C
ChezJfrey
Yet another lesson in frustration tolerance... 
Hit the Wilson today and after several hours of cast, hike, cast, I feel a slight hangup...give a sharp tug and yep...it's hung on a branch or log. Take a couple steps and tug again trying to dislodge the thing. Only something odd...my rod starts pumping a bit? I lean downstream with it...holy, moly! It's not snagged, it's a fish and it hasn't even budged. I again try steering it around and this time it starts moving downstream. I reel in the slack and as soon as I do so, it changes direction and starts heading upstream, leaps out of the water and flops on its side. I notice that this seems bigger than my first one a couple weeks ago.
I start scrambling around for some better footing, as I'm on a sloping bank of rocks and stability is slight; I'm looking around for a better vantage. The fish, of course, is cruising around, taking line and looking to make things difficult. The most difficult thing it came up with was to start heading downstream. I'm stumbling over slanted and rocky terrain trying to survey any problem areas, but there isn't really much for me to worry about as I've got plenty of bank access down the river, but it's just a real pain to cover.
The fish is peeling line and I'm just trying to stay upright as I follow down. I finally get to more level ground and the fish about faces and heads back up, I reel in any slack as fast as I can, then watch as more line plays out from the reel. Then once again, about face and back down...reel fast, then watch line go. This scene plays out a couple more times...up and down the stream. I'm eventually 50-75 yards down from where I started, but then the fish just hunkers down somewhere near the middle and stops.
I try prying it loose...this way and that and it takes a minute or two to get the fish moving again. Now its runs are a bit shorter. I try backing up along the shore, with steady pressure and when I'm about 25 feet from the water's edge, the fish nears the bank and I get a better look; it's probably got 5 more inches on it than my first steelhead and I've definitely noticed it's got more power.
It takes another run out toward the middle, but it only gets about 10 feet. I'm able to reel him back fairly quickly; he's getting tired. I'm pretty excited as this buck is a bit more worthy of our February contest! He tries again for the current out in the middle and I figure I may as well get to the water this time as he seems to be tiring out. I take a few steps, keeping tension, then <snap>, there goes my leader.
I watch helplessly as he swims of to the depths, my scream of, "Noooooooooo!" heard all the way to Portland, I'm sure
What does that make me so far this year? 1 for 3, I think.
One thing I'll share about my more frequent 'near' successes...a neighbor of mine mentioned awhile back that I've probably been getting some steelhead hits and just don't realize it. With this revelation, I've been setting the hook at the slightest of bumps while fishing a spinner/spoon, that I usually presume are rocks, and I've hooked, what 3 or 4 since then? I suppose I thought that was more of a drift fishing practice, but every time on a spinner, I've only gotten the slightest of nudges when I hooked the fish...that was a good lesson, neighbor Brian, thanks!
Hit the Wilson today and after several hours of cast, hike, cast, I feel a slight hangup...give a sharp tug and yep...it's hung on a branch or log. Take a couple steps and tug again trying to dislodge the thing. Only something odd...my rod starts pumping a bit? I lean downstream with it...holy, moly! It's not snagged, it's a fish and it hasn't even budged. I again try steering it around and this time it starts moving downstream. I reel in the slack and as soon as I do so, it changes direction and starts heading upstream, leaps out of the water and flops on its side. I notice that this seems bigger than my first one a couple weeks ago.
I start scrambling around for some better footing, as I'm on a sloping bank of rocks and stability is slight; I'm looking around for a better vantage. The fish, of course, is cruising around, taking line and looking to make things difficult. The most difficult thing it came up with was to start heading downstream. I'm stumbling over slanted and rocky terrain trying to survey any problem areas, but there isn't really much for me to worry about as I've got plenty of bank access down the river, but it's just a real pain to cover.
The fish is peeling line and I'm just trying to stay upright as I follow down. I finally get to more level ground and the fish about faces and heads back up, I reel in any slack as fast as I can, then watch as more line plays out from the reel. Then once again, about face and back down...reel fast, then watch line go. This scene plays out a couple more times...up and down the stream. I'm eventually 50-75 yards down from where I started, but then the fish just hunkers down somewhere near the middle and stops.
I try prying it loose...this way and that and it takes a minute or two to get the fish moving again. Now its runs are a bit shorter. I try backing up along the shore, with steady pressure and when I'm about 25 feet from the water's edge, the fish nears the bank and I get a better look; it's probably got 5 more inches on it than my first steelhead and I've definitely noticed it's got more power.
It takes another run out toward the middle, but it only gets about 10 feet. I'm able to reel him back fairly quickly; he's getting tired. I'm pretty excited as this buck is a bit more worthy of our February contest! He tries again for the current out in the middle and I figure I may as well get to the water this time as he seems to be tiring out. I take a few steps, keeping tension, then <snap>, there goes my leader.
I watch helplessly as he swims of to the depths, my scream of, "Noooooooooo!" heard all the way to Portland, I'm sure
What does that make me so far this year? 1 for 3, I think.
One thing I'll share about my more frequent 'near' successes...a neighbor of mine mentioned awhile back that I've probably been getting some steelhead hits and just don't realize it. With this revelation, I've been setting the hook at the slightest of bumps while fishing a spinner/spoon, that I usually presume are rocks, and I've hooked, what 3 or 4 since then? I suppose I thought that was more of a drift fishing practice, but every time on a spinner, I've only gotten the slightest of nudges when I hooked the fish...that was a good lesson, neighbor Brian, thanks!
