Rick was up in Wenatchee to help with some wiring modifications at Carlynn's sister's house and to get Melinda's braces adjusted by Tom; it just happened that the Wenatchee River opened for steelhead the week or two before, which added even more purpose to the trip (or took over the purpose of the trip?). Rob and Tom had been out Friday morning (where is that report, guys?). Tom and Rick reprised two of the holes on Saturday. Started at the confluence hole at first light, not too crowded, but no action, so it was on to the Bishop's hole further upriver. Fishing the tailout behind a good sized area where salmon were spawning, we found lots of fat whitefish, Tom and Rick each landed a good sized bull trout, and Tom had at least one suspiciously steelhead-like take. When the willing fish all had sore mouths, we decided to head downstream to try out a large broad run we have seen before but never really fished.
Walking along the long run of whitewater leading down to the next hole, we drifted our beads in a narrow strip of softer water right next to the bank, just wide and deep enough that a steelhead might be holding there. About halfway down, Rick's indicator dipped under about 3 feet from shore, a frequent occurrence from catching on the rocks in the relatively shallow drift. Lifting up, he felt one head shake and knew it was no rock; just as he lifted to set more firmly, the fish took off into the fast current. With virtually no line out to absorb the shock, in an instant the line parted and came back to Rick sans hook or bead. One of the most exciting (and brief) takes and fights in some time. Definitely steel. Three seconds of ecstasy, then days of wondering what might have been.
Another great outing. Peachy pearl was the ticket, as usual. And the home project at Marci's got done. Great weekend!
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| Tom and his bull; mine was perhaps a little longer, definitely quite a bit fatter |
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