Methow River Fishing Report Updated 11/17/24
(Bottom Of Page)
Fly and Gear ordering and delivery: We can get flies to you within two to three business days from the time you place your order via Priority Mail. If you provide a budget for flies, we will select them to match the budget and get them to you on time for your trip. Please see the bottom of this column for ordering options.
We also have custom Perfect Fly selections in 3 different price ranges for this stream that come with or without fly boxes. They make excellent gifts. Click Here To Order or Call us at 800 594 4726 or email us at sales@perfectflystore.com.
Type of Stream
Freestone
Species
Rainbow Trout (Wild)
Cutthroat (Wild)
Bull Trout (native)
Steelhead
Chinook Salmon
Size
Medium
Location
Northern Central Washington
Nearest Towns
Winthrop
Twisp
Season
Steelhead Season changes each
season. Trout season is from June 1
through September.
Access:
Good
Non-Resident License
State of Washington
Weather
National Weather Service Link
USGS Real Time Stream Flow Data:
At Pateros
At Winthrop
Seasons:
See above
Spring:
Spring isn’t a good time for fly fishing the Methow River.
Summer:
Summer is the best time for trout fishing.
Fall:
Early Fall is good for trout and steelhead, depending on the opening date of the season.
Winter:
Wintertime is steelhead time.
Recommended Tackle & Gear
For Steelhead and Salmon
Fly Line:
7, 8 , 9 or 10 weight for appropriate typerod, sinking, sinking tip and floating
Leaders:
10#, 12# in 9 to 15 feet lengths
Tippets:
10# and 12#
Best Fly Rods:
Perfect Fly 7, 8, 9 and 10 ft. single hand rods
Fly Reels:
For 7 to 10 weight lines
Fly Floatants and Misc Items:
KISS Strike Indicators, Lanyards, etc.
Tools & Accessories:
Nippers, forceps, retractors, etc.
Recommended Tackle & Gear
Fly Line:
4, 5 or 6 weight
Leaders:
Dry fly: 9 to 12 ft., 5 or 6X Nymphing:
71/2 ft., 3 or 4X, Streamers 0-2X
Tippets:
Dry fly: 5 or 6X, Nymphing: 3 or 4X,
Streamer 0-2X
Best Fly Rods:
Perfect Fly Supreme Four, Superb Five
or Ultimate Six
Fly Reels:
For 4/5/6 fly line
Fly Floatants and Misc Items:
Floatants, KISS Strike Indicators
Tools & Accessories:
Nippers, forceps, retractors, etc.
Fly and Gear ordering and delivery:
Email us at (sales@perfectflystore.com) with the dates you will be fishing and we will send you a list of our fly recommendations. We can get flies and gear to you within two to three business days from the time you place your order via Priority Mail. If you provide a budget for flies, we will select them to match the budget and get them to you on time for your trip. Your can also call us at 800-594-4726 and we will help you decide what flies and gear to use. All orders are shipped free in the U.S. If under a $100 order requiring Priority mail is a charge of only $8.10. Orders over a $100 are shipped free via Priority Mail.
Perfect Fly Power Pack Spey Rod Series: Click Here for full description
$225.00
Steelhead & Salmon Fly Selections
Copyright 2016 James Marsh
Fly Fishing The Methow River Washington
The Methow River flows for about 45 miles out of the Lost Valley west of Winthrop entering the Columbia River at Pateros. The uppermost beginning of the Methow River, along with the Twisp River, Early Winters Creek and Cedar Creek, starts high in the mountains in the general area of state route #20. Along the way, Robinson Creek and Lost River add water to its flow. Cedar, Goat, Wolf and Early Winters Creeks also contribute water to the flow of the river in the Methow Valley. A large part of the river flows through this valley where farming and ranches are common. At Winthrop, the Chewuck River joins the Methow. The river runs clear most of the year.
The Methow River is known for its large wild rainbow and cutthroat trout that go up to and over twenty inches and its steelhead. Although there are plenty of areas that can be waded, the river is commonly floated in what locals consider three different sections of water- Winthrop downstream to Twisp; Twisp to Carlton and.Carlton to Gold Creek. These different sections each have different types of water. The lower section can have some very rough, turbulent water. The summer dry fly fishing is considered excellent.
