Summer steelhead action has been steady so far this fall. I went out the other day off the bank with waders on because I had some free time that popped up. I swung through my first hole with no luck and then I decided to grab my nymphing rod that I has leaning on a bankside bush. I ended up hooking up within a couple of casts doing that, and the fish was rather hot. The fish on the video was the first fish of the day. The film was started when I thought the fish was already tired out for landing, and the fight kept on going with a really nice run on film. The fish was plump and hard bodied, and fought very well for a September McKenzie fish.
First fish of the day....
Then after that I ended up getting the surprise with the hook in the neck from an errant cast that I made. It was all the way through a thick bit of skin, but I backed the hook right out and it seemed like it never happened minutes later.
A soar neck after fly is removed from it.
One day later, and it was like it never had even happened. Not too long after that fiasco happened, I ended up lucking into another fun fish. This fish took the egg pattern that was dropped off of the stonefly nymph that I was hanging off of the strike indicator. I was in a area of pocket water that cannot really be fished any other way, and I ended up hooking the fish in super skinny water. The fish ended up sprinting through a small side channel upstream and hooking my line under some underwater roots. Luckily I chased the fish upstream and I unhooked my fly line from the underwater obstacles. Fish to hand and it was smaller but brighter than the first fish. It was also a female this time, and another fine specimen.
2nd fish of the day...
I fished for a little while more since my dog was getting a look of “the chills” and some wading fatigue. Walking over to another area in the pocket water, I could see a couple of fish holding just downstream of some spawning spring chinook. I casted carefully in between the salmon and just upstream of the steelhead. On the third cast, which happened to be the first good one, the indicator dunked and the fish was on! It ended up going totally bonkers, catching air after air. Several runs later, and the fish was to hand. It ran about 8 pounds and was slightly rose cheeked and hard bodied and plump once again. A great day with three hooked and three landed! You never know what several hours of fishing can provide for you…..
McKenzie hen steelhead with egg pattern...
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