Cedar Creek is a tributary of the Sandy river just north of the city of Sandy. On this creek there is a fish hatchery which stocks Steelhead, Coho and Chinook Salmon. As these are hatchery fish: all 3 species, Cedar creek is the end of their migration back from the sea. While not all hatchery fish specifically end thier travels there, most do. The greatest number of retainable fish are caught at or below Cedar creek.
If you have eaten your wheaties and are up for some seroius cardio, the hike to the creek itself is a work out. The trail drops about 500 feet over it's 3/4 mile lenght. (you can do it in 1/3 mile but the grades are very steep on the "back trail") Going down is fairly easy; unless it's dark and you forgot your flashlight, going back up; with or with out fish can be demanding.
As for the twin boulders..... Allow me to describe the "potential areas" which are fishable on a Cedar creek outing.
Once on the river the trail drops you out apx 100' from the mouth of the creek. The entire south bank is fishable in fact the south side is prefered for short casts to work the slots near the shore. The bank is broken in to two main sections. A) above the large alder with the exposed root wad to the head riffels B) Below the Ader to the mouth of Cedar creek.
There after, the mouth itself offers a very nice drift with several pocket boulders apx 30' out. The tail out of the mouth has deeper holes than in past seasons and I have seen fish several taken from an area I pervoiusly had considered too westward to be productive...
In order to continue fishing west down stream you have to cross the Sandy, hense the twin boulders apx 60' down river from Cedar. The River breaks around a formed island with the heaviest flows on the south side. There is only one "safe" crossing and it's between the 2 boulders and the eastern tip of the island. Be aware there are many huge boulders on the route that will split your stance and knock you off balance. Combined with the above average flows and your going swimming.
Once you make it to the island, you have the option of fishing the new pools at the west tip of the island or crossing the low flow streach and heading further west to the infamous "Slaughter hole" This is perhaps the best known place on the sandy I first fished this drift in '81 and took my first 25 lb Silver. (I made the crossing in hip waders way back then....)
This drift has more boiling water atthe top than I remember in the past, the rest of the drift is quite the same. A long deep slot of slow moving water that allows fish to stack up and plug the hole. Usually people resign to standing shoulder to shoulder and casting hundreds of bobbers in rhymitic fishing.
I have seen several confrontrations occur due to sloppy casting and snag ups when fishing pressure get bad. As well casting terminal gear usually results in foul hooked fish. The drill is usually bait / gigs & bobbers -
There are a few spots further down stream worth fishing expecally when conditions are stacked.
8/17 River was as bad; no worst, than Fri 8/10 more toiled than ever. The fish are swiming in cement and the action is S L O W. I hooked up 3 Jacks (Steelhead actually, one year fish... 14" and fin clipped) All on sandshrimp at the mouth of Cedar creek where the fresh water thinned the slurry.
I go a nice hit on a #4 Blue fox (orange) and about 6 seconds of action before it shook it out. There are fish in the river but conditions are piss poor.
*** There is no volcanic ash in the snow melt, glacial melt, yes, snow pack no. Removal of the marmot damn put a lot of debris down the lenght of the river it's going to take years before it "cleans out" and meanwhile the fish suffer. Did the Enviro-Mentals think about that before they turned the sediment free?
Poor fish it's like being in the Chineese olympics!
Maybe I'll start fishing the Clack again....
And by the way, beautiful pictures! I know exactly where at least two of those were taken, and that is prime Steelhead waters!
