North Umpqua: Day 2

The second day had a completely different feel than the first. More or less, I knew the layout of the area and where I wanted to start my day. The goal was to wade out to Station. This is one of, if not the prime steelhead runs on the NU. Or so I'm told. The fish sit here waiting for conditions to be right before heading up Steamboat Creek. The major spawning ground of the river. This spot is pretty popular, so I had no idea if I'd have a chance at it. Especially early in the morning.

I lucked out. No one was here yet. I had an opportunity to try it out. Getting to the rock in the middle of the river that will serve as your casting position is a little tricky. At least it was for me, and my first time out there early in the morning without being able to see into the water. Finding the right way to weave your way through takes a moment or two if no one is there to show you. Before long, I found myself standing in waist deep water that was flowing very fast. It was slightly sketchy with the slick floor beneath my feet. Luckily, it was only a seven or eight foot struggle to dry rock. I probably didn't pick the right line. Whether it was the best way out or not, I took mental note of where I came in so I could pick my way back when it comes time.

The run itself is pretty narrow. You don't need much line out to cover the water. I don't doubt the fish were in there, but after an hour or so of casting various flies, on several times through, nothing happened. Being the courteous fellow that I am, I looked over my shoulder often to see if someone else was eyeing the water. I would of given it up if anyone showed interest. I never saw a single person anywhere. That is how empty the river was. Even the most sought after piece of water didn't have any other interested parties.

After more time out on Station, I looked down river and saw someone I met the day before. A nice man from California. He shared some information with me the day before, and since we crossed paths a half dozen or more times, I waved him over. I went back to shore and let him have it to himself. It was still morning and he had plenty of time to give it a shot.

I went further downstream and fished Upper and Lower Boat, and then to Upper/Lower Kitchen. On Lower Kitchen, I started getting grabs and caught more fish in the 15-18 inch range. They were small, but feisty. At some point, I was mucking around. Going from a dry rock to a submerged-super-slippery-boulder. For the most part, my carbide studded boots were gripping well. However, on one step, I came down flat footed on an angled rock that was smooth as glass. By the time I recovered my footing, water had gone over the top of my wader. I cursed myself for being so stupid. The was the second dunking I've had in the last couple of months. I was mad at myself. I didn't bother sticking around to fish much longer. After I finished Kitchen, I went back to the car to change.

Since I pretty much covered Camp and the trail side of the river the day before, I decided that today would be the road side. Considering I was back at my car putting new clothes on, I decided now was the time. All in all, I drove 20 miles down river and a few miles above the bridge, stopping anywhere that looked fishy. There were some great spots. Some easy to get to, others required some aggressive climbing to from the road. The one pictured below was especially nice looking. I left my camera in the car, so I'm pilfering this one from Emerald Water Anglers.



While at the spot pictured above. It was windy. Well, actually, it was windy all three days. But this particular time, it was whipping. Had to be 30-40mph gusts. Casting across the river was all but impossible. I had to stick to whatever was near me. However, I have to say that it looked like an awesome place to fish if conditions allowed for it. Nothing here. Not even a tug.

The rest of the day was about the same. Fought the wind for nothing more than small fish less than 18". As it was getting late afternoon, I decided to head back to camp water and try my luck there.

I started upriver of the bridge and caught more fish. As the day wore on, big fish were jumping. But, they ignored my fly. Occasionally, a fish would leave the water and sound like a cannon ball as it re-entered. Quite impressive.

Fishing all the way down through Sawtooth to Sweetheart, I could see that Station was occupied. Upon further investigation, a little bit later, I could see it was guide Scott Howell. With him was a camera crew. They were no doubt shooting last minute footage for Skagit Master 2. I sat and watched for a bit as other fisherman walked by, mumbling this or that. While I wasn't really that interested in wading out to Station, I could see that others were bothered that he seemed to be standing out there casting, but not fishing. Taking up the prime water and barely getting the fly to swing. Several people mumbled under their breath and a couple of others weren't so quiet about it.

I didn't care so much. I was actually interested in watching to see if he would catch anything. If he'd ever started swinging a fly that is. Eventually he started chugging a dry for the camera. But, no fish. As soon as he left the rock, someone replaced him and didn't have any better luck, from what I could tell anyway.

I ended the evening in Lower Boat. As the sun set, I caught a fish that was in the low 20 inch range. She put on quite the aerial display. But, didn't pull any line of my reel. I carefully kneeled down, trying not to slip into the water -getting an evening bath, and scooped up the fish for a quick hook removal. She was promptly put back in the water and swam away.

I didn't wait until dark to get down from my perch. But, I did wait too long. Depth perception was hard to come by looking into the water. And the NU is the last place you should be feeling your way around while wading. Luckily, I stayed dry this time.

Day three coming soon. And yes, this one will have pictures and video.