My buddy calls me up and asks if I want to fish the Yak tomorrow.. this is like 8 years ago. I tell him that my car will be in the shop so would love to BUT.. right away he says he'll pick me up at 6am or so. I'm like hell ya! Are we floating or banking it? Floating. See you at 6am..
Chris pulls up a few minutes early, I'm outside waiting with my gear, a couple of rods, waders.. yada yada yada.. whisk(e)y, cigars, beer etc.. we get on the road and I'm assuming we're renting a boat from Red's or meeting one of Chris's friends and find out Chris has hired a guide! I offer to help out on the cost a bit, but says he's go it and the whole day!
Takes a few hours to get there, I live in Redmond and we stop for breakfast and then meet up at Worley-Bugger and I meet our guide John Lease. Nice guy, I don't know him but know he knows his stuff. Toss our gear in the boat and head out for one of the upper launches.. we're floating up higher on the Yak..
The day starts slow, but we catch a few typical Yakima fish. I've got one rod rigged up with a dry/dropper combo and the other a nymph setup.. John had picked the fly I think. It a cool and rather windy day, but we're doing good, I'm smoking cigars and we're having a blast!
We get out of the boat a few time to nymph, as the wind is really preventing any action on dries.. about half way through the trip Chris hooks into a BIG fish! We've all caught many typical fish and know this is going to be a good one! (picture to follow)
I'm nymphing from the bank, at another spot a little farther down the river... just doing my thing, nymphing, barely have to mend and then just flipping the rig back up.. I honestly don't recall how many casts it took to hook my big fish.. maybe 10 or 12.. I've got a cigar going and John is watching Chris and I, and giving advice as needed..
I feel the indicator move slightly upstream and SET the hook! BAM, I'm on! I can tell I'm hooked into another good fish, just like Chris had landed earlier in the afternoon!
John heads over to me with a net, ready to help me land this one.. I'm getting close to bringing it in, and he asks if I want him to use the net.. cigar going, wind blowing I mumble "Nah, I got it!".. not long later, I grab the leader and slide my hand down to the fish and land it! Sweet!
Again John ask if he can help and do I mind having a picture taken.. I'm like, not necessary for either.. he then says it would be nice for his website, FB, etc.. I'm like hell ya, let's take a quick pic! John had me place the fish in the net, got his camera out.. Making sure my hands are wet and John is ready, I lift the fish up, we get a quick picture and release the fish quickly.. all of this happened once I had the fish as quick as we could.
Chris pulls up a few minutes early, I'm outside waiting with my gear, a couple of rods, waders.. yada yada yada.. whisk(e)y, cigars, beer etc.. we get on the road and I'm assuming we're renting a boat from Red's or meeting one of Chris's friends and find out Chris has hired a guide! I offer to help out on the cost a bit, but says he's go it and the whole day!
Takes a few hours to get there, I live in Redmond and we stop for breakfast and then meet up at Worley-Bugger and I meet our guide John Lease. Nice guy, I don't know him but know he knows his stuff. Toss our gear in the boat and head out for one of the upper launches.. we're floating up higher on the Yak..
The day starts slow, but we catch a few typical Yakima fish. I've got one rod rigged up with a dry/dropper combo and the other a nymph setup.. John had picked the fly I think. It a cool and rather windy day, but we're doing good, I'm smoking cigars and we're having a blast!
We get out of the boat a few time to nymph, as the wind is really preventing any action on dries.. about half way through the trip Chris hooks into a BIG fish! We've all caught many typical fish and know this is going to be a good one! (picture to follow)
I'm nymphing from the bank, at another spot a little farther down the river... just doing my thing, nymphing, barely have to mend and then just flipping the rig back up.. I honestly don't recall how many casts it took to hook my big fish.. maybe 10 or 12.. I've got a cigar going and John is watching Chris and I, and giving advice as needed..
I feel the indicator move slightly upstream and SET the hook! BAM, I'm on! I can tell I'm hooked into another good fish, just like Chris had landed earlier in the afternoon!
John heads over to me with a net, ready to help me land this one.. I'm getting close to bringing it in, and he asks if I want him to use the net.. cigar going, wind blowing I mumble "Nah, I got it!".. not long later, I grab the leader and slide my hand down to the fish and land it! Sweet!
Again John ask if he can help and do I mind having a picture taken.. I'm like, not necessary for either.. he then says it would be nice for his website, FB, etc.. I'm like hell ya, let's take a quick pic! John had me place the fish in the net, got his camera out.. Making sure my hands are wet and John is ready, I lift the fish up, we get a quick picture and release the fish quickly.. all of this happened once I had the fish as quick as we could.