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Angling Publications - Index

Angling Publications - Magazine - Index

rods and sink-tip lines or full floaters are the
tools of choice. Pack streamers, small shrimp
imitations, Cutthroat Candy, Johnson’s Beach
Fly, and an assortment of local candlefish and
herring patterns. For current hot patterns check
at Puget Sound Fly Company (253-839-4119)
or Northwest Angler (206-842-0480) on
Bainbridge Island.
WASHINGTON, DC
The white perch are in the tidal Potomac River
and they take small streamers and bonefish
flies, like the Gotcha and Crazy Charlie tied on
size-8 and -10 hooks. The shad, both hickory
and American, are moving upriver and can
be caught at Fletcher’s Boat House, (202-
244-0461; www.fletchersboathouse.com) and
the Chain Bridge area. Fly shops in the greater
Metropolitan Washington region include: Orvis
in Arlington, VA (703-465-0004); Orvis at
Tysons Corner, Vienna, VA (703-556-8634); and
L. L. Bean at Tysons Corner, Vienna, VA (703-
917-1921). Most offer winter fly-tying classes and
spring casting lessons. The National Capital
Chapter of TU has its annual show on March
29. Call (202) 904-3547, or see www.ncc-tu.org
for more info.
WEST VIRGINIA
If the weather is warmer than usual—and it sure
has been for the past several years—smallmouth
bass can get pretty active in the upper Potomac
River where the Shenandoah River joins it at
Harpers Ferry. Use a sink-tip or full sinking
line to probe the bottom along the rocks with a
streamer or large nymph on a 4– to 5-foot leader.
Check in with guide and innkeeper, Brian Kelly.
at The Angler’s Inn (304-535-1239; www.
theanglersinn.com). Brian’s White Fly Shoppe
is in nearby Shepherdstown (304-876-8030). The
Kellys can put you up, sell you gear, and take you
fishing on the rivers.
WISCONSIN
Wisconsin steelheaders will find hold-over and
early-run fish in many Lake Michigan tributaries,
especially when water temperatures and river
levels begin to rise. Near Green Bay, the popular
Menominee, Sheboygan and Oconto Rivers are
worth checking out. If no fish are visible, try blind
casting the deepest, darkest pockets and cover
with multiple drifts. Leeches, stoneflies, and/or
egg patterns suspended below an indicator are
always good bets for reluctant eaters. Swinging a
streamer pattern can also bring explosive strikes
from more aggressive fish, especially during the
warmest part of the day. For the latest information
on Wisconsin’s early-season fishing and all your
fly-fishing needs, stop by or call Tim Landwehr
at Tight Lines Fly Shop in De Pere (920-336-
4106; www.tightlinesflyshop.com).
WYOMING
The Miracle Mile section of the North Platte is my
favorite place in Wyoming to fish this time of year.
Large rainbows and cutthroats move up into the
river from Pathfinder Reservoir. I have found that
a deep running nymph rig using a yarn egg with
a flash pheasant tail below it produces some nice
fish. Find gravel bars of five feet or so. That’s where
the big fish hang out. I stay at the Miracle Mile
Ranch (307-325-6710; www.miraclemileranch.
com). Bring your own food and cook in your cabin,
as the nearest restaurant is in Casper.
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