• Ramblings of a steelheader

    Thought I'd bring this one back to life with something I wrote about ten years ago, about this time of year on a river I still love...



    After a near sleepless night, the fisherman arrives at his beloved river in the frosty darkness that echoes nature’s recent changes from summer to fall. In the light, if there was any, he knows he’d see the leaves that were vibrantly green the week before now yellowed and hanging precariously to the branches, soon to fall in an autumn breeze. The fisherman puts on his uniform of waders and boots, still wet from a previous trek, and partially rigs the rod for the walk to the spot – the place in his mind, just upstream, where the steelhead are resting after making their incredible journey.


    As the electric blue glow of his headlamp illuminates the well worn path, the husssshhh of the river comes through the trees, over the berry bushes and grows steadily in volume as he winds through the small wood that lines the moving water. Sounds of rhythmic splashing rise over the white noise of the water, a signal that the salmon are here to dance in the gravel and die, or die trying. The irony and beauty of the sound of this natural cycle brings an uncontrolled grin to his face as the angler merges from the wood to the edge of the living water that holds so many mysteries and promises. He’s not after the salmon, but knows they are part and parcel of the cycle that brings the mysterious steelhead upriver to him.

    Finally at the edge of the water in the darkness, he rigs THE fly combination that will bring success and sets the rod down.

    Then I pray. Every time. It may be quick, or it may take me several minutes. I pray for my family, I pray for my fellow fly fishers if I know their needs, and I pray for myself. I feel closest to my God when I am standing in the misty darkness at the edge of the river. In that moment, I know that all I see and feel was created by a God who knows what I feel, and how I feel it.

    As he steps in to the water that is now reflecting the predawn glow, he casts a short line out, swinging it out and casting again, with a little more line. He has learned that in the early hours, the fish lie in the slower shallow water waiting for the first light.

    While the sky transitions from the blue darkness to the rosy shades of the dawn, the steelhead become active again after a night of piscine repose. If he’s blessed, has the right presentation and the right fly and no less than just the right amount of luck, a familiar tug will pull the line, to be met with a tug on the other end of the line to drive the barbless hook home for the ride…


    O sinners lets go down
    Lets go down, come on down
    O sinners lets go down
    Down in the river to pray.

    - Alison Krauss

    Comments 9 Comments
    1. fredaevans's Avatar
      fredaevans -
      The 'Good News' if you're a fly flicker here on the Rogue River is we're back into the Fly only season (until the end of October). River flows have been cut back to 1240 cfs which is PERFECT fishing conditions. The other good news is the game dept says the Rogue's return (summer runs) is the best since 2000 or 2002 (can't remember which). By the number of fish that are already in the hatchery this would appear to be very true.

      Game Guys have already made several tanker runs (to Gold Hill boat launch) and 'retreaded' several hundred fish. You can tell if you land one as they'll have a hole punched into a gill plate.

      Mini Spey 'Clave at Tou Velle Park this past Saturday (some excellent toys to play with!!) and directed two fellows (via e-mails) as to where to fish 'pre-'Clave and both landed two in an hours worth of fishing. A good thing!
      Fred Evans
    1. gusstrand's Avatar
      gusstrand -
      Retreads already? and they're taking them way farther down now with the dam gone. So cool. I'd bet there will be double punched fish in a couple weeks.

      Giving away your secret spots already, Fred? To that end, did they ever regulate the keys and get the tweakers out of Modoc?
    1. Doctor's Avatar
      Doctor -
      Gus
      good post ,I love getting down to the river predawn and slowly starting to work out the line until i am covering a sensible amount of water then working down a familiar pool .
      This time next week will see me up in Scotland ready for a week of salmon fishing ,hoping for some decent rain this week and clear waters next!
    1. Speyfisher's Avatar
      Speyfisher -
      Quote Originally Posted by gusstrand View Post
      Giving away your secret spots already, Fred? To that end, did they ever regulate the keys and get the tweakers out of Modoc?
      Fred no longer has to tell anyone about "secret" spots. Rogue Fly Fishers posted them all on their website, complete with where to get a key. GRRRRR For a while we were seeing Ca. guides launching @ the power lines and floating their clients down to TV.

      Having the email address of the head honcho of ODFW over there on Gregory Rd & feeding him pics of "over nighters" complete w/ license numbers has pretty much eliminated that problem.
    1. gusstrand's Avatar
      gusstrand -
      Wow... That sucks. But isn't surprising. I'm sure that slot, JBird's old office that we all hung out at at TV is way more popular now, too.

      And good on the overnighters.
    1. Speyfisher's Avatar
      Speyfisher -
      JBird got relocated or something. Haven't seen or heard from him in years.
    1. gusstrand's Avatar
      gusstrand -
      JBird and his fam moved for Mrs. JBird's work like so many of us old Bear Creek folks... They're in Wisconsin. Sent him an email this morning inviting him here.
    1. Speyfisher's Avatar
      Speyfisher -
      The trail through the woods to JBird's office has been posted for the last couple of years. Now we have to wade the whole way below the high water mark. Not so bad going down. Coming back is sometimes another story.
    1. danwat's Avatar
      danwat -
      Thanks Gus, loved that post!

      Dan