The summer run steelhead enter the Columbia River from the Pacific Ocean from June to July and run upriver during the first of September. Everything to do with this depends on the height of the water in the Columbia and Methow rivers. High water speeds up the migration and low, warm water slows it down. They migrate about thirty-five miles up the Methow to Winthrop National Fish Hatchery in Winthrop.
During the past few years, numbers of fish have risen due to the excellent hatchery rearing program. There’s a “special emergency” opening for catch and release fishing on the Methow River.
This season generally opens the first few days of the month of October. These fish can be found in different parts of the river at times, so being mobile versus fishing only one area, is a good idea. The best part of the steelhead season is usually in October and November and from mid February through March. Wild steelhead must be released and hatchery steelhead must be kept.
Methow River Fishing Report:
02/12/2020 The river is in good shape
and we you should be able to catch some
nice winter steelhead. Send us an email
for your next trip,.
sales@perfectflystore.com
03/15/2020 The river is closed for the
season.
06/01/20 Trout season is now open. There
are good hatches taking place. Let us
hear from you.
06/13/20 The river is in good shape and
good numbers of trout are being caught.
07/22/20 The stream levels are a good bit
below normal and you need to use caution
to not spook the trout. We are still getting
good catch reports from customers.
08/06/20 The conditions remain very
good. We continue to get good reports
from customers.
08/21/20 The stream levels are low and
you have to use a little caution to avoid
spooking the trout. We continue to get
good reports from customers.
9/21/20 Sorry for the missed reports.
Stream levels are a little high right now
due to recent rain. Fish as soon as it
drops. We were getting good reports
prior to the high water.
11/28/20 Trout season closed the end of
September. We can help you plan that
next season trip. Shoot us an email.
12/18/20 The river is still closed to fishing.
05/05/21 The river is flowing at a very high level. We were getting good reports from customers when the levels were down. There are a lot of insects hatching. Send us an email or call us for a recommended fly and gear list.
05/17/21 Fishing for trout should be good but the water is too high at this time. Fish as soon as it falls back down. There are good hatches taking place.
05/26/21 The stream levels are back down to a normal level and in good shape. We should start getting more good reports very soon.
06/02/21 The stream is in okay shape and we are getting good reports from customers catching trout. There are good hatches. Call or write us for a fly list.
06/16/21 The stream is still turning out trout for our customers. Stream levels are up to near normal levels. Email us at (sales@perfectflystore.com) with the dates you will be fishing and we will send you a list of our fly recommendations.
07/03/21 The stream levels are normal and the river in good shape. We continue to get good reports from customers catching good numbers of trout. There are good hatches taking place.
07/15/21 We are getting some very good reports from customers. Good numbers of larger size bows are being caught. Good hatches continue. The stream levels are still low but trout still eat in low water.
07/28/21 The stream is still producing good catches for our customers even though the levels are still low. There are good hatches taking place.
08/05/21 The stream is still turning out some good trout catches for our customers. The water is still low and you do need to use stealth.
08/27/21 The stream levels are still low and very clear. You have to use caution to stay hidden from the trout but they still eat in low water. We received two good reports from customers recently.
09/06/21 The stream levels are still low but not too low to catch plenty trout. There are some good hatches taking place and our terrestrial patterns are also working good.
09/18/21 Stream levels are on the way up thanks to rain which will continue through today. We are getting good reports from customers but the rain should make it better.
09/29/21 The stream is in good shape and we are getting good reports from customers fishing for trout. Good hatches continue to come off.
10/27/21 The stream levels are high but should bring some fish into the river. Trout fishing season is closed.
11/03/21 There should be some salmon coming into the river but we still don’t have any confirmation of that.
11/29/21 The stream levels are very high. We still don’t have any reports from anyone fishing lately. Check back with us.
12/07/21 The stream is still very high, too high to fish. Fish as soon as it drops.
12/14 Stream levels are still too high to fish.
12/23/21 Stream levels are down a lot but still a little high. Now is the time to get your gear and flies in order.
12/31/21 The stream is down in good shape but we didn’t get any reports from anyone fishing this past week.
01/08/22 The river is closed to all species except a special whitefish season open only in January.
04/29/22 Trout season opens the first of May. There are some good hatches taking place. Stream levels are normal at this time.
