Has anybody fished the main body stillaguamish. I drive over the stilly on I5 every day Today I noticed a few fish rolling this morning most likely kings ( which you cant target ) It looks like there would be plenty of bank access but I dont see any place to park and fish. I was wondering if anybody would share a spot on the main body of the Stilly. Or would I have better luck throwing flies on the north fork I never fished main body stilly I know how succesful the north fork is. I f nobody wants to give post it then if you could PM me. Anybody ever fish the South Fork? I never fished and never really heard of anybody fishing it. Any advice is appreciated

Sent you a PM to tell you how bad the fishing is on the South Fork and why you should never fish up there.

Fish on...

Todd

Hi Todd,
Can you also PM me on SF Stilly?
Thanks in advance.

Thanks for great info! Todd.
Question on floating the SF and Main stilly.
Can you float a 16 ft drift boat from the River Meadows Park on the SF to the main stream of the stilly?
If so, where do you take out on the main stream?
I've only bank fished the SF and main stilly just a few times in the past.
I like this river a lot.

Summer-Run,

You can take out at Haller park right there in beautiful downtown Arlington.

Hey there 4Salt!
How you been?
Looking forward to fishing with you and the boys this summer!

So, it is possible to float from the River Meadows Park on the stilly to the main stream?
I always thought that SF stilly is too skinny to float in my Lavro...
I don't know where Haller Park is.
Is it in town of Arlington at the confluence of SF and NF?

I don't know for sure about making it all the way down the SF, but yes, Haller park is right near the confluence of the N and S. Almost right behind the grocery store there on 530.

Thanks for 4salt!
Todd, do you know if it's possible to float all the way from the River Meadows Park to Haller Park?

I don't know about floating that...there isn't a whole lot of water there...it's pretty skinny...but I've never done it in a boat, so I can't say.

Haller Park is the park I was talking about in the PM, though.

Good luck.

Fish on...

Todd

Hey summer run, I've fished this section of the river quite a few times with my father. Yes it is possible to make it to haller, but the later in the summer it gets the harder the dift will be in a boat. There is nothing hard about the dirft, just lack of water in the late summer. And one side note Haller park boat ramp is crap. The cement ramp turns into large boulders with a steep drop off. Good luck and fishon.

Hey Todd
Can you PM me about the South fork

Appreciate all the info, 4Salt, Todd, and fishon98223!
I've come to a conclusion. I'll stick to bankie when it comes SF Stilly fishing just to be on the safe side.
But If I do run into a SF Stilly oarsman, who can show me the way, then I'll be more than happy to follow in my Lavro.
I haven't fished this lovely little river in years.
Gonna take my boy up there this summer to let him play a chromer or two.

Plenty of bank access along the S. Fork provided the campgrounds aren't already all packed.

The SF stilly is very driftable, from Canyon Creek to the forks. I have done it. The type of water down there is awful . It ranges from deep frog water to bolder gardens to great gavel bars. The only place that could be of concern is near the end of the drift by Arlington. The river meanders through some alders. Some years there are impassable log jams. Bring a chain saw your first time.

From the forks down, the take out is at Warm-beach hwy. Pack lunch and dinner if you plan to do this one. The only place of concern is 100 yds. down from I-5 at the diversion dam. The line is down the middle. If you miss it, it will keep you. I would advise dragging the boat around to river right when heading downstream. Don't take the right braid before the dam either. The lower river is great fishing for Cutts, and the occasional steelie on the 4 wt. can be a good scare.

Enjoy,

LT

Hey LunchTime,
Thanks for detailed info bud!
Wow, that seems like a lot of work to float down a river. Chain saw and all...
So, the lower river below I-5 is good fishing ahey? I've never fished it below I-5. Are there good bank access along the Warm-beach hwy?

There is little if any bank access in the lower stilly. It is mostly farm land - private. Beside the lower reaches (warm-beach area) are tide water. There are few gravel bars and most of the banks are over grown with vegitation. That river really hasn't changed since the channel was move eons ago by the core of engineers. It is actually a slough now, the exact name I don't remember. I have ran up river in the sled but the pucker factor was mighty high. I never seen so many submerged logs in a river before. I am not complaining about those logs.... they are the reason why the cuttie fishing is so good down there.

The chain saw - just in case you can't drag the boat around a log jam.

LT

LT
Your learning, 4wt. sweet little rod for cutts!
The left fork below the bridge is where are private "Stanwood Spey Club Headquarters"
is. (you have to be a member, Sparkey just joined us). If you get by the SSCH there is some cutt fishing along side the hill to the concrete plant. The right fork has been the best for cutts for me. And above the bridge at "Blue Stilly Park" always cutts there and may be one of those steelhead don't you know.

Homer -

There's nothing I hate more than hooking one of the damn steelheads when I am cuttie fishing.

LT

LT
My uncle and aunt farm is above Blue Stilly park. I've been drifting that area since late 60's sweet area for cutts and those other things.

Homer will you be my Homie? You're a lucky man.

LT

Hey Homer,
Invite me out to that sweet area for fly fishing sometime?

Summer-run

No problem

PM me after the first week, I have to check out the river. I'm going to float it a couple times, I've been up high on the north fork. Now I have do the middle section.

