Weekend 4/2 + 4/3 and a quick weekday session

Alright, I am starting to fall behind here on my reports and to be honest the blow by blow details of each day is getting pretty fuzzy so I am going to just wrap this weekend end briefly. Saturday I fished my dad and Jeff and it was pretty typical of how things have been. The bite was slow early on aside from a couple walleye and it wasn't until our third stop that I got the first hookup with a steelie. It was a big clean hen that just wrecked an ice man minnow and then proceeded to leave the water no fewer than 8 times. Finally dad tailed her....only to have her cartwheel out of his hands, back into the water, and then bust my off on some roots against the bank! I was pissed that I didn't get a picture but the fight was my best of the year so I guess thats all that really matters. We then fished for a long time with no love. Finally after lunch we hit some water farther downstream and the bite turned on for the final two hours or so. I started with this chrome buck from a tight little spot 95% of the people walk right by.

We struck out on the next couple spots but reached the same deep run that held so many fish the week before and once again it produced. Jeff connected on this solid chrome hen on a small fry pattern. I had a smudge on the lens so the picture stinks but it was a gorgeous fish to say the least.

With light running out dad and I moved down to a fast chute while Jeff keep working the same run. No sooner had we got down to our spot and I heard Jeff yell and saw him chasing a fish downstream through the pocket water. I ran up to help him and quickly tailed his second fish of the day, again on the fry pattern.

Not a bad way for Mr. Cole to close out the day! When I got back to the water I was fishing I switched to a fl. peach glo bug and my first drift through was clobbered by a big buck. He ran me waaaay downstream through the broken water and several times we got him to the glove and he managed to dart back out in to the current. I finally stopped him at a slow cove and was able to beach him. A massive buck but again some water on the lens made for a pretty crummy photo.

Pumped to have finished my night with such a quality fish we ran back up for dad to make a few more drifts before dark. Just as we were calling it quits he tied into another buck on a spring wiggler pattern and the fight was on. After several minutes the fish tired and I went to make a move with the landing glove. Unfortunately the fish spooked, blasted off back into the current, and sawed the tippet off against a sharp rock, ending our night.
Sunday was one of the wildest days I've spent on the river weather wise. Around noon I picked up my buddy Alex from the airport and we set off to find him his first ever steelhead. By the time we got to the parking lot it was 31 degrees, windy as hell, and there was a combination of rain, ice, and snow falling to create a really weird mix. To top it off it was thundering like crazy! The river was pretty deserted and the water looked fantastic. The bite was totally non-existant early and the first several stops provided only a couple suckers. Finally we got to a piece of broken water and I was able to connect on the first of the day. One jump and then it was a quick dash downstream.

After a couple minutes the fish began to tire but before we could tail her the hook pulled. Alex stepped in and missed a fish but that was it for a while. We moved upstream to a spot that I never do anything in personally but others seem to love. That continued as Alex tied into a fresh piece of chrome at the tailout.

After a long fight and yet another run downstream the hook pulled on that fish too. I'll be damned if Alex didnt go right back to the same spot and hook up with his second fish! This one fought hard but stayed buttoned and I was able to tail this small buck. Not bad for a Georgia boy!


Needless to say Alex was pumped and I was pumped for him. Sometimes living here and fishing for these fish day after you forget how special and incredible they are. When you see the excitement and enthusiasm from someone seeing this for the first time you are reminded of how lucky you are. Alex was clearly on a roll as about 10 minutes later he was hooked up again. This fish was a little chrome skip and it never ceases to amazes me how these 2lb fish can double an 8wt over.

To close out the day we each hooked and lost a good sized fish but that didn't matter....the mission was accomplished! At dusk we hiked back to the Jeep to thaw out and head home on some nasty roads.
Thursday I was able to duck out of work a little early and pick Alex up at the hotel for a few hour session in the evening. Our plan was to fish closer to home and meet Jeff on the river. There were cars everywhere but as usual, with a long walk upstream we had plenty of runs to ourselves. As we came around the bend we saw Jeff fighting a fish....perfect timing. He said he was just praying that we would be there soon as he couldnt do much with the large buck on his line. I tailed the fish and boy what a dandy! One of the best pics of the year.

Goodbye buddy...

Unfortunately that early luck was a curse! Alex had a fish on just long enough to get a quick headshake but that was it. Despite fishing two or three of the better runs in that section we couldn't by another hookup. We called it quits at dusk and headed into town for mexican and a pitcher of marghertita's. Alex was able to fish Friday and Saturday by himself and he did well, especially for being new to the steelhead game. He landed a few more and lost a few others plus bagged a couple decent browns. Needless to say he's hooked and I look forward to him coming back up again when we can get out together a bit more.