Steelheading from up North...Slooowww

Zac, my buddy Ian, and I spent three days last week swinging through the runs of the Clearwater and Salmon rivers.  Counts are pretty poor this year, but we fished with the mantra "it only takes one."  One big, hot, angry steelhead makes the trip, so we tried not to get discouraged when we covered great looking water with nothing to show for it.

I met Ian and Zac on Monday, the 15th, after they had spent a week on the Grand Rhonde.  The Rhonde was slow, so we headed for the Clearwater.  Zac and I fished one run on Monday, and then the three of us met early Tuesday morning.  We fished two great runs with no tugs, and then the wind picked up.  It blew so hard, that casting a floating line with a two-hander, without taking a spey fly to the head seemed almost impossible.  

We packed it in on Tuesday and got ready for an early morning on Wednesday.  We fished a massive run early Wednesday morning, and Ian had a good grab to start things off.  With a little boost in confidence, we fished our way upstream, until the water started looking silty.  Heavy rain upstream had turned the Clearwater off color, so we were forced to make a new game plan.  The Clearwater was out, so we took headed South, where success was all but a sure thing.  

We drove to Riggins with high hopes.  Sometimes a change of scenery is all you need to build confidence, and when it comes to steelheading, it's all about confidence.  The weather was beautiful in Riggins.  We barely needed coats, while stepping down the runs of the Salmon.  Unfortunately high, bright sun isn't a steelheaders friend, and that combined with low fish counts left us grabless on the Salmon.  

This was one of those trips, where it felt like we were casting to nothing.  Sometimes steelheading feels hopeless, but when you have fishless day after fishless day, remember it only takes one.  Even though we got skunked, we've all steelheaded enough to know how it works, and we always manage to entertain ourselves, despite slow fishing.  We'll be back at it next week.  This Fall season won't end fishless, and when that first fish is picked up, I'll be writing to let you know.