05/15/22 The stream is in okay shape with good hatches taking place and trout being caught. We received two good reports from customers fishing this past week.
05/23/22 The stream is still flowing well below normal level and clear. There are some good hatches just starting to take place. Get ready for some good action within the next few days.
05/30/22 Conditions remain fair. Good hatches are coming off and dry fly fishing has picked up. We expect the coming week to be a good one.
06/08/22 The stream levels are up high, to high to wade safely. We have been getting very good reports. There are multiple hatches taking place. Trout fishing should be fine again when the stream levels drop.
06/15/22 The stream levels are down to a normal level and you should be able to catch trout. There are good hatches taking place. Send us an email for a recommended fly list for trout.
06/22/22 Trout are still being caught by our customers in good numbers. Shoot us an email for a recommended fly list. The trout can be selective and there are good hatches.
06/29/22 We received two good reports from customers fishing for trout. Good hatches are taking place and dry fly fishing is good.
07/06/22 More good reports came in from customers catching trout. The hatches vary depending on the particular section but there are good ones taking place throughout the river.
07/14/22 Stream levels are a little above normal levels but the water is mostly clear. We received one good report from a customer fishing this past week. Good hatches continue to take place.
07/21/22 The stream levels are still above normal levels making it tough to not safe to wade in many places. There are very good hatches taking place. We still received two good reports from customers fishing this past week.
07/28/22 Stream levels are still a little above normal level but it can be waded with caution in some places. Drift boat anglers are doing good. We are still getting good catch reports from customers fishing for trout.
08/11/22 Stream levels are normal and the water clear. We received three good reports from customers fishing for trout this past week. Good hatches are taking place.
08/18/22 Fish early and late in the day for the best results. The upper sections of the river are the better areas to fish with all the heat.
09/03/22 We received two good reports this past week from customers. Good late summer season hatches are taking place and trout are being caught in good numbers.
09/10/22 We continue to get a few good reports from customers fishing for trout.
11/01/22 Stream levels are still a little below normal. Good late season hatches are taking place. We received two good reports from customers fishing this past week.
11/17/22 The stream is a little low but okay. We have been getting very good reports from customers catching trout in good numbers. Good late season hatches continue to take place.
01/01/23 The trout season is closed until June 1.
05/14/23 Now is the time to get your flies and gear ready for the new season. We will be glad to help you do that.
06/12/23 We are getting some good reports from customers fishing for trout. Good hatches are taking place. Send us an email for a recommended fly list.
06/20/23 Good water levels and good hatches continue to take place. We are getting some good reports from customers.
06/29/23 We received two good reports from customers fishing for trout. Good hatches are taking place and dry fly fishing is good.
07/10/23 We received four good reports from customers fishing for trout. Good hatches are taking place. Match the hatch and your in business.
07/17/23 The stream is turning out some good catches for our customers. We received four more good reports from customers. PMDs, PEDs, Spotted sedge caddis, green sedge caddis, little Yellow stoneflies, and other insects are hatching.
07/25/23 More good reports have come in. Good hatches are taking place and conditions look good for the coming days.
08/07/23 Stream levels are low but still okay. Good hatches are coming off and dry fly fishing is good. We received three good reports from customers fishing this past week.
08/17/23 The stream is still low but it isn’t affecting the “catching”. We are still getting good reports from customers fishing it. Good hatches continue to take place.
08/24/23 Low water levels still exist but we did receive another good report from a customer fishing for trout.
08/31/23 We received two more good reports from customers fishing for trout this past week. Good late season hatches are taking place and matching the hatch with our Perfect Flies will increase your odds of success.
09/07/23 Stream levels are a little low and you need to use caution to stay hidden from the trout to keep from spooking them. We are still getting some very good reports.
09/14/23 The stream is still low but fish still eat in low water. Stay as low and as hidden as you can to keep from spooking the trout. We are still getting some good reports.
09/21/23 Low water levels still exist but as mentioned above, fish still eat in low water. Two good reports came in this past week. It pays to match the hatch and you can do that with Perfect flies that look like the real things.
09/28/23 Conditions are about the same as last week. Low water still exist but if you can stay low and hidden, you can catch plenty. We received two good reports from customers fishing it this past week.
10/05/23 The water is still low but we are still getting good catch reports from customers fishing for trout.
