Luck Would Have It

Many of us head to the water with high hopes. We dream of big steelhead and lots of them. Even if conditions are tough we figure we can at least get a few to satisfy that desire of bringing one to hand.

On a recent fishing trip the water conditions were about as low and clear as I have ever seen them. I figured that I’d just have to switch to ultra light techniques. Four days went by and I still didn’t hook a good sized fish. There were more people fishing this fall than I normally see. With all of the people I talked to and the people they talked to the total decent sized fish caught for the week added up to three. I caught a few under a foot long and rolled a few under twenty inches, but did not get a hook in them. Then the rain came and a little snow. The next day the water was looking prime, my hopes were up again. The water had good color, not to dark and not to clear. Luckily the water temp had only dropped one degree. I fished a large part of the lower river for the next couple of days and did not see any sign of fresh fish. I don’t believe they came in from the lake. The wind and waves were pounding the river mouth. The whole lake shore was a turning muddy mess out for about one hundred yards. The forecast still called for wind and possibly more snow. The tent leaked for the first time ever and my sleeping bag got a little wet. My new rod had broke and my hopes had faded. My mind wondered again to next year and to distant rivers where the fish are real big and there are lots of them. The people who fish and guide there really have it good. Maybe I’ll go there next year.

On my way to fish the last hole of the trip before I would hang it up, I met an old timer and struck up a conversation with him. The conversation went beyond the usually stuff. Catch any? Anyone catching fish? Wish we would get some rain. I learned a little about his life. He had brought a back pack with things needed for the day. He could only make it down to the river once in a day to fish a small area. He talked about how beautiful the place was and about the wildlife he had seen along the river over the years. He talked of the people he had met along the way. He even pointed out that he had once caught a steelhead from that hole right down there. I was having my doubts, but he reminded me of how grand the place really is and how fortunate we were to be there. Thank you.