A Nice Walk on the River

[raptorfan]

So, silly me was out drinking last night till about 2:30, knowing that Ultyma and tribhunter would be coming to pick me up this morning for some steelheading. Suprise suprise though, I still woke up before my alarm, which was set for 5 am.

 

We headed out to the hole we are learning, and no one was in our spot yet, which was suprising as there were 5 other cars already in the parking lot. I am very very new to steelheading, so my learning curve has been steep. I do find float fishing very interesting though, as it is a nice change from the norm. I think my technique is getting much better, although the difficulty I find drifting with a spinning reel is that sometimes I try to set the hook before my bail has completely closed, and end up missing out on what might be a fish.

 

I have yet to have a fish on, but that has not deterred my stubborness to catch one of these beauties. We drifted our spot for about an hour, the sun had just come up, and in came the swarm. One group in particular waded in with purpose, and proceeded to park themselves within 10' of the hole we were drifting to. I have found many people to be ignorant to the efforts of others in the few times I have been out here during the day. I decided to change my location to floating down to a log that was just adjacent to where we were at the time, but to no avail.

 

It was around this time I decided I finally had enough confidence to go searching for some new holes with less pressure. It was about 7:30 by this time, and my wife was coming to get me at about 10am to go christmas shopping, so time was of the essence. I began wading down river, trying to read where holes might be. I have been observing spots where others have been fishing in the times I have been out, so I tried them on my way downstream.

 

I drifted each hole 3 or 4 times and moved on to the next, and before I knew it, I was about a mile and a half downstream, and couldn't even see Ultyma and tribhunter anymore. I found it very difficult to predict where the holes might be, not knowing at all what to look for. The only thing I knew was where the shallows were as the water seemed to be more turbulent around the rocks. If I saw a gap between two turbulent areas, I would try that and estimate the depth by how my set up was acting while it was drifting down.

 

When I was finally about 4 miles downstream, almost out of town, I think I finally found a couple of holes that looked promising. I saws a few fish jump, so that must be a good thing. There were geese flying overhead at the same time, was beautiful. I got my second drift out and my phone rang, Heather was just coming in to town to pick me up . The one drift, I think I got a hit but didn't notice it. My bag was gone right off the hook, and I know it was hooked well as I had used it for about half a dozen drifts already. Ultyma and tribhunter are still there as far as I know, haven't got a text yet so dunno how they are doing. What I do know though is I cannot wait to get back out there tomorrow and try these 2 new holes I think I have found. No one was down there, as it is a bit of a hike off the road, so I expect it to be empty tomorrow as well.

 

One of these days, I will finally get a fish on......maybe I will even catch one!!!! None the less, there is nothing better than the serenity of being out on the water at sunrise.

 

Shawn

[troutologist]

Keep at it...you've got the right attitude.

 

I would however, suggest you try to fish fewer holes with more precision. Try a couple different baits and cover each like a grid from your feet out.

[[email protected]]

Good Story!

 

We went to ______ creek (lol) after you left and walked a LONG way....

 

Since you can't go tomorrow I think I'm gonna go by myself...

 

Unless someone else wants to go!.. Msg me!

lol

[Paulus]

You definitely have the right attitude. For reading water, get a good pair of polarized sun glasses. This helps immensely. Areas that you thought were deep, you will suddenly be able to see, are shallow - and vice versa. Not only do polarized sun glasses help you see pockets and pools with more precision, but they help you wade more safely as well. Get a cheap pair (under 30$) to start. When you see how useful they are, get a high end pair. They are worth the extra $$$, believe me.

 

Good luck on you next trip & please catch and release!

 

By the way, if the bag was crushed: yes, you missed one, there. Always keep an eye on your float - if it does anything at all that seems unusual, give it at least a slight snap... you might be pleasantly surprised!

 

p.-