Hey guys,
Guess I fibbed again! I started to type this up yesterday as planned and promised, but I got a last minute call from Kam and his roommate Reed to go toss streamers for some aqua therapy and I had to jump at the opportunity! We rolled and located some really nice fish, caught a couple of small/medium ones and had a blast just heckling one another all day. Felt really good to clear the mind and worry about nothing other than boat or fly placement, presentation and pattern.
Just want to first take a moment to thank all of you for what has been an awesome Spring Steelhead season! It’s not completely over as I’m sure that we’ll continue to find a few fish here and there right on into the first part of May per usual, but we are switching gears over to Trout now with Steelhead being the “bycatch”…
We got that much needed rain just a little while back and it did push in a few new fish, but it also washed out more than it brought in and quality replaced quantity on the Steelhead front. Warm water temps made for some hard to handle subjects and some spectacular battles with new chrome; a few older colored up bucks that have stuck it out made most of my photo-ops however. ;^)
I thought I’d sit down today and type out one of those old school long reports, but there ‘s really not much more to add that hasn’t been said already. As of yesterday the water up this way was “normal with a slight stain” if not even a bit low again, but the rains we got the night before last and yesterday morning should bring her back close to prime again.
Trout are still very much in tune with the abundant amount of eggs and fry in the system, but on warmer days they’ve been looking up a little to a few early hatches and there have already been some impressive catches after dark in the waking/twitching game. Nymphing is always a good bet for catching, but it’s not my favorite game. Streamers, as usual, are a really fun way to cover some water, move and catch a few fish.
The action on the streamer front has been steady to spectacular depending on the day and/or angler. Size is anything from a fry to a very large leech/sculpin and everything in-between with smaller sizes tending to turn more fish and bigger sizes getting the attention of some larger specimens. Black, olive or a combination of the two have been best from what I’ve heard and seen lately, but mix it up and switch it up with the full spectrum and you may well find a better ticket for that day.
Funny story about yesterday. At one point while I was rowing Kam rolled what appeared to be a pretty good fish so I dropped the anchor and said he should wade back up and give it a few more shots. Wound up rolling it a total of five times more without it fully committing and we even had Reed go up and try a different presentation and pattern on him…
Unbeknownst to us a couple of our colleagues, fellow PM River guides Richard Spicer and Tanner Tagliareni were a just few hours behind us also out enjoying some down time and river therapy. Later on at my barn we were all comparing notes on the day and Tanner “Tag” had caught a couple of dandies!
Thing is, that tree in the background looked awfully familiar… (You see where this is going) It was a “No way!” kinda moment. I had actually taken some video of Kam working that fish in hopes that he would get it on film so we were able to confirm the exact location! Pretty cool and nice work Tag! We got to see him after all… ;^)
I’m out the next couple of days guiding and blocked the weekend off for the Trout opener with friends, but I’m also starting to get a little time off the river now just because the Steelhead season is winding down and both John and I have blocked off a few days next week to work on our on-line store exclusively. That store should be expanded quite a bit on Wednesday the 28th and we should have the time, ability and the process nailed down to continually add from there after that.
Don’t forget to save the date! Saturday, May 1st if you can join us for the annual river cleanup and please give the shop a call if you plan to attend with the number in your party. Last minute participants are ALWAYS welcome, but it is helpful to have an idea of our numbers ahead of time. 231 745-3529 Details to follow, but most likely it’ll be a 9am meet at the shop (Giving people time to drive up.) to figure out river beats and get a group photo then the appreciation dinner at like 6 or 7 that evening.
We do have guides (And Motel Rooms) available on most days now for trout or a mixed bag trip so give the shop a call if you’d like to spend a quality day on the water with one of us! Here’s to hoping that everyone has a chance to get out and enjoy the opener! We will continue to rock the 7am to 7pm shop hours thru this weekend, but are likely switching it up to 8am to 6pm daily starting next Monday.
Good luck, tight lines, be well, stay safe and remain positive! – Steve
