Breathin' thru my eyelids

After getting blanked my last couple outings, I was hoping last week's meeting on the mound regarding sink tip leader length was gonna give me the MoJo I needed to bring the heat and finish the (river) season.

Yesterday, I wanted everything to be perfect since I only have 2 or 3 more outings planned before it shuts down so I seriously considered the garter thing

but I figured the snaps and buttons might wear a hole in my waders so I opted for my lucky long johns instead.

Things were looking good when I made it to the parking area. No piles of safety glass on the ground and no indications anyone had hoofed it to where I was going, so I grabbed my lucky rabbits foot and took to the field.

The exhilaration was palpable when I got there. Not a soul was around and either the first rafts had already passed through or it would be a couple hours until they did so it was all up to me to bring it.



I quickly realized my first mistake was running out of Maxima Ultra Green, however, I was able to convince myself Seaguar floro was close second and I didn't need to bust out the chicken bones just yet.

Still, I wanted to completely satisfy the river gods so I was extra loud when saying 'That'll do' after drawing out the proper length of leader.

A couple of casts later and my game was still off. I felt like I was continually hitting the bull....

so I brought it all in and thought about it for a bit. I realized I hadn't spit on anything yet but didn't know if the fish would be put off by my last sip of coffee so I launched saliva to the four corners of the world instead and then stepped back into the river.

Something still wasn't right and for the rest of the morning it felt like I was throwing to an empty batters box. Try as I might I couldn't get any interest and it was as if the other team hadn't even shown up so I decided to head to a different area after lunch.

My Mojo was seriously low when I got to the afternoon stretch. It's a beauty of a piece of water but access is easy and tracks in the sand made it look like batting practice had just finished before I arrived.



But I was running out of time and my options were limited so I dug deep and did some soul searching. It was then I heard someone tell me I needed to breathe through my eyelids

so I got back in the game, focused on my breathing and started throwing some heat.

About when I was at the end of my energy reserves it happened.....

I had the perfect ratio of swing to stripping action going and the take was soft. A solid strip set later and it was game on....the crowd went wild....this guy had some meat.

Initially I thought it was a unicorn and had to carefully adjust my drag setting cuz it wanted to run. It wasn't until I worked it closer to the net did I realize it was a big ole bull....easily the biggest I'd connected with in a while.





What a treat and what way to finish the day.

Who says we're a superstitious bunch and that ya can't breathe through your eyelids????

 

[Tom Butler]

Fantastic!

 

[Robert Engleheart]

Well done! From the first look at the title I thought you might have stepped in a hole/ off a shelf.

 

[Pink Nighty]

You perfectly capture the self doubt and anxiety of steelheading. You did forget to change your fly a bakers dozen times however, which likely cost you the unicorn.

 

[Yard Sale]

Proper! You probably just need a rain out to get the chrome next time.

 

[Millsfly]

fuuuuuuuuk yes!

 

[Brute]

Hehe…

 

[Matt B]

Nicely fished, and even better write-up.
I don't know what's up with your first spot lately. It hasn't been kicking anything out for me, either. Rivers and runs change and where the fish hold changes and I guess sometimes it isn't always obvious on the surface why.

 

[DoesItFloat]

Like the lava lizards of the Galapagos Islands.

 

[Coach Potter]

I don't equate steelhead fishing with the minor's...it's more like the majors. Everyone can hit a fastball in the "show". Maybe you need to start thinking about a curveball instead of throwing the heater and "announcing your presence with authority".

 

[Wanative]

Glad you broke the curse of the Bambino Mike. That's a heckuva nice bull.

 

[Salmo_g]

I was just up there fishing for a few days. Don't feel bad about not finding a unicorn. They simply aren't there like they were 3 weeks ago. I caught a bull trout Wednesday. A fellow who walked in to the run and fished with me said, "Now you got the skunk off." I replied that I wasn't sure that counted. I fish under the traditional rules that only the target species counts, and then only if it's chrome or close to it. Kelts, suckers, and chum salmon are a demerit each, but I have no recollection about how a bull trout scores. Maybe they're neither a demerit or a plus 1 and are just neutral. Oh well, I got my sorta' traditional January fix on the river that has never been productive for me in January.

 

[JACKspASS]

I was just up there fishing for a few days. Don't feel bad about not finding a unicorn. They simply aren't there like they were 3 weeks ago. I caught a bull trout Wednesday. A fellow who walked in to the run and fished with me said, "Now you got the skunk off." I replied that I wasn't sure that counted. I fish under the traditional rules that only the target species counts, and then only if it's chrome or close to it. Kelts, suckers, and chum salmon are a demerit each, but I have no recollection about how a bull trout scores. Maybe they're neither a demerit or a plus 1 and are just neutral. Oh well, I got my sorta' traditional January fix on the river that has never been productive for me in January.

Bull Trout are a demerit, only folks not hooking steelhead will tell you otherwise. Bulls should never be compared to steelhead or scoffed at, they are a really cool specie and a welcome encounter when I am out steelheading.

 

[Smalma]

When I'm targeting bull trout should I consider any steelhead by-catch as warranting a demerit?

Curt

 

[skyriver]

So you actually did hit the bull.