Well, the new PNW flying fishing hat works.
It all started with a beautiful morning in the North Umpqua valley.
Mt Scott had some fog collars and a gray marine layer over cast sky.
I put on my new PNW fly fishing hat and headed up Hwy 138.
The N. Umpqua river is really shaping up nice.
I passed many steelheaders parked along the Hwy in the best spots to fish.
I keep heading up river to a piece of river that has treated me well in the past.
Pocket water about a 1/4 mile long between two big pools.
I parked at a N. Umpqua river trail head and headed down the trail to the river.
It is an easy hike of about a 1/4 mile to the big gravel bar, but I want to go fish the very tail end of the pocket water so I hike another 1/4 mile.
I'm on the shady side of some over hanging trees and I have to roll cast.
I'm fishing a #12 Yellow Sally X, 3x tippet on my 7.6 3wt rod.
I'm targeting the trout and I'm getting hits and hook ups right off the bat.
One or two little guys per pocket.
First couple were 6" and 8" LDRed a 12"er as I move up stream.
I come to a nice bed rock pocket and miss a small fish the first cast.
I move up a few feet and cast some more then a big head comes up and sucks in my fly, fish on.
My mind says steel, and it is, now I waiting for this beast to kick my ass.
It makes a short run at me, cause I only have 12' of line out I just turn to the side and the fish turns away and runs, headed for the big blue water on the other side of the river.
Just as my line gets to the backing the fish just pulls against the current and I work it back to me.
My 3wt is bent double and I figure I will have to brag about a LDR.
I get the fish back in the pocket and just keep everything tight with some short runs and jumps.
I work this wild fish down to the tail of the pocket, slide my hand down the leader to the fly and give my fly a little push and off it goes, my first steelhead on a fly.
I give thanks to the creator and say to myself that if I never catch another fish like that I'm good.
I still have a good bit of pocket water to work so let's keep fishing.
I catch a few more nice rainbows up to 10" or so when another big head come up and eats my fly.
This fish a much smaller and not even as feisty, and as I get it in closer to me I can't believe what I'm seeing a 16" Coastal cutt, beautiful fish.
This is a first for me also in the N. Umpqua.
I caught a few more small fish then head for home.
Thanks for my new lucky hat.
Tight lines
It all started with a beautiful morning in the North Umpqua valley.
Mt Scott had some fog collars and a gray marine layer over cast sky.
I put on my new PNW fly fishing hat and headed up Hwy 138.
The N. Umpqua river is really shaping up nice.
I passed many steelheaders parked along the Hwy in the best spots to fish.
I keep heading up river to a piece of river that has treated me well in the past.
Pocket water about a 1/4 mile long between two big pools.
I parked at a N. Umpqua river trail head and headed down the trail to the river.
It is an easy hike of about a 1/4 mile to the big gravel bar, but I want to go fish the very tail end of the pocket water so I hike another 1/4 mile.
I'm on the shady side of some over hanging trees and I have to roll cast.
I'm fishing a #12 Yellow Sally X, 3x tippet on my 7.6 3wt rod.
I'm targeting the trout and I'm getting hits and hook ups right off the bat.
One or two little guys per pocket.
First couple were 6" and 8" LDRed a 12"er as I move up stream.
I come to a nice bed rock pocket and miss a small fish the first cast.
I move up a few feet and cast some more then a big head comes up and sucks in my fly, fish on.
My mind says steel, and it is, now I waiting for this beast to kick my ass.
It makes a short run at me, cause I only have 12' of line out I just turn to the side and the fish turns away and runs, headed for the big blue water on the other side of the river.
Just as my line gets to the backing the fish just pulls against the current and I work it back to me.
My 3wt is bent double and I figure I will have to brag about a LDR.
I get the fish back in the pocket and just keep everything tight with some short runs and jumps.
I work this wild fish down to the tail of the pocket, slide my hand down the leader to the fly and give my fly a little push and off it goes, my first steelhead on a fly.
I give thanks to the creator and say to myself that if I never catch another fish like that I'm good.
I still have a good bit of pocket water to work so let's keep fishing.
I catch a few more nice rainbows up to 10" or so when another big head come up and eats my fly.
This fish a much smaller and not even as feisty, and as I get it in closer to me I can't believe what I'm seeing a 16" Coastal cutt, beautiful fish.
This is a first for me also in the N. Umpqua.
I caught a few more small fish then head for home.
Thanks for my new lucky hat.
Tight lines
