Sandy River Showdown
January 26th, 2008
I called a buddy to see if he wanted to make a day on the river. He had been sick and said that he was not at full speed. He also noted that this would be another in a number of trips lately that could end up fishless. I suggested a short trip to the Sandy and he took the bait.
We started at Big Bend but there was too much flow and even more bedload sediment covering the bottom. Wading was a challenge as it was not uncommon to sink knee deep in the soft sand. We figure that Oxbow was the next best bet. We started around the boat launch about the time the rain started falling in earnest. I showed my friend what I thought was a nice piece of water. It was a bit fast but had a nice slot along the bank. He politely offered that he would go upstream to a stretch visible from where we were standing. I said that I would see him soon unless I got into the fish.
I started by drifting a big Luhr Jensen egg and a skiff of pink yarn. After a few casts I lifted the rod tip at the end of the drift and thought I felt a bit of a tug. I figured I would try the same drift again. About two thirds of the way around, I got slammed. The fish rolled on the surface and made about a fity to sixty yard run. The fast current was definitely making this a little one sided. After three more nice runs, I slid the fish up on the rocky bank. The minute I took the pressure off the line the hook fell out. I could see it was a hatchery fish and as it started flopping around I realized that there was a good chance of losing it. I tossed the rod and pounced on the fish using the well-tested, head and gill grab. I ended up with a chrome, eight pound hen. I was a happy camper.
I fished the rest of the run with no more luck. My buddy ended up getting blanked but thanked me for getting him out and off his kiester for part of a day. It was pouring by this time but I was happy and thinking how great it would be to have Gavin out there with us. I am counting on it down the road.
Sal Monid