Despite that fact, it does not mean that fish will not bite in slower water. Even when you think it is absolutely perfect, sometimes it is just not enough. If your presentation is not as perfect as possible, these fish will become weary and will not bite. When you target slow moving water, it gives the fish a very long time to look at your presentation. It is well known that attempting to catch salmon and steelhead that are holding in slow moving water can be futile. I start to get a bit frustrated, but I never lose confidence. Ten casts later, still not a single bite.
On my first cast through the hole, I witness no reaction. I put a tail of a freshly caught sandshrimp onto the hook. My hands shaking a bit uncontrollably, I unhook my steelhead jig from the hook eye on my rod and set the depth that I want to start at. My heart starts thumping in my chest uncontrollably, and with the help of my glasses I am able to spot a very large pod of fish, roughly 40 that I could count, maybe more. A large adult salmonid, most likely a summer steelhead, boils at the surface, letting his presence be known. The surface of the first slow-moving pool I come across instantly starts reacting. There was something almost mystical about it, and I was prepared to find out why.įinding the river at the bottom of the narrow trail, I walk upriver and immediately don my polarized yellow lens sunglasses, hoping to spot some sign of fish presence in the area. I am usually quite ecstatic on my way down to the river, but nothing I had ever felt before could quite compare to this. Adrenaline started flowing through my veins like wildfire, and I knew that today was going to be a special day. I am making my way down to a particular stretch of river that myself and Evan found success in the previous weekend. Using a headlamp, I make my way down the hillside in twilight by strictly following the narrow game trail. After minutes of deciding, I park my Chevy, gear up and lace up in fishing waders (or as I like to call, the "batsuit"). Being up in the gorge on the weekend is a benefit because you essentially have all of the 12.5 miles to fish that you want, providing that you get there early enough to secure your spot. Making my way up the winding Gorge road an untold number of miles, I play with the idea of where I want to start my morning off. After escaping the usual morning marine layer that blanketed Newport's sky, I was welcomed entering the Siletz gorge by a gorgeous baby blue sky and an orange rising sun. On the Sunday morning of August 5th, I left my apartment at 4:00AM to make the trek up the gorge (as I had done for three days a week all summer) and attempt to catch my first ever steelhead on a solo trip. I will discuss my first solo fishing trip in the Siletz gorge. Of course, to start this blog post off right. so sit back, enjoy a tasty beverage, and enjoy some of my final moments as the Mid-Coast District intern. I am going to present another string of photos from my experiences in the last month, and explain as I go. That is perfectly fine with me, so I opted to wait and make one final "mega" post. I intended on writing more frequently then I actually did, but when life starts coming at you with opportunities - you tend to spend a little more time away from the computer. It has been an absolute pleasure being here, and I will take these experiences forward with me into my career in Fisheries and Wildlife. You all know who you are, and I wish you the best of tidings into the fall. They include the fantastic family of coworkers I had at the Mid-Coast District Office, and all of the lovely folks I had the pleasure of meeting along the way. In this moment I'd like to dedicate this entire blog post to those people. I sit here reflecting back on the summer of 2012, and I can't help but think about the great friends and memories that I have made while spending my summer here. On the morrow I will be checking out of my apartment at Hatfield Marine Science Center, moving back to Corvallis and continuing on with the last two weeks of my summer, my education, and my regular life.
As I write early into the morning of September 10th, 2012, I am spending my final evening in Newport.
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