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Jeff and I have been on this water a handful of times over the last two weeks and it's fished the best I have ever seen it. We had been telling my Dad (who hated this river) about all the success we'd been having and naturally he wanted to get in on some of this himself. Unfortunately that did not happen. The fishing was much slower than it's been and we struggled to find fish despite fishing some choice water. Dad started off with a decent rainbow on his third cast of the day and that was all the action he got. We pounded that first run for over an hour, and just as we were getting ready to leave I hooked up on a nice fish. The fish dogged it for a bit before getting mad and making a handful of hard runs. The colder water temps definitely had the fish a little more under control though and soon Dad was able to slip the net under this chrome buck that ate a nuke egg.
And the release....I'll see you this winter!
Jeff got one more brief hookup at the tailout of the run but it happened too quick to know what is was. As we moved downstream a few of the runs we hoped to fish had people in them (which surprised us) so after quickly hitting a few small spots we hoofed it downstream to one of the better runs. This spot holds many steelhead at all times, yet even with three guys dissecting it from top to bottom we couldn't find any players. I was able to take two browns on a prince nymph but that was it. With limited light left we hiked back upstream and hit a run near the truck. It didn't take Jeff more than a cast or two and he was tied into a fish.....a really really big fish. The fish fought deep and bulldog like and refused to come off the bottom. Finally it looked like the fish was ready and Dad moved in with the net. As a bystander on the bank I had a bad feeling about the scene just as it started to go down. The fish started thrashing and alligator rolling when it saw the net and Dad tried his best to get the beast inside. Unfortunately the fish was too big and in the process snagged the top fly in the net and broke off. We all got a good look at what had to be one of if not the single biggest steelhead I've ever seen. 14-15lbs is an honest estimate. Needless to say that event closed out the night and we all had that fish on our mind through dinner. Dad was particularly bummed because once again this river had gotten the better of him and his confidence was as low as it gets. Luckily we had a plan for Sunday.
Some time ago I was talking to my friend Jeff Hubbard about this river and how my father had nothing but bad things to say about it. This river is notoriously stingy with it's fish and to say my Dad had not had much luck would be an understatement. Jeff said "bring your father up for a trip one day and I'll change his mind." Jeff owns and operates Outfitters North Guide Service (www.outfittersnorth.com) and knows this river as well as anyone. Jeff has given me all kinds of advice over the last few years, mainly in regards to swinging flies for our silver friends, plus I really wanted my Dad to see the river the way I do. It took almost 2 years after that conversation with Jeff but I booked us a trip and yesterday was the day.
Weather conditions couldn't have been better. It was downright balmy most of the day for December (mid 40's) with heavy cloud cover, intermitent rain, and water temps that jumped to 43 degrees by mid-day. We met up with Jeff around 7:15am and were launching the boat by 8am. Our first stop was one that I fish frequently and I had high hopes for a quick start. I started at the top of the run and my Dad at the bottom with Jeff showing him the prime water. It didn't take more than five minutes and a huge buck was carthwheeling out of the water attached to Dad's line. I just laughed to myself and then headed downstream to watch the battle. Unfortunately about that time the fish got into some wood and soon it was all over. Dad was upset but the day just gave off a certain vibe and I knew there would be more where that came from. I got one decent pull at the top of the run and sure enough when Dad went up there with the indy rod he hooked the fish almost right away. Dad's first ever adult steelhead from this river!
After years of frustration and doubt it had taken all of 45 minutes for Dad to see the light. With new found confidence and ideal conditions he put on a clinic for the next few hours. Next stop produced three browns with this skinny 17 incher being the best.
The next stop below that produced this thick buck almost immediately. It gobbled a small egg pattern and then proceeded to run my dad all over the pool before Jeff finally netted it. Smiles all around.
Literally three minutes later and Dad's rod was bent in half again, this time with a dime bright hen who ate the same egg pattern. As I ran upstream to grab my camera and Hub ran downstream with the net I saw a big grin on his face and I was laughing out loud. Dad was absolutely killing it and having the time of his life. This fish was so bright that the flash made it glow. The pic doesn't do this pretty gal any justice.
What was I doing all this time you wonder? I was stubbornly swinging streamers with no love and starting to question my sanity. We fished another run just downstream and I got a good pull but no hookup. The next run downstream looked particularly luscious and I swung it with confidence. Nothing. Dad proceeded to make one cast into the run and hook into a chrome rocket that took him to the cleaners. It cartwheeled and then ran him straight into a log jam. I was stunned that clean of a fish didn't want a taste of my hobo spey. For me, it was beginning to feel like a lost cause. Anybody who has swung flies knows the feeling....all you can do is keep your chin up and keep casting.
We stopped for lunch and had a delicious meal of NY strip steaks, rice, garlic bread, PBR, and a snickerdoodle for desert. I felt re-fueled and went back at it with a vengeance. We fished several good runs and even my dad stopped hooking fish. The air temp had dropped and a few other boats had now gotten ahead of us. Not too far from the takeout we got to Hub's favorite swinging run and I knew this was more or less my last shot. I fished through it twice top to bottom with a few different flies. Nothing again. Not even a pull. What the hell am I doing wrong? Feeling dejected we rowed down the river and Jeff pulled the boat into a spot I had never fished before. He said this was an overlooked spot he discovered a few years ago and that it was worth a few casts. I worked my way through the run without a tap. All the way at the bottom there was some wood in the water and I casted as close as I dared to the structure for my final cast. As my fly swung out into the current lightning struck and a chrome fish clobbered my grapefruit leech. After 7 hours of being an observer I couldn't believe that I had finally gotten a hookup. This hen gave me a spirited fight but I wanted it too badly to mess it up and soon it was lying in the bottom of the net. Jeff was grinning ear to ear and gave me a high five before snapping this shot.
As I released her my hands were shaking a little bit and I decided I was done for the day. My dad briefly fished one more run before we rowed to the takeout and called it a day.
Rarely do things work out just how you hope....but today it couldn't have been better. Dad had his best steelheading day ever and became a believer after being the river's biggest critic. I put in my time, stuck to my guns, and came away with a hard earned prize and one I will remember for a while. I started swinging flies for steelhead about three years ago, and even though I've landed quite a few in that time each one is uniquely special and a trophy in their own right. Thank you to Jeff Hubbard for being a fantastic guide, and even more importantly, a really cool guy to hang out on the river with. If you have any interest in swinging flies for steelhead I recommend you give Jeff a call and book a trip. His passion for the swung fly is contagious and he will do everything in his power to make sure you have a successful trip. Next weekend can't come soon enough........what an awesome fall its been and this winter looks to hold a lot of promise!
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