H
hookbait
After having fun camping and fishing on the Wilson my daughter and I had a bit of time left on Sunday for a quick trip to what used to be our favorite spot on Gales Creek. More on the "used to be" part later. The spot is under the Roderick Rd bridge. We liked the spot because there was a nice pullout and the climb down to the water wasn't too bad. There is a nice pool under the bridge and to both sides that is very bank fishable. Every time we have been there we have seen nice looking fish flashing near the rocks chasing fry.
On this trip we were teased unmercifully by good size trout right below our feet feeding on the small fish around the rocks. They made a point of being tantalizingly visible, and utterly uninterested in any of the spinners we threw out. Towards the end of the day I did manage to get the little Cuttie below to hit a black bodied spinner with a silver blade and a bit of chart tape. He was in the 7 to 8" range and we let him go grow up after posing for a couple pics.
The unfortunate part of the of the trip happened as we were packing up to leave. While I was extracting my daughters last cast from a stick fish wedged in rocks we heard a vehicle cross the bridge from the side opposite the main highway. It stopped and didn't leave which I found odd. As I was stowing the gear for the hike up to the car, loud thumps were heard from the parking area followed by a hiss. The vehicle then drove down the highway toward the town of Gales Creek. When we arrived at the car I found that the back driver side tire's valve stem had been cut off. So, we ended our fun evening of fishing having to change a tire in the dark.
This experience has ruined the spot for Chloe and I. If this was a "message" from someone, I get it. They are someone I don't care to know and my daughter and I won't be coming back. It's not worth the risk of something more destructive happening to my daughter, self, or vehicle.
To end on a less distasteful note. The only harm done was to my ego, Les Schwab in FG was kind enough to fix the tire for free. Chloe got an object lesson in the results of vandalism. I am very grateful.
On this trip we were teased unmercifully by good size trout right below our feet feeding on the small fish around the rocks. They made a point of being tantalizingly visible, and utterly uninterested in any of the spinners we threw out. Towards the end of the day I did manage to get the little Cuttie below to hit a black bodied spinner with a silver blade and a bit of chart tape. He was in the 7 to 8" range and we let him go grow up after posing for a couple pics.
The unfortunate part of the of the trip happened as we were packing up to leave. While I was extracting my daughters last cast from a stick fish wedged in rocks we heard a vehicle cross the bridge from the side opposite the main highway. It stopped and didn't leave which I found odd. As I was stowing the gear for the hike up to the car, loud thumps were heard from the parking area followed by a hiss. The vehicle then drove down the highway toward the town of Gales Creek. When we arrived at the car I found that the back driver side tire's valve stem had been cut off. So, we ended our fun evening of fishing having to change a tire in the dark.
This experience has ruined the spot for Chloe and I. If this was a "message" from someone, I get it. They are someone I don't care to know and my daughter and I won't be coming back. It's not worth the risk of something more destructive happening to my daughter, self, or vehicle.
To end on a less distasteful note. The only harm done was to my ego, Les Schwab in FG was kind enough to fix the tire for free. Chloe got an object lesson in the results of vandalism. I am very grateful.
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