Back to Stlhd_Dreamings original question:
If you get off of I-5 at the Arlington exit, head east (about 1 mile) and turn Left (North) onto 27th Ave (by the Firestation and the feed store). Head all the way back until it becomes a dirt road. This is a WDFW parking area (don't forget your sticker!) with a couple of miles of beach access. If you walk along the river about 1 mile to the West, you'll come across a 'poor excuse' for rapids. Assuming the water level is low enough for you to cross - go ahead and cross. Walk another 1/8 mile (just below the rapids) and there's a really nice hole where the fish tend to stack-up before running the rapids. I've spent many enjoyable hours at that hole, being frustrated by 'rolling, splashing, non-biting' fish... even swore I'd quit fishing a few times at that spot! But it didn't happen...
The fish on the main-stem Stilly are finicky biters. When they're on - it can be hot... but mostly I've found they're 'off'!
Hope that helps!
BTW - this is also a good 'take-out' spot for drifters launching from Haller Park...
Buck

Alligator Gar
Thats called Blue Stilly Park

Hey I just PM you with some info

Thanks Homer! Didn't know the area had a name... just kinda ran across it one day...

Blue Stilly Park requires about a 100 yard drag from the river to the parking area. The gate is locked and keeps you from driving to the river.

I fished the stilly quite a bit right at the first bridge in Sylvana, there is a big pool there (a small hike from the bridge) with a really shallow rapid bar right above it where fish GATHER in huge numbers when they are around before making the move over the bar. It's a nice deep hole, only problem is when the fish are in it is usually snaggin' city. Tons of people were there all along the banks last year for the pinks snaggin the snot out of um, and hitting quite a few silvers too! The river all along there is very skinny, but it keeps some depth and provides decent jigging and drifting in areas.

Also, if you take a right at the bar in Sylvana right by the bridge you can follow that road back for quite a ways and meet up with the river again, there is tons of bank access along that area, big rocks mostly, but easily fishable. I had more luck there getting away from the snaggers. If you keep going on that road I think there are a few more places to hike to but it is mostly private property.

Todd, you should send me that PM everyones talking about too .

I am planning to head out to a secret spot of mine tomorrow morning and drift a tiny bit and maybe pick up an early silver if I'm lucky (just wetting the lines mainly). I was down there the other evening and saw a few fish rolling so they are around.

~MATT

I have fished the stilly lots of times and yet to figure out a launch and take out that works, without floating day and night, or having relatives that live on the river.Looked at the launch at Haller park on saturday and the launch just ends, with a drop onto the rocks of about two and a half feet! Taking out at Blue stilly would be a tough job, drag about 100-150 yards, then up over a log to make it to the parking lot.
If there is a better way, I would be very interested in hearing it........

I have fished the stilly lots of times and yet to figure out a launch and take out that works, without floating day and night, or having relatives that live on the river.Looked at the launch at Haller park on saturday and the launch just ends, with a drop onto the rocks of about two and a half feet! Taking out at Blue stilly would be a tough job, drag about 100-150 yards, then up over a log to make it to the parking lot.
If there is a better way, I would be very interested in hearing it........

Poked around out there today a little bit towards Silvana but didn't see much. I started past the Willow and Jims Caffe across the railroad tracks, there is a stretch of river there bordered by a trailer park some friends of mine own a plot of land there so I was able to fish a small pool, but saw no fish rising and no takedowns.

Moved up to the bridge across the street from the bar and fished there. There were a few other anglers out (Actualy anglers, not snaggers to boot) but I saw no fish hooked (1 rainbow trout about 6" or so). I did see quite a few fish rising on the opposite side of the river (the deep side) but no bites, the water is really high right now; the river is almost twice as wide as it was this time last year. For anyone who hasn't fished the bridge area in silvana it does have a nice pool where fish stack up and is definately a fishable stretch of the stilly, but when the fish start to show up so do the people and SO DO THE SNAGGERS, tons of them. Last year for the humpy season it was packed up tight and I saw only a handful of legally hooked fish horrible snaggin'.

just thought you all would appreciate a report. In short, the fish are coming, but its definately not time yet.

~MATT

TTT

sorry about the double posting and similarity in my 2 topics, the forum keeps giving me an error when I post and I guess it double up when it finally went through

Sticky at the top of Pg. 1 gives hope though

whoops srewed up

I fished a few spots on the lower river yesterday morning and today. The river was marginally fishable yesterday and only a shade better today. Only saw 2-3 fish surface both days, whether they were pinks or silvers is anyone's guess.

I was out there again today in my spot. No feeshies. saw lots of pinks rising, could tell by the color, size and outright "lazyness" of the fish. Caught 1 little rainbow, but thats all.

Water's cloudy, only about 2' visability.

I was out there over last weekend. Tried flyfishing near Oso and salmon fishing between Sylvana and Marine view drive. Nada. Some day, would like to get a SRC on the fly!

Looks like the river will be out for the weekend. The graphs for the forks don't look good.

If you guys didn't drift those whimpy glass boats you wouldn't have to worry about boat ramps that drop off on to rocks? =) =)

Those are smiley faces by the way!

DOGOFF

Last nights rain musta brought the water up a ton and made it a huge mud puddle. anyone got a report on the water?

Heading out the door now to fish the hole behind the Corn Field in silvana. I'll report upon my return.

Rivers probably pukin', but Ill still give it ago.

~MATT

Heres the update:

> She puked.... A LOT. Water is clear up and over the sandbar and the entire river can be deamed flooded....(to say the least). It'll be a few rainless days before it is back down to fishable levels.

Oh well .

~MATT