I've spent the last couple weeks doing my best to land an early wild fish on one of the West End rivers. I've managed to rise two in the five days I was on the water, and for wild steelhead in June, that isn't terrible. One rose to a purple soft hackle, the other to a Glasso pattern, the Gray and Orange.
The first fish came while fishing the lower reaches of the Quinault, there is a portion of tribal water that just begs to be fly-fished, and I granted it that one week ago. I have to say that I believe I would have done better had there not been so many parr present. A more responsible angler would have fished a deep fly after contending with the babies for a few swings, but I want a steelhead in the surface film rather badly. The fish rose short to the fly, never to be seen again.
The second fish came in one of my favorite runs in the world. This run is in the upper reaches of a nearby river, and out of the reach of roads. A creek meets the river and the two currents fight the merger to create an island and a dream of a steelhead run behind it. The water was still a little bit high, so I didn't expect much. I worked the pool diligently though, and towards the end of the first pass, in the glassy tailout and just behind a submerged boulder, the Steelhead took. I held him for five seconds before he made seaward in the high current and did a quick job of separating my 3x tippet.
I must say I have felt very unmatched with my 9' 5wt thus far. I really wish I still had my switch rod, the worst part is that I know whoever stole it from me probably isn't putting it to good use.
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