Fly Fishing in Eastern Washington
Rainbow Trout and Big Brown Trout in E. WA Small Desert Streams and Lakes
I remember the first time my late father-in-law took me to a small stream in what seemed to me at the time to be in the middle of the dry and dead Eastern Washington desert. It was early June and the stream with the Spring run-off finished was narrow enough to jump across in most places. The water was also running gin clear and I could easily see the bottom where it was narrow. My father-in-law told me it was best if I fished upstream since I was fly fishing and he was bait fishing. He said to fish the deeper holes, at the tail out for big Rainbows and the deep undercut banks for big Browns. “And stand back from the bank and keep your shadow off the water when you cast,” he called as he headed downstream and I went upstream.
I really didn’t know what to make of this stream in the desert. But when I reached the first deep hole and saw two very big Rainbows at the tailout I was convinced. I went on to hook and land three Rainbows all over 14 inches and one brown that was close to 19 inches that day.
From then on from June 1st (the season opener for most of the small creeks in E. WA) until the end of October I would spend as much free time as I had fly fishing in the ponds, lakes, streams, and rivers in the area.
