Rowed hard and put up with the wet.
I got into Baldwin at 11:30 and waited for Rick to get to the hotel to give the keys for the car spot. I just dropped the all the clothes and misc. stuff in the room and it was off to the Fly Water. I put in at 1ish after I ran some errands for food, ice and beer. I ran into some great guys at the put in and saw 6 to 8 salmon in the middle of the river 10 feet from were my boat is about to be!!
The weather was over cast with a great chance for rain. I got the rods all set up at the put in and had a beer to relax. Then a slight rain started. My goals for this trip were to focus on some big browns and a steelhead that would behind the reds. Well with the late start I thought I would just row through the lower section and hope to see some fish so I can get into the browns. WOW. I saw to many fish on gravel. I would stop about 10 times before I got to the mouth of the Baldwin. It was soooo much fun to see that many fish! I would stop throw some flies and watch the fishingporn happen all day long. I didn't have any luck with the browns or steelies until the early evening. Finally I did hook a fish that I wasn't targeting.
I was close to Green Cottage and I was fishing a drop off when this small jack nailed my fly. I have caught some steelhead head before and was sure I would get into a big brown or a steelie. Well it was fun fighting this guy and trying to find the net in the boat while I was hooked up!
The next fish was about ten minutes later in the same drop off about 20 feet past the gravel where 8 to 10 fish were dancing behind a female. Well, I had my hands full with this guy and I lucky for me they are a lot easier to control when it's in the mouth. I did remember to keep my trout net in the vest but would he fit? Well, most of him did and that's all that matters.
I'm now at Clay Banks and its 4:30. Mmm... I forgot it gets dark earlier. Dumb ass. Well I started motoring to some spots that I love for early Steel. Did I mention that I have seen Salmon on every piece of gravel since M-37? If I wanted to fish for Salmon I hit the right day!!! But that's not what I wanted to do. I got that spot down river and started fishing hard for browns and steelies. Sure enough after about 200 casts over salmon and a few snags in rocks a logs, redemption.
I fought a Steelhead for a good 15 mins not trying to loose her to a stupid move. I was so focus on just keeping her away from the stumps and rocks. I should have just beached her quick. I had the net stretched out in one direction the rod facing the other when POP. She was silver with a nice pink cheek. um...net man where are you?
If you have been there you know what you say, and how you stomp in the river. But I didn't do that. I was so content that she had graced me with her short presence that I was happy. I did a little dance, took a shot of Jager and chased it with a beer. So it is now 7:30ish I got the Mothership set up for darkness.
A couple of years ago I came up with an contraption to hang a Coleman Lanter of the bow of my drift boat to get home safe and do a little night fishing. Still celebrating my steelie hook up I got it rigged up and turned on the lantern. I heard the salmon still slashing around and being very comfortable rowing at night I hit the hole one more time. Sure enough I got into another biting salmon. This one took a fly that I got in a fly swap from Steelheader. Sweet fly but I was hoping for another steelie and luckily I got another small jack to get into the net.
Not the one to give up I went to the hole again and after a few cast another small jack hit the fly. Great day. I was hoping for a brown but these jacks were fun on the 8 wt. I had about an hour-long row out but at least it hasn't rained hard yet. well it started to rain as soon as I got into the boat. Don't care cause I got half of my goal done.
I must have saw 2000 fish on gravel the day before but today different story. The next day started off slow. I mean real slow. The sun was up and out and it put the fish down. My muscles were sore from not rowing in a few months and doing too many 12 oz curls the day before.
I hit the fly water again and didnt stop until I got near green cottage just because I didn't want a long row out. I ran into a few guys from Ohio and they did their U of M rubbing losing to U of Toilet. (Not a spelling error) JK. Anyhow we had a few laughs. Got to a nice hole and fished it hard with no hook ups. Finally got to a hole with a few good browns working behind a nice pod of salmon that was working the gravel. I threw every kind of eggs behind the females with no luck what so ever with the browns. I had a father and son walk up that in formed me that he got into a 26 inch brown and a few rainbows over 18 inches I was hoping that one of these 16 to 20 inch browns that were working this pod would hit my fly. Nope. Wasn't happening. I did get a nice buck to hit the dental floss and learned my lesson from the day before with trying to land that steelhead. I just beached the stud.
I needed a brown today to accomplish my goals and I could not get the guys to hit my flies so I moved on down the river. I just got past Green and ran into Josh. Josh use to work at Hanks Fly fishing. I have talked with him many times about going fishing and hanging out. He is one trout junkie. We talked for about a half hour and took a few tugs at the Jager, told stories and wished we didn't have two drift boats on the river. I left him and Joe his buddy staying at Baldwin Creek and I went down the river. I rowed hard to get to the same section of river where I hit the steelie the day before but I ran into the only boat traffic of the day. I think I just rowed too hard because they didn't stay there long after I went by. As luck would have it I stop at a good run down river cause I got my brown.
After I hit the brown I remembered I have yet to eat and wanted to hit one more brownie hole and head in. I made it to the hole with only Josh behind me. I started cooking some steak bites and bacon with Chunky's Potatoes and Bacon soup. My propane tank died on me and I had to find another one in the boat. Thank God I always over stock my cooking supplies. I found a new propane tank and ate like a King on the river. Josh, Joe and I talked for about a half hour and took a tug or tow on the old Jager bottle and they went down to the next hole. We both fished about an hour past dust and headed in together.
I had needed this trip because my wife and I took a month long vacation in September to London, Paris and Poland. This was the first trip to Poland without fishing and it was killing me. I hope to be fishing again soon for steelies in November. A little cast and blast for steel and horns.
Take care,
