The North Sound Program of Project Healing Waters Fly Fishing (PHW) is up and running! Project Healing Waters Fly Fishing (PHW)  is a nation-wide 501c(3) dedicated to the physical and emotional rehabilitation of disabled active duty military personnel and disabled veterans through fly fishing, fly tying, rod building, and associated fly fishing activities including education and outings.  PHW uses the restorative activities of fly fishing to provide participants with pathways toward resiliency through connectedness and community.  We offer a very special kind of rehabilitative experience: healing based not only on the fly rod and fly-tying vise, but also the incredible curative power of camaraderie among fellow veterans and the mentoring and friendship provided by strong caring volunteers. One of our historic challenges has been the lack of an active program north of Seattle.  In 2024, I started working with PHW’s Northwest Regional Coordinator to establish a program in the North Sound.  We officially launched our PHW North Sound Program in October 2024 and have approximately two dozen participants and volunteers across Island, Snohomish, Skagit, and Whatcom counties.  While most of our participants are on Whidbey Island, we are actively working on outreach along the I-5 corridor and plan to have active sub-programs in both the Everett and Bellingham areas by the summer/fall 2025. Along with bi-weekly meetings to tie flies or conduct fly fishing education, we also have regular, local, monthly fly fishing outings.  Our actively engage participants are elgible to participate in larger multi-day events with the Northwest Region and across the country.  Our local participants have taken part in PHW programs in Olympic National Park, the Yakima River, and in Northern Michigan. Recent Local Events have included two floats on the Skagit River and a Black Friday outing at Pass Lake.  Further afield, we've participated and/or volunteered at Beaver Lake in Sammamish, a National Parks Trust program in Olympic National Park, the annual Northwest Region 2Fly Competition on the Yakima River, and a three-day guided trip for King Salmon in Northern Michigan at Project Healing Water's Oak Heart Lodge. If you’re a veteran with a VA disability rating (0-100%) or an active-duty service member receiving care for a service-related injury, you’re probably eligible to participate in PHW.  If you’re interested but don’t meet either of these criteria, we can still use your help as a volunteer in our program.  So please reach out! If you would like to donate to Project Healing Waters, please contact me or use this link.  Thank you!

The North Sound Program of Project Healing Waters Fly Fishing kicked off 2025 with two recent events: Fishing Pass Lake and our First Thursday Open Tie event the American Legion Post in Oak Harbor. New Years Day We had nine anglers meet-up at the Pass Lake Boat Launch on New Years Day. After wadering up, launching our boats, and enjoying some coffee and donuts, everyone headed out on the water to look for some fish. It was your typical winter day on the lake, but almost everyone managed to find at least one fish, with a couple people catching multiples. All fish were fat and healthy in the 17+ inch range. Open Tie The first Thursday of each month we meet at the American Legion George Morris Post in Oak Harbor at 6:30pm. We had eleven folks show up to tie flies and enjoy each other's company. Two of our novice tier participants made the trek up from Bellevue and club member Steve Egge spent time teaching them to tie a fairly respectable Woolly Bugger. Paul Messner also made a post-Christmas appearance and shared some wisdom with one of our US Army Vets. Our next event is at the Freeland Library on Saturday, January 18th at 2:30pm. We'll be tying flies and discussing the basics of lake fishing. Our events are open to all club members and we will always need assistance helping out at the monthly tying or fishing events. Let me know if you're interested.

Consider ringing in the New Year with the North Sound Project Healing Waters Fly Fishing program at Pass Lake. Weather dependent, we’ll gather at the lake at approximately 8:30am for several hours of fishing, fish tales, and camaraderie.  Contact Jeff Sturm for more information. You Do NOT need to be a veteran to join us! jeff.sturm@projecthealingwaters.org PHW North Sound Facebook Homepage,www.projecthealingwaters.org

Pass Lake is OPEN...so instead of fighting the ferry line and braving the malls, consider opting outdoors this coming Black Friday (Friday, Nov  29th) and joining the North Sound program of Project Healing Waters Fly Fishing at Pass Lake.  We will be meeting at the lake at approximately 8:30am.   Contact Jeff Sturm for more details.  You do NOT need to be a veteran to join us, all are welcome. email:  jeff.sturm@projecthealingwaters.org PHW North Sound Facebook Page www.projecthealingwaters.org

I spent another few days on the Yakima this past week: one day DIY floating with Steve Sintay and the second day floating with the club via McGinn’s diligent oversight and cat herding. I drove over on Monday with my fishing rig (1993 Mitsubishi Delica van and 2023 NRS Slipstream 96 raft) and spent two nights camping at the Big Pines BLM campground in the lower canyon (about 5-miles downstream from Red’s).  I did not fish on Monday as it was too windy to even think by the time I got into the canyon at 6pm. Snow on Steven's Pass Big Pines BLM Campground I met Steve at Red’s on Tuesday morning.  We stocked up with sandwiches and flies before playing the vehicle coordination game.  We floated from Umtanum to Big Pines and launched from Umtanum around 10:30am.  Steve was up front while I rowed and it was a really slow morning with the river up a bit and off-color.  The wind didn’t help things, but at least the sun was out. Steve working the water The only fish we managed to coax from their tight-mouthed sulking was this rainbow hiding under some trees at McPherson, about midway between Red’s and Lmuma.  I was fishing two nymphs under an indicator and he took the bottom Duracell. The day's only fish We enjoyed dinner in Ellensburg that evening and hit the water with Red’s the next morning (Wednesday).  I don’t have any pictures from that day, but Ken has posted quite a few.  We floated from Ringer down to Lmuma (a leisurely 6-1/2 hrs, give or take)  It was another day of tough fishing, but both Steve and I managed to get a couple of rainbows as well as a few whitefish.  The weather was gorgeous--sunny and warm with only a few occasional gusts of that notorious Yakima wind!

Long time listener, first time caller - I'm fairly new to the stillwater game, but with the pandemic upon us I decided to spend some time this winter figuring out the Island's lakes. To that end, over Thanksgiving weekend I took my float tube out to recently stocked Cranberry Lake and ended up having a pretty good day. Since WDFW has been stocking Cranberry Lake a lot this month (from WDFW website: 11/3 - 500 rainbow trout; 11/4 - 1,000; 11/5 - 500; and 11/22 - 2,000) the odds looked promising for this stillwater novice. Also, since the word was obviously out on the stocking schedule, I definitely wasn't alone on the lake (I didn't count, but I would guess around 15 other PWCs milling about and a lot of folks fishing from the shore), but there was plenty of space for everyone. I brought along two rods, one strung with a floating line and one with an old full sink line. The floater with a Woolly Bugger along the banks was fruitless (but in all honesty, I didn't expect much since I was there in the middle of the day, however I thought it might be worthwhile for a bit). After 30-min or so of flogging the banks, rootballs, and downed trees, I moved to deeper water and tried my 6wt with a full sink line. I used a large'ish white beadhead leach pattern and smaller black Woolly Bugger. I had some action on the leach, but both fish came unbuttoned pretty quickly. The smaller Woolly Bugger proved more successful and I ended the day with four nice 12-16 inch fish netted and another two lost (for those keeping score at home: 4 for 8 for the day). While I was feeling pretty good about myself, I couldn't help but notice an older fly fishing couple in an anchored green john boat that were catching fish left-and-right the entire time I was out there. I didn't see an indicator/bobber on their lines, but based on the way they were casting, I suspect they were practicing some variety of chironomid black magic (long leaders and only a single back cast)...I guess I have some homework to do!?!? Anyhow, after about three hours I decided to call it a day after I lost all sense for feeling in my feet! All in all, a good day!