Finally!

Been living with a river in my back yard for almost a year now and hadnt caught anything until today. Not that I've fished more than a handful of times, and mostly trying for unicorns.

Today I just needed to recharge my batteries. So grabbed the 4wt and a couple salmon flies just in case. Water is still low, but not summer minimum and cool enough i felt OK to see if any cutts were around.

Tried a soft hackle around some very cutty looking wood tangles but nada.



Kept moving downstream and connected with a small wild rainbow (juvenile steelhead) in the first real fast water chute. Not big, but stoked to get my first at home catch.



With little else fast moving water ahead, I figured that was it.



Kept moving downstream though and got to a shallow slow moving pool that I did not expect to see anything more than a few suckers and pikeminnow. I spent the next hour fruitlessly swinging comets and other low water salmon patterns to the 30ish chinook and maybe a few coho jumping and rolling. Not that I had a chance with a 4wt and 5x.

One of the more memorable, single small fish days I've had. Batteries recharged!

 

[Zak]

Been living with a river in my back yard for almost a year now and hadnt caught anything until today. Not that I've fished more than a handful of times, and mostly trying for unicorns.

Today I just needed to recharge my batteries. So grabbed the 4wt and a couple salmon flies just in case. Water is still low, but not summer minimum and cool enough i felt OK to see if any cutts were around.

Tried a soft hackle around some very cutty looking wood tangles but nada.

View attachment 169132

Kept moving downstream and connected with a small wild rainbow (juvenile steelhead) in the first real fast water chute. Not big, but stoked to get my first at home catch.

View attachment 169120

With little else fast moving water ahead, I figured that was it.

View attachment 169130

Kept moving downstream though and got to a shallow slow moving pool that I did not expect to see anything more than a few suckers and pikeminnow. I spent the next hour fruitlessly swinging comets and other low water salmon patterns to the 30ish chinook and maybe a few coho jumping and rolling. Not that I had a chance with a 4wt and 5x.

One of the more memorable, single small fish days I've had. Batteries recharged!

View attachment 169128View attachment 169129

You have an amazing backyard!

 

[Evan B]

Now get a coho!

 

[SilverFly]

You have an amazing backyard!

Thanks. It was a long haul to get to this point, but still pinching myself that we actually pulled it off. Not really my "backyard" though. We can see glimmers of the river through the trees, but it's a steep, rope required in parts, brush-whacking hike to get to this stretch. Not that I'm complaining.

Now get a coho!

Just waiting for the next good rain. There's an extremely coho-y bucket (scour hole above a large root wad) a short walk below our place that I've been checking almost daily now. Nothing so far but just a matter of time and some rain.

 

[clarkman]

so awesome! and I'm a touch jealous.

 

[Salmo_g]

Kept moving downstream and connected with a small wild rainbow (juvenile steelhead) in the first real fast water chute. Not big, but stoked to get my first at home catch.

I call those "zero salt" steelhead.

 

[SilverFly]

I call those "zero salt" steelhead.

Yup. First one was cool, but not targeting trout in fast water spots again. Maybe SRC in the slow, woody stuff though.

 

[SilverFly]

Went back yesterday with the spey rod and a 14' leader. All that did was stir up the 30 or so dark chinook in the otherwise undisturbed pool.

Found some cool driftwood though.

 

[Porter2]

Looks like a stone within the armpit of the driftwood ? Anyways very cool shapes.