June 13 2014

     When we got off the river yesterday it opened up and started raining, when I got up this morning there was 6 inches of water in the bottom of the boat. ...THATS A LOT!
     When we got to the river it had come up, not a lot but some, and it had definitely colored up. Now im not one to believe in wives tales, one of the best steelhead days I've ever had my clients had been eating bananas one after another, setting bananas down to set the hook. Then there's others such as wind from the east fish like it least, wind from the west fish like it best, the list goes on.
      My clients today we're GREAT fisherman, on the surface they play many roles, but their core is fishing, and right away they bring up the topic, will fish bite on a rising river. Now I can't tell you yes or no on that, I can tell you I've spent thousands of hours fishing in what I thought to be perfect conditions never to produce a bite. My clients today we're NOT on the fence on this theory, our river was still rising from the night before rain showers and every cast they made (despite the fact that fish were caught in front of them) was worthless effort. Now I've been on fishing trips where my heart is just not in it, for what ever reason, and I'd do about anything to swim to shore. Knowing the signs of this, that my clients were thinking of the truck not the water in front of us we made the decision to call it a morning and reschedule when conditions were more favorable.
     Now again I'm not one for wives tales, but I am one we believes in confidence, confidence in your presentation, the water your fishing, as well as the conditions, in fact I've seen more fish caught on confidence than anything else. If one is to believe in wives tales, today was Friday the 13th, maybe we were doomed from the start.

June 12 2014

     Being on the water everyday one season just rolls into the next and while for the most part I'm on the same river year around the way we fish it changes.
     Our mornings are starting at daylight in beginners hole, casting into the same drift alongside the same people who've been fishing the same area for years. There's anglers such as Big Paul, who until this year has floated the river in his black Fishrite with the pink pinstripe, a boat that originally belonged to Guide and Fishrite rep Rick Johnson, I still remember the day in early spring of 1992 when that boat rolled of the truck at Mahaffeys bait n tackle. Last year Big Paul sold that boat again and is this year riding front seat with his fishing buddy Arlin. In mid June every year I start looking for Neil and his wife Wong who fish from the bank in the rainbow park area, they to are here fishing summer run steelhead, today was their first day back and for the next 6 week they will be part of my daily life as we fish together with in the same area where they walk the beach. Wong reminisces often and tells the story of the 31 pound steelhead she caught on the Quinault River, it was February and just the day before she had landed a 22 pounder.
     Today I fished with Merle and his son Roman, it was a slow day, Merle managed a beautiful chrome steelhead to the net that took a coonshrimp under a float. Through out our day we had a few more opportunities that were missed.  This year marks 30 years of rowing the Kalama, while in hindsight it seems like forever ago, it still seems like yesterday when Rick Johnsons Black Fishrite driftboat with the pink pinstripe was parked in the parking lot of Mahaffeys store and I thinking who would row such a boat, then when hearing it belonged to the Guide Rick Johnson, pink pinstripes all the sudden became cool!

June 11 2014

     I fished again today with local rod builder Dave Calhoun of Northwest Rods. Dave is carving his way into the custom salmon and steelhead rod business by building very quality no frills rods, and I can tell you he's doing it RIGHT!
     Today Dave delivered us 2 new custom rods that are designed just for twitching jigs for coho, 8ft one piece with a light tip and heavy backbone, along the lines of a steelhead plug rod only in a spinning model. Tied beautifully on Gary Loomis' new blanks, these rods are going to deliver exactly what we want them to do.....PUT COHO IN THE BOX! Thanks Dave, as always these rods are a home run!
       Today we fished coon shrimp under a float in low water conditions. Dave managed to put a limit of chrome summer run steelhead in the boat while using one of his custom float rods.
     As I've stated before, high end rods will not guarantee fish, but having the right rod for the application is a must and Dave is dedicated to building just that. If you're looking for a new rod to chase salmon and steelhead I'd recommend you talk with Dave Calhoun at NW Rods.

June 6th 2014

     Back on the water this morning, not wanting a repeat of yesterday we needed to change things up.
      Today there would be no bait, no bobber n jigs, just spinners! Two guys who can fish a spinner well can do some damage, you can cover water with a spinner like nothing else, no need for light leader, even in low summer conditions I run braid right to the hook I know some anglers insist on using a piece on mono as leader but I've never felt the need to.
      Today did not feel like the same river we fished yesterday, right away a chrome 5 pound steelhead slammed a #4 vibrax , after some crazy runs it spit the hook just feet from the net. A few casts later and another fish on again a chrome fish that wasn't as lucky as the first and ended up boat side. We hit several fish through out the day all of them spitting the hook, the disappointing cost of barbless hooks.
     If I had ONE lure to choose from to chase summer run steelhead, a spinner would be my only choice!

June 5 2014

     Back on the water today after being sick for the last week.
      We were on the water at daylight this morning to get in on the bite at the lower hatchery creek in beginners hole. When we pulled in there was already a boat leaving which told me that nothing had been hooked yet and that he was moving to look for fresh fish downstream leaving this dead water for us. What happens here at daylight is usually a precursor to what the rest of the day will be like, and after an hour and seeing nothing hooked we too moved on, "its going to be one of those days" I thought to myself.
    We worked every piece of water for the next 4 hours like it was a plate of ribs, it always amazes me how a river or piece of water that you know has fish can almost seen void of life, cast after cast after cast and not even a bite. After 5 hours we had that talk and agreed we call it an early morning and reschedule.

June 1st 2014

     I woke up this morning feeling much better hopefully this is the end of it.

May 31st 2014

I'd rather get stitches than be sick.