The 1-Day Roadie: Salvation for the Soul!

Sometimes, the real world gets just hectic enough that you just have to say F-it all and check out for a day. Go back to the basics like eating junk food, talking about spots and celebrity hotties… and, oh yea, maybe mix in a little fishing, too.

To that end, nothing beats a road trip. Of course, with jobs, family and all the other stuff that keeps us so busy these days, extended roadies are tough to come by. One-dayers, however, are easier to pull off. That’s exactly what trusty side-kick Reilly and I embarked on yesterday.

With most Coastal rivers blown out from the big storms and the majority of stuff close to home either muddy or snowed in, we opted for a little wild trout fishing in the “upper” Lower Sacramento River near Redding. After stocking up on high calorie, low nutritional value snacks, we dumped the Red Rocket in at the Posse Grounds and started hunting trout…

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A different kind of Alaskan Rainbow

While we were hoping for a different kind of rainbow that day, you know…the leopard-spotted, mouse eating, line burning, long as your arm, would be considered steelhead back home, variety.

However, it just wasn’t to be despite the fact that this small Southeastern Alaska creek was full of trout food — salmon eggs and carcasses. I’m not sure what the deal was but there sure were no trout, dollies or even grayling around. Strange!

We worked it hard through a driving rain and howling wind all day long and then, late in the afternoon, we got our rainbow…

Adios!

Perhaps the most satisfying aspect of steelhead fishing…

Sluuurp!

Sucks to be an emerger….

Steelhead Fever…do you have it??

Are you an addict? A steelhead junkie? Here’s a little test…flip through the following photos and you’ll know the answer by the end!

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Fish Porn…is it wrong??

Hey, it’s none of my business what goes on between consenting adults. If the fish was a halfpounder, however….

Sucker for a Kwikfish!

Here’s a little “bonus” catch from a recent salmon trip…

I’m not exactly sure what this suckerfish was thinking, but I’m guessing that his assault on my pink Kwikfish had something more to do with lust than hunger.

Hey Baby, How YOOOOU Doin’?

Wish I could say that this was an isolated incident, but I have, over the years, proved to be quite a proficient catcher of suckers on salmon and steelhead lures.

I’ve hooked more than a few while flat-lining plugs like Kwikfish and FlatFish for Chinook and several others on Wiggle Warts and Hot Shots intended for sea-run rainbows.

Perhaps the most embarrassing one occurred when, about 15 years ago, I walked up to a lineup of anglers who were all steelhead fishing — and not catching anything. They were all drifting bait, so I busted out a silver Little Cleo and immediately hooked a fish on my first cast.

Well, I guess one maybe should hold off on the trash talking — at least until you’re sure what you have on is actually a steelhead. I’m still not sure why that big orange, rubber-lipped turd with fins smacked that spoon, but he did. You can imagine the ration of grief I incurred when the assembled throng of anglers caught a glimpse of it…

When all the planets are in alignment…

It was one of those moments that you never forget…Big Fred, our good buddy Nick and me…having one of those epic days of fishing when all the planets were in alignment. We hooked something like 35 or 40 steelhead…on the fly…that day. It was absolutely sick! We caught ‘em on nymphs and dries and I had an unreal session in the middle of the day in which I hooked three steelhead on three consecutive casts….three times! That kind of fishing just doesn’t happen…

The highlight occurred when we managed to accomplish this rarest of rare steelhead fly fishing feats — the triple header. After that epic day of days, Nick asked us if we wanted to go back to the same spot the next morning.

We decided not to — there was no point in trying to one-up perfection.

Bad to the Bone

Alright, all the fluff chuckers in the house…this school o’ bones should put a little lead in your Crazy Charlie!



Cast…Three O’Clock! Strip…Strip…Strip….SET! You got him! ZZZZZZZZZIIIIIIINNNNNNGGGGGGGGG!!



Sorry, just a little Bahama dreamin’ on a cold, cloudy November night….

Little Man on the Sticks

Tamara & I got Cooper out on the water the other day…figured it’s never too early to teach him how to row. Hopefully, it won’t be too long until he’s on the sticks while dad & buddies are up front fishing. Next on the agenda: teach the kid how to back a trailer down the boat ramp…

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