Fresh steelhead baitIn the past two weeks, major rain and snow turned this calm, pristine river into a raging monster. The violent flow has now subsided and the muddy waters once again are clearing up. Standing along the water's edge, well below last week's waterline, I could not believe how high the torrent had reached along the canyon walls from recent floods.
Fish on!!!My good friend Trapper loves to fish probably more than I do. He bought a nice drift boat before marriage and children (two beautiful little girls), which was a smart choice on his part. We hopped in his aluminum beauty and down river we drifted. Time flies when you are swallowed up by your surroundings: the soothing sound of moving water, moss-covered alders, deep forests, good company in the boat, and a steelhead rod in your hand.
Before I knew it, the light was fading and our day had ended. But not before battling a few nice chrome steelhead! There are very few highs out there like the rush of setting the hook and feeling the initial wrenching from a "fresh from the ocean" steelhead!!! I'm hooked! The next few hours of free time I can find, you'll find me out on the water's edge pounding steel once again!
5 comments:
I love to see these big trout in your hands. Keep the gear ready. We might be in Oregon before you know it!
Wow, what a beautiful fish. It almost has an ethereal/glowing quality to it. Either that or the flash did something funky to the scales. snort.
That bait looks tasty.
Those are big! looks like a very pretty place too, it is foggy? cloudy? back there.
Hi Mike!
Over Christmas break, I read your moms Christmas letter to our family and wanted to catch up with you since.
Is every day an adventure for you, or what? I just read through your entire blog, because I found myself wanting to hear more about all of your hunts. You must be proud that your wife and kids are interested in hunting too, and I can't stop laughing about your "Hannah Montana" experience.
I'd like to thank you for teaching me most of what I know about hunting and animals from when we were younger (you'd be happy to know that its a lot). I remember everything from going goose and duck hunting with you to your explanation of the difference between whitetail and mule deer. And then your mom would have the best recipes for our birds and rabbits ever! (I still have yet to taste an empanada better than the kind your mom makes).
If I can remember correctly, do you work for the BLM in Oregon? My wife was in the long process of becoming a state park ranger in California before we realized that we weren't going to stay there after I finished school. She still wants to be a ranger, so I guess after our kids are old enough she'll be back at it again. We totally agree with your rose gardner analogy, we can tell that you have the most respect for wildlife.
Sorry for the long post, just wanted to say "HI" and that I'll add your link to my blog if you don't mind.
Post a Comment