Good-bye Skagit, it's been fun

So I switched from throwing the big extension cord that is a Skagit line, I put the insanely large intruders away and put on a light scandi head along with a dry fly. I have to say the conversion took a bit of getting used to, but damn it felt good. I fished two runs without a rise, no big deal it's still only June. On my third run I got to see my first rise of the year and to my surprise I didn't jerk it away. I didn't hook the fish, he just got pricked and didn't come back. The next peice of water I fished was a personal favorite, they just don't get any nicer as far as what I look for in a steelhead run. With high anticipation and the fly coming into the goods, the water erupted in a surging rise. The fly kept floating along as if nothing happened, he missed. It looked like a good fish, I got that old funny feeling back, I can't explain it and wont try to. I brought the fly back to me and changed it to another dry. Put the new fly back out there, as it skated happily I thought "oh that looks too good". The fish ate and was stuck. Beautiful.

Satisfied, at 9am, I drove up Steamboat Creek to see if there were any fish up that way yet. ODFW had cleared the fish ladder at Steamboat Falls as of the 18th.

Spent most of the rest of the day visiting with a friend and walking the creek to see if we could see anymore on their way.

Hooked a really hot fish this morning that took the fly like a porpasing killer whale, then took off up and down the run cartwheeling the whole way. I did all I could do to keep up but I couldn't. Life is good. It's summertime.

The Needle

So there is usually a push of early summer-runs that come up the North in May, somewhere between 50 to 200. They run hard until they reach the holding pools of Steamboat Creek. This is one of those May fish.

Words cannot describe how hot these fish are. The Peerless reel in the picture can't handle these fish. Each time I've tied into one something happens to the reel, though it's never failed completely, I've fought through screws loosening, a nasty grinding sound, to it just tightening up and being hard to crank, this time was no different. The reel has caught plenty of hot steelhead, the only time this has happened is with these early wild fish. I wouldn't have it any other way actually. These fish give you that "oh-shit" factor again. There is no time to think with a fish like this, just to react and deal with whatever it throws you.

My dog  Bo was so excited, or maybe he was just overly pleased with me he did about 10 tight butt scoot'n circles around me after we released her.

So as always seems to be the case with the North Umpqua the steelhead over shadow the trout. But the trout fishing has been pretty descent, even with the high flows. I went out for a few hours throwing a streamer and landed a half dozen with a bunch a follows and other grabs. The salmon flys are really starting to patrol from above, but have yet to really make an impact on the trout, yet...

Just spending time on the river casting blind for nothing is enough at this time of year, it just doesn't get any prettier. The river corridor is as green as it gets, the wild flowers are going off and the trout are eager and there are few, but some steelhead around.