car camp spot on a wed a few weeks ago at Fall creek ch. It was most excellent. Burbling creek relaxing sounds in tent at night. Outhouse fairly clean and full of TP. Campsite including fire pit clean no wrappers or debris. Cannot beat it for $15 bucks per night. Thurs and Friday nights campground was full.
 

Greg Price

Steelhead
See the recreation director at Sun Mountain Lodge. He has Intel on small stream methods and flies. He also guides the Methow if you plan on hitting that. His flies attracted many little chompers. Buy a lot, cause you will loose a lot in low overhanging brush and trees. I had a blast and managed to loose only two of the champion flies I purchased from him
 
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Greg Price

Steelhead
. Forget your spin gear. Fishing this good with dry flies makes subsurface boring. This "bow and Arrow" cast got me into many tasrly looking buckets holding aggressive dry fly fish, smaller streams than depicted by Mt. moen in you tube
 

Buzzy

I prefer to call them strike indicators.
Forum Supporter
@Jim in Anacortes - enjoy your trip. As Old Man Jim would have said, follow the blue lines. BC is a blast, the fish are looking upstream, a small dry fly (Royal Wulff or Goddard caddis rock).
 

Travis Bille

I am El Asso Wipo!!!!!
Forum Supporter
I was just up there. There's a big slide a few miles up Boulder Creek. It's passable, but holy crow, there must have been an INSANE amount of water running through one little valley. It pushed a 10-12 foot rootwad in to the road and it's standing upright. There's so much wood debris and sediment, it was really cool to check out. But Boulder Creek and the Chewuch are a bit discolored right now.

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DoesItFloat

Life of the Party
Forum Supporter
I get over there a good bit - inlaws have some acreage in Twisp - so much to explore, so little time. I have witnessed the impressive size of the cutthroat in the Methow and how much of a challenge it is to catch them, but it can be done. Some nice, lazy but quality float tube fishing to be had, as well. Reach out to Jeff Brazda or Leaf Seaburg - they are Methow dry fly ninjas (and I think guides, still). I fished with Jeff last summer and really learned how horrible my dead drift is.
 

Greg Price

Steelhead
I was just up there. There's a big slide a few miles up Boulder Creek. It's passable, but holy crow, there must have been an INSANE amount of water running through one little valley. It pushed a 10-12 foot rootwad in to the road and it's standing upright. There's so much wood debris and sediment, it was really cool to check out. But Boulder Creek and the Chewuch are a bit discolored right now.

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Wow, that was not there a few weeks ago. Every campground had a warning of flash floods due to unstable soil from Forrest fires
 
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