They are still biting!

[AL WORRELLS KID]

You may not be tossing a line their way anytime soon..... But just think how much Bigger they'll have grown compared to the last time you got to set the hook!
Counting the days.
Doug

[Bullkllr]

What are those things?

Catching them looks like it could be fun.

[bassquatch]

What are you some kind of nonconformist freedom loving American or something? 

[AL WORRELLS KID]

bassquatch, I'm a "Lepomis cyanellus" to be exact! 
Green sunfish are not as deep bodied as other sunfish, meaning they have a more elongated shape. The mouth is relatively large and the upper jaw extends back to the middle of the eye. The pectoral fin is short and rounded. Green sunfish are colored a bluish-green with emerald and yellow iridescence. The belly is yellow to white. The ear flap is black with a white to yellow margin. Frequently, green sunfish have a black spot near the end of the dorsal and anal fins. The rear fins are usually edged in light orange or white, which is a distinctive characteristic.
Green sunfish like to live in weed-choked areas, areas with lots of rocky cover, and disturbed environments where other species cannot survive. Generally, the presence of a lot of green sunfish, with few other species of sunfish, means the habitat is marginal for fish.
Green sunfish have a larger mouth than most other sunfishes and so larger baits can be used for them. They are very opportunistic and will usually attack any small bait or lure that comes near them. 

(These were Spawning under the thick willows where the Creek enters Shadow Lake, the main Lake holds a bunch of Pumpkinseed Sunfish.(Both turnout some nice size Fillet's).
According to the Map, they must of jumped a few miles North of the Red Zone to land in the back 40 of Renton, WA. 
Doug


 

[buckcanyonlodge]

You may not be tossing a line their way anytime soon..... But just think how much Bigger they'll have grown compared to the last time you got to set the hook!
Counting the days.
Doug

I found a Game reserve sign just like that up on Stevens Pass where the old Nason Creek game refuge was. After being a game refuge it was turned into a bow area only for quite a few years. Very Cool sign.....it is in the entrance of the Common area of my Lodge now

[Henrydog]

Wow i learned something.  I have hiked every onch from the Napeequa bridge to smithbrook from 1979 to 1999...where was it generally speaking?

[buckcanyonlodge]

One thing I remember about the Nason Creek bow area is that Glen St. Charles held the state record for mule deer with a buck taken in the unit. I know it was on the west side of Hwy 2 going up the pass from Tumwater Canyon and past Coles Corner. The boundary line ran fairly close to the Icicle High hunt area. Did not have ONX Hunt maps back then. We would drop camp hunt for bear and early deer in the area ( Frosty Pass). Norm Trapp showed us where the boundary of the bow area was on the way in to our camp.That was back in the early '70's

[Henrydog]

   Thanks Buckcanyonlodge I never headed past the Lake toward Coles Corner with most of my exploring...mainly because much of my time back then was pre driving age.  I really thought I was missing something but I know what you are talking about.  I appreciate it.

[AL WORRELLS KID]

buckcanyonlodge and Henrydog, We probably crossed Hunting Trails a few times back in the 70's as Nason Creek was my favorite Unit to hunt with my bow.
 I used to camp in my Old 1964 Red Ford Pickup along the RXR Tracks on the curve just west of Coles Corner.
 It was always interesting waking up from a dead sleep as the "Midnight Special's" Headlight rounded the curve and the Engineer laid on his horn passing just a few yards away.  Good Memories.
Doug

"All of these bucks came from Nason Creek in a half mile radius of one another. The area is between Thompson Ridge and McQue Ridge. I hunted there many times in the mid to late 70's and saw my biggest mule deer buck there I have ever seen … and buck fever got me !" Glen St. Charles

[buckcanyonlodge]

What a great photo. Did you ever meet Norm Trap just up the hiway from the Squirrel Tree Restaurant---Trap's Pack Horses?I remember eating breakfast at the Squirrel tree and a bear came out in the field to the south. I too remember the sound of the train horn echoing through the mountains at night. Nice trip down memory lane!! Thank You.

[AL WORRELLS KID]

I remember passing "Trap's Pack Horse's" on the way over but never did stop in. I bet Norm Trap could swap you a few interesting stories around the campfire though.
 In the late 70's I switched my base camp over to the Chiwaukum Creek Campground, (a few miles down HWY 2 from Coles Corner), as it was bit quieter at night and a whole lot prettier with the creek right next to camp.   
One afternoon while washing out my frying pan, I used it to check out the black sand in the creek bottom for Gold!
 To my surprise there was all kinds of color... not Gold, but Red. In no time I had a small handful of Garnets, sure made a nice break from eating my own cooking and washing dishes. 
Doug

[Henrydog]

Oh...back when you could fish the East Slopes of the Cascades.  I have 35mm photos of me fishing the White.  My kids think I was in Alaska looking at them...God I miss those days.  I used to shoot Spruce Grouse above the Little Wenatchee as well.  Have no seen one is years.

 As a kid I would ride my dirt bike down to Grasshopper meadows every evening before dinner and look at the bucks hanging when guys were coming out of the high hunt.  Back then it was all dirt from the Lake to the PCT head...now pavement to the Napeequa bridge
 
We never ate at the Squirrel Tree, but spent a line of time at the Cougar Inn.  Our boat was moored at Telma. 

[Onewhohikes]

Norm Trapp had many a trail in those mountains around Nason Creek area. Ran into quite a few of them in my wanderings. Its a shame that deer herd has been so decimated. For years I used to see bucks along the highway either, feeding or lying dead. Not any more rarely do you see any deer these days. Deer didn't stand much of a chance on their migration route, now with the number of cars on Highway 2 in that area they really don't which could explain the lack of deer.

[AL WORRELLS KID]

Oh...back when you could fish the East Slopes of the Cascades. ...God I miss those days.   

You bet, Henrydog! Nothing like getting up on the mountain before the Sun to hunt Deer and then break out the Fly Rod after Lunch to take on those Fall Spawning Cutthroat.
Those were some Grand Times for sure!
Doug

[Henrydog]

You bet, Henrydog! Nothing like getting up on the mountain before the Sun to hunt Deer and then break out the Fly Rod after Lunch to take on those Fall Spawning Cutthroat.

A size 14 beadhead prince or zugbug always worked well.  After Labor Day when the sockeye ran, it did not matter what you used the Dolly's and Cutts followed them out of the Lake during the spawn.

 I used to be the tag a long with a guy who was a retired staff Sargant and mail carrier.  He was 20 years older than Dad, and 15 year younger than Grandpa .  He had no son's so he always packed me.  He had a late 70's Jeep pickup with personalized license plates "ICTHFSH"  with a plaid ashtray on the dashboard.   He taught me so much about hunting/fishing/outdoors its nuts looking back on it.  And there was no releasing anything with him, it all went into a frying pan.