The water temp is still above 50 today its 54 so I’ll be
skating and waking or swinging just below the surface.
I sent
Tom a text early 6am. Sunrise is at 7:29. That gives me time to twist up a
couple more of my Morning Crush. 6:50 text from Tom: Going to take a rookie to two of are fishin
holes. I replied back I don’t want to crowd you two, so I’ll head north. So I
sent a text off to Gary, just before leaving to see if he could come out and
play today. Reply: Sorry!! He had things to do before he headed out of town.
Hoping now that I
could get to the upper holes, before the crowds and gear guys. When I arrived
to my surprise the parking was wide open. I suited and rigged up, just as I
started on the trail to the water the
first truck pulled in.
I took the top of
the run. I started working it, swinging my fly after 5 or 6 casts. Here they come three packing a tackle box
each they spread out and low hole me. The guy just below me is already rigged
up. He cast right to where my fly is coming to the end of its swing. Rather
than take my step down I stay and strip out another 10 to 15 feet of line and cast
again. This time he see my fly and yell
up at me “This is my section of water.”
I stayed there of about fifteen minutes and he never moved. I reeled in
and headed down below the three of them. Saying; Good morning to each as I
pasted. They stood their ground.
About twenty yards below the last guy, I step back out into
the water, strip out some line and gave it a fling and less halfway thru the
drift the smashing tug and fish on. I
landed that one bonked it, marked my card and after three more steps and cast I
had another, both Hatchery fish but the second one was less than 20 inch and I
let it go. Had to be the smallest Steelhead
I ever hooked on a river. Two more cast and into yet another. Much bigger,
stronger, and a tail walker she was out of the water at least four times. I
couldn't see if it had a fin clip or not until I was ready to land and put my
hand around her tail. I let her go and retied my fly I stayed for another fifty
yards or so without a bump, tickle, or tug.
I headed back up and all three of them had moved down to almost in each
other’s pockets where I got my first fish below them. One came up to me and
asked after saying. Wow you had a awesome day. What color are you using? I
showed him, pick up my fish and headed back to the top of the run.
I put the fish down at the entrance to the trail out and headed
to the top of the run. I made a few casts and was hooked up again, but as I was
working my take I saw an eagle, hopping around my beached fish. This was another Hatchery and I had to keep
it. When I got out and down to my first
fish the eagle had dragged it up the beach a ways and tore a hole in the side.
I let the eagle have it and didn't mark my card.
10:15am, 44 degrees, Headed somewhere between Riverside and
Omak. ???????
I broke my rod down and headed for the truck to head down
river with only my one Steelie. I got down to where I figured Tom had been thru
and left by now, but he was still there. He was alone and ready to leave as I
showed up. His rookie bailed on him, He had a nice Steelie that he had to bonk
and take home, one he had to let go and one that got loose. He had a good mourning too.
I sung flies till 1 without a tickle, the sun was hi and bright
so I packed it in and headed home.
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