10/14/23 We received two good reports from customers catching trout this past week. Good hatches are still taking place.
10/27/23 More good reports on trout came in this past week. Good hatches are taking place including BWOs, Mahogany duns, October Caddis and Cream Midges.
11/12/23 We are still getting good reports on trout fishing. Late season hatches continue to take place. Our tandem rigged cream midge larva and pupa is working good.
11/19/23 The river is still turning out some very good catches of trout. Little BWOs and Cream midges are the prime hatches.
11/30/23 More good reports on trout being caught. Good late season hatches continue to take place. Our articulated sculpin and leech streamers are catching some nice ones.
01/08/24 The stream is in okay condition with good light green and red or blood midges hatches taking place. Winter stoneflies are also hatching. We received two good catch reports this past week.
01/16/24 Stream levels remain good and we continue to get good reports from customers.
04/01/24 Trout season opens the first of May and now is the time to start thinking about getting your gear and flies ready for the new season.
05/13/24 There are very good hatches taking place and we are starting to get some very good catch reports. Send us an email for a recommended fly list.
05/23/24 We are getting good catch reports from customers fishing for trout. Very good hatches are taking place.
05/28/24 Good conditions exist. We received two more good trout catch reports. There are lots of insects hatching.
06/10/24 We received two good reports from customers fishing for trout. Good hatches are taking place.
06/17/24 Good conditions still exist. The stream is flowing a little below normal and clear. Very good hatches are taking place and our terrestrial patterns, Carpenter ants, Japanese beetles, and Sandwich Hoppers are working good.
06/24/24 The stream is still in okay shape a little below normal level and clear. Good hatches continue to take place. We received two good reports from customers fishing this past week.
07/01/24 Conditions are good with okay water levels and clarity. Very good hatches continue to come off. Pale Morning duns, Pale Evening duns, Western Green drakes, spotted sedge caddis, Golden stoneflies and Little Yellow stoneflies. Check out our Perfect flies which look like the real things.
07/08/24 The stream is still flowing near a normal level and mostly clear. We continue to get good catch reports from customers fishing for trout. Good hatches keep taking place.
07/17/24 The stream is flowing below a normal level and clear. Good hatches are taking place. We received two good reports from customers fishing this past week.
07/23/24 Conditions are good. We are getting good catch reports from customers fishing for trout. Very good hatches are taking place.
08/01/24 We are still getting good catch reports on trout from customers. Good hatches are still taking place.
08/08/24 The stream is flowing well below a normal level and clear. You will need to use caution to stay hidden from the trout to catch them. We did receive one good report from a customer fishing this past week.
08/19/24 We received a good report from a customer fishing for trout this past week. Good Spotted sedge Caddis, Little Sister caddis, Pale Morning Duns, Mahogany Duns, and Little Yellow stoneflies are hatching.
08/29/24 Conditions are still good. We received two more good reports from customers fishing for trout.
09/03/24 Conditions are good. We are getting good reports from customers fishing for trout. Good late season hatches continue to take place.
09/12/24 Another good report on trout fishing came in this past week. Conditions are good.
09/17/24 The stream is in good shape, flowing near a normal level and clear. We received a good report from a customer fishing for trout this past week.
09/24/24 Two more good reports from customers fishing for trout have come in this past week. Good hatches continue to take place.
10/08/24 The stream is still turning out some good catches of trout for our customers. Good late season hatches are taking place.
10/17/24 We are getting good reports from customers fishing for trout. Coho are also in the river and we received a good report from a customer fishing for them.
10/25/24 We received another good report from a customer fishing for trout and also one from a customer fishing for Coho. The increased water level from the rain should help bring more fish into the river.
11/01/24 The stream is up and holding lots of Coho. We received two good reports from customers fishing for them this past week.
11/08/24 More good reports have come in from customers fishing for Coho.
11/17/24 We received some good catch reports from customers fishing for Coho.
Perfect Flies are designed and tied to to imitate and behave like the natural foods fish rely on to survive as much as possible. The more your fly looks like and moves through and on the surface of the water like the real things, the higher your odds of success.
Perfect Fly Trout Flies: Click Here
Click Here to see our Steelhead Flies: Click Here to see our Salmon Flies.
Send us an email (sales@perfectflystore.com) or call us 800 594 4726 for an updated fly and gear suggestion list.