Winter, but only in season
January 18th, 2009
During some point today, or maybe ALL day long, I looked around befuddled yet ecstatic at the blue skies and semi-warm breezes that surrounded us on this January day. Yes, just a short two weeks after our whole world crept to a stop from disastrous forms of precipitation……yes today we just floated…..Oh yeah, and we even caught a few Steelhead. Other than our three SH (2 for Sal) of all the people we saw, including a trooper that had been on a different fiasco-laden, drift boat drain clogged river, there were only a handful of fish caught today. We just happened to have the hand that was full this time around.
A very special thanks to Chris Vertopoulos of NW Angling Experience, first of all for going fishing on a weekend….but even more so for his water reading prowess, great conversation….and oh yeah, I keep forgetting….the Steelhead too. Thanks for the Steelhead…..all three of them……you rowed me and Sal into. What? You guys think I’m going to give away his secrets? Just enjoy the pics.
Chris prepares rope for boat drop…
The first thing I thought when we pulled up to this cliff…..alright….REALLY steep hill, was that someone was going to get hurt. I mean, ‘pushing’ the drift boat (19 footer, by the way) over the side of the hill?? Yep. That’s exactly what Chris schooled us on. He said “you gotta get into the water somehow”……well, there is that.
Sal acts as a land rudder….
I have to give credit where credit is due….and by this I mean an extremely nimble Sal dirt plowing down the hill to assist in the kamikaze launch…..which didn’t end up being kamikaze at all.
Sal at home plate
#1
Our 1st fish….
This beauty of a little fat coastal cutthroat, in the picture above, ate a pink worm under a float…..warming us up for future rod bends….and in my case…about a half mile fight down river……
#2
Our 2nd fish is a steelhead and is lifted up by Sal to the surface for Chris V to scoop
Sal got this fish above early in the day and shook his skunk before his coffee buzz ever left him. I can’t remember Pop…What did you get that on? Bobber or drift?
#3
Our 3rd fish was this amazing Brood stock hatchery fish…
Not since the Situk river in Alaska fourteen years ago has a Steelhead taken me across a river like this fish did today. And, if bringing her back across the river from the limbs on the other side wasn’t enough…she even went under and behind the boat at one point. Chris’ gear he had us running was incredible. Sized precisely. Great gear and great guide meant nickel slab for this guy.
#4
Sal nailed this native on Chris’ call….
As if on queue, Chris V called out to Sal that the little tailout he was about to drift over was the best part of the drift and to be ready….like I said; ‘as if on queue’……
Hey guys, we have some cool vids I’ll get up as well. Thanks!
