Better late than never, eh? Last week, I went for a day on the American. Arriving before sunrise, I got out on the river and was ready to go at first light. Step and swung several steelhead patterns with a trailing soft hackle or nymph. Got several small bites, but didn't land any fish for the first hour.
Later on, the two fly setup got more attention. I caught a handful of small 10 inch rainbows that went after the soft hackles. Still, no half pounders.
After several hours of fishing this area, I decided to move upstream to the Nimbus hatchery. I had never been here and was curious to see what it was like. Upon arriving, I saw a ton of Salmon in their spawning beds. I decided not to fish here and accidentally hook a salmon. That didn't stop other fisherman. I saw a guy with a fly rod targeting a salmon that was sitting quietly on his redd. It was disappointing.
I went downstream to the riffles far below the hatchery area. The water looked great and I had a few hard bites. But they were all released before I ever saw them. Further down river, I witnessed some spin rod guys snagging fish (see my previous post) from a distance. More disappointment.
I stayed till night fall and sat through a massive hatch where mayflies were swarming around me. I have never seen one so strong. Despite all the bugs, only a few fish came to the surface. None went after my soft hackles. Something that generally is very affective.
On my way back to the car, more gear guys were targeting salmon at the redds. Frustrating.
Other than the guys targeting salmon or snagging fish, it was a pleasant day. Despite not catching anything of significance, I enjoyed myself.
Later on, the two fly setup got more attention. I caught a handful of small 10 inch rainbows that went after the soft hackles. Still, no half pounders.
After several hours of fishing this area, I decided to move upstream to the Nimbus hatchery. I had never been here and was curious to see what it was like. Upon arriving, I saw a ton of Salmon in their spawning beds. I decided not to fish here and accidentally hook a salmon. That didn't stop other fisherman. I saw a guy with a fly rod targeting a salmon that was sitting quietly on his redd. It was disappointing.
I went downstream to the riffles far below the hatchery area. The water looked great and I had a few hard bites. But they were all released before I ever saw them. Further down river, I witnessed some spin rod guys snagging fish (see my previous post) from a distance. More disappointment.
I stayed till night fall and sat through a massive hatch where mayflies were swarming around me. I have never seen one so strong. Despite all the bugs, only a few fish came to the surface. None went after my soft hackles. Something that generally is very affective.
On my way back to the car, more gear guys were targeting salmon at the redds. Frustrating.
Other than the guys targeting salmon or snagging fish, it was a pleasant day. Despite not catching anything of significance, I enjoyed myself.
No comments:
Post a Comment