AVID FLY FISHER and fly tyer Dean Childs of Sequim clued me in to the work of Issaquah’s Rockwell Hammond, a renowned fly tyer in his own right.
Childs and Hammond are members of the Northwest Atlantic Salmon Fly Tying Guild, a club dedicated to preserving old-world fly tying and applying some flys to present-day use in steelhead fishing.
During the Seahawks’ run to the Super Bowl last year, Hammond decided to craft a Seahawks-themed tie as a thank-you gift for coach Pete Carroll.
Hammond wished to show appreciation for Carroll for his and the team’s efforts at raising spirits throughout the Pacific Northwest during their super season.
“You watch him coach the team and you can’t help but be fired up,” Hammond said.
“He lifted everybody’s spirits. And I heard rumors that he fly fishes, so that was one of the reasons I sent it.”
A few months later, Hammond received a thank-you card signed by Carroll.
The fly isn’t a mass-production item, so Carroll now owns the only tie Hammond made.
He thinks the bright blue and green fly would be useful in steelheading, at least for him.
“They are good colors to fish, Hammond said.
“I like the blue and the green. There are a lot of patterns for steelhead that use that chartreuse-like (greenish yellow) green butt skunk, and others use blue and black a lot.
“Those are good colors for steelhead for me, maybe not for others.”
Hammond will be rooting the team on Sunday when the Guild welcomes Irish fly tyer Ryan Houston for a demonstration and fly-tying meeting at the Fall City Firehall.
Hammond has arranged for the group to watch the game while it ties flies.
“It would be a ghost town in there if I didn’t make sure to have the game on,” Hammond joked.
Razor clam digs
The state Department of Fish and Wildlife approved an eight-day clam dig starting Saturday.
Upcoming digs are scheduled on the following dates, beaches and low tides:
■ Saturday: 4:15 p.m., 0.1 feet — Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Mocrocks and Copalis.
■ Sunday: 5:02 p.m., -0.6 feet — Long Beach, Twin Harbors and Mocrocks.
■ Monday: 5:47 p.m., -1.1 feet — Long Beach and Twin Harbors.
■ Tuesday: 6:30 p.m., -1.4 feet — Long Beach and Twin Harbors.
■ Wednesday: 7:13 p.m., -1.4 feet — Long Beach and Twin Harbors.
■ Thursday, Jan. 22: 7:56 p.m., -1.1 feet — Long Beach and Twin Harbors.
■ Friday, Jan. 23: 8:40 p.m., -0.6 feet — Long Beach, Twin Harbors and Mocrocks.
■ Saturday, Jan. 24: 9:25 p.m., 0.1 feet — Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Mocrocks and Copalis.
Diggers can take 15 razor clams per day and are required to keep the first 15 they dig.
Each digger’s clams must be kept in a separate container.
All diggers age 15 or older must have an applicable 2014-15 fishing license to harvest razor clams on any beach.
Licenses can be purchased from fishhunt.dfw.wa.gov and from license vendors around the state.
28-pound trout
The North Fork of the Clearwater River in Idaho recently produced a mammoth 28 pound rainbow trout.
But the huge haul, 8 pounds larger than the previous record for the Gem State, won’t go into the record books.
Apparently, Larry Warren, who caught the fish near Orofino, didn’t weigh the fish on an approved scale before he released it back to the river.
While plenty large, the trout wouldn’t have topped the Washington record books if it had been caught in state waters.
The Washington record is a 29.6-pound whopper caught by Norm Butler on Okanogan County’s Rufus Woods Lake on Nov. 11, 2002.
That Clearwater River area is pretty territory.
I went on some snowy hikes to the Jerry Johnson Hot Springs when I was in college at nearby Washington State University.
One snowy day we encountered some friendly nudists in one of the lower pools, had a run-in with a park ranger concerned with biohazard contamination after a recent suicide, and saw a friend’s car swipe a snowbank on the ride back — all in one memorable outing.
Plenty of good camping areas exist along U.S. Highway 12 so if you are looking for a summer vacation destination, hit up Idaho’s version of the Clearwater.
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Outdoors columnist Michael Carman appears here Thursdays and Fridays. He can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 5152 or at mcarman@peninsuladailynews.com.
