Second quadrennial (?) NW steelhead microclave...on the fly

Bob Weinberger, Dave Snedeker and I met up Thursday evening to fish
steelhead in a river somewhere north of Sacramento and west of
Minneapolis. Sorry--I was sworn to secrecy several years ago. Bob
had spent the previous day on the river without so much as a pull,
although some other folks (mostly gear fishers) had landed a few.
I arrived at the motel meeting place around 9pm. Bob and I watched
Saving Private Ryan on the tube and caught up. Dave pulled in after
midnight and we all touched base for breakfast. Talked investing
and health insurance, a bit of fishing, and only the barest smattering
of post-election politics. Set off somewhat late (8:30 or so?). Get
to be a certain age, and that 4am-on-the-river-at-first-light stuff
seems increasingly pointless.....

Lots of fog on the drive to the water. The number of rigs in the parking
area hinted that *someone* has been considerably less discrete than I.
Not so many as to foretell combat fishing conditions, though. In the
matter of parking lots, at least, half empty is the optimistic view.....

Hazy and cloudy until well after noon. A bit chilly but not uncomfortably
so. No appreciable sun all day. Good steelheading weather. Water temps
were 45-47º F, but we all decide to try to fish it on top. Hell, if we
were THAT desperate for mere fish, we'd have been there at 4am, no?

Fished a lot of good water, had a pleasant day in lovely country and good
company, no one took a bath... but we went as fishless as if we'd been
angling on the moon. Met one flyfisher walking back upstream packing out
a smallish hatchery fish, and later a friend of Bob's who'd been spey
fishing and had caught a few.... both were fishing deep. sigh Later
on, I too caved and fished a weighted fly for a while, but around 3:30pm,
faced with the choice of switching to a sink tip and dredger or driving
home, I decided to call it a half-full day (had an appointment the next
morning). Left Bob and Dave still fishing.

Good to see you two again--next time let's arrange to spend a bit more
time quaffing a couple and telling tall tales... Any action after I left?

Hmm, reading the above with my cursor hovering over the 'Send' button,
I note that not much actually *happened* on our little outing. Oh, what
the heck....

JR


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