Awsome report 
, if I didn't own a ford I would have hit the river this weekend as well :wallbash:
, if I didn't own a ford I would have hit the river this weekend as well :wallbash:
Late season Steely report (Last of the season???)
Well, I have been observing a lot lately and not really posting much, so I thought I would give a final report to wrap up the Steelhead season. That plus I have to get a few posts in, or my membership will be erased!!!
I was hoping to get out on the weekend and use that as my final report. I know I would have picked up a fish or two, but the powers that be did not work in my favour, so this will have to do instead. :
I was out during the week and decided I would do some fair hiking to get into a few places I had not been to yet this year. That, plus they are always good for a few fish.
So, I went and made my way to one of my reliable spots. The water was looking good with that greeny tea shade to it. I made a number of casts to the head of the pool and went through the deep section. Nothing. After working this for a while, I started to work the far side and the middle section. Very quickly, I had something on, but it was just as quickly gone. Felt smaller, so it may have been a cutty or a rainbow? Finally, I made my way down to the tailout section. worked in close, then worked my way across the run. On the far side, right against the wall as the float manoevered it's way towards the tailout, I had a solid hit. Set the hook and fish on.
The fish held there for a few moments, then raced across the river towards me. She held against a large rock for a while, then decided to shoot back to her original holding spot. She sat here for a few moments until I was able to covince her to move up river. Up in the deep water, she made a few darting runs up and down the pool, but her strength was waning. Finally, I was able to get her into the slower water in a nice slot where she held as I got my camera out. I propped it onto the top of a rock and set the timer. Press the button then could here the "beep, beep, beep" of the countdown. I tailed the fish and waited until the beeping became quick and the red light flashing was fast:
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With my photo done, back into the water and away she went.
A few more casts in this area and no more action, so I made my way down from here to another spot I like. On the way down, I had a brief hook-up with something that felt it had some size, but I did not get to see it.
Finally hit the water I wanted to fish. From my spot up on the ledge, I could see the water was getting a bit more colored up. I made some casts, then switched to a brass blade. Worked all the seams and the slots with no results. I then began to work the middle of the run. I let the blade work it's way through a few times with nothing. I looked down river to the spot I wanted to work from next and was thinking about moving. Decided to make a few more longer drifts, then move on.
I was making one of these longer drifts and was floating through some water I should have be working from my spot lower down when the blade stopped, and the float began slashing across the run. I set the hook and fish on! It was a good sized fish and began to thrash and roll on the surface. I was not happy with myself as I had a lot of line out and was holding the fish in the current, but it was slowly moving down river, using the current to it's advantage. All I could do was hold and hope. Well, I guess the fish felt the shallower water of the tailout and decided to shoot across to the far bank, then it began to make it's way upstream. Things were beginning to work in my favour. After some good spirited runs, the fish began to tire and I brought it across the run to the bank I was fishing. It was just below me and I could see it now. It was a nice looking buck with a little color starting to show (greyish with a faint red line down it's side). It was bigger than my first fish of the day, but not much. Now I just had to work out how to land it!!!
I scurried along the ledge, holding my rod and rodtip high, while slowly trying to inch my way down to the water. I finally worked my way into a place where I could crouch with decent support and touch the water with my right hand. I manoevered the fish many times before I could finally tail it. He was pretty tired by this time. I was trying to figure out how to get up and get a photo when I realized it was not going to happen. So I released the tension on the rod tip and jiggled the tip a few times until the blade fell away. From here, I released him to watch him slowly swim back to the depths below.
I now made mu way to my spot below. Worked the water here for a while, but to no avail.
I packed my gear up and left feeling very happy and planning to return this weekend, but as I now realize as I type this, I would not make it out after all over the great weekend we just had. ???
Another steelhead season is now winding down and I know I am done (Maybe tomorrow if I am lucky. I am now in the process of gearing up and getting ready to hit the Interior for trout in the next while, so I have something new to look forward to :beerchug:
Dano
I was hoping to get out on the weekend and use that as my final report. I know I would have picked up a fish or two, but the powers that be did not work in my favour
, so this will have to do instead. :I was out during the week and decided I would do some fair hiking to get into a few places I had not been to yet this year. That, plus they are always good for a few fish.
So, I went and made my way to one of my reliable spots. The water was looking good with that greeny tea shade to it. I made a number of casts to the head of the pool and went through the deep section. Nothing. After working this for a while, I started to work the far side and the middle section. Very quickly, I had something on, but it was just as quickly gone. Felt smaller, so it may have been a cutty or a rainbow? Finally, I made my way down to the tailout section. worked in close, then worked my way across the run. On the far side, right against the wall as the float manoevered it's way towards the tailout, I had a solid hit. Set the hook and fish on.
The fish held there for a few moments, then raced across the river towards me. She held against a large rock for a while, then decided to shoot back to her original holding spot. She sat here for a few moments until I was able to covince her to move up river. Up in the deep water, she made a few darting runs up and down the pool, but her strength was waning. Finally, I was able to get her into the slower water in a nice slot where she held as I got my camera out. I propped it onto the top of a rock and set the timer. Press the button then could here the "beep, beep, beep" of the countdown. I tailed the fish and waited until the beeping became quick and the red light flashing was fast:
With my photo done, back into the water and away she went.
A few more casts in this area and no more action, so I made my way down from here to another spot I like. On the way down, I had a brief hook-up with something that felt it had some size, but I did not get to see it.
Finally hit the water I wanted to fish. From my spot up on the ledge, I could see the water was getting a bit more colored up. I made some casts, then switched to a brass blade. Worked all the seams and the slots with no results. I then began to work the middle of the run. I let the blade work it's way through a few times with nothing. I looked down river to the spot I wanted to work from next and was thinking about moving. Decided to make a few more longer drifts, then move on.
I was making one of these longer drifts and was floating through some water I should have be working from my spot lower down when the blade stopped, and the float began slashing across the run. I set the hook and fish on! It was a good sized fish and began to thrash and roll on the surface. I was not happy with myself as I had a lot of line out and was holding the fish in the current, but it was slowly moving down river, using the current to it's advantage. All I could do was hold and hope. Well, I guess the fish felt the shallower water of the tailout and decided to shoot across to the far bank, then it began to make it's way upstream. Things were beginning to work in my favour. After some good spirited runs, the fish began to tire and I brought it across the run to the bank I was fishing. It was just below me and I could see it now. It was a nice looking buck with a little color starting to show (greyish with a faint red line down it's side). It was bigger than my first fish of the day, but not much. Now I just had to work out how to land it!!!
I scurried along the ledge, holding my rod and rodtip high, while slowly trying to inch my way down to the water. I finally worked my way into a place where I could crouch with decent support and touch the water with my right hand. I manoevered the fish many times before I could finally tail it. He was pretty tired by this time. I was trying to figure out how to get up and get a photo when I realized it was not going to happen. So I released the tension on the rod tip and jiggled the tip a few times until the blade fell away. From here, I released him to watch him slowly swim back to the depths below.
I now made mu way to my spot below. Worked the water here for a while, but to no avail.
I packed my gear up and left feeling very happy and planning to return this weekend, but as I now realize as I type this, I would not make it out after all over the great weekend we just had. ???
Another steelhead season is now winding down and I know I am done (Maybe tomorrow if I am lucky
. I am now in the process of gearing up and getting ready to hit the Interior for trout in the next while, so I have something new to look forward to :beerchug:Dano
