It was 30 degrees when I woke up this morning. The moon was still high in the sky and shining brightly over the frosted lawn of my back yard. I had not been fishing yet this fall and was not sure that this day would yield any fish. This was my chance to get out and spend time relieving the stress from my week. I got to the stream just as the sun was coming up. After donning my gear, I walked about a half mile into an area where I had caught an Atlantic salmon last year. The water was high and cloudy but much warmer than the air temp. I began casting into a large pool that allowed me to reconnect to my long distance roll cast. The dried seed filled weeds on the shore behind me prevented a back cast. So a double roll cast extended my tippet to the far side of the stream. I was using a white chenille woolly bugger that worked well on the swing. After about an hour fishing from shore with no hits, I had practiced enough. I went to the top of the pool and some other fishermen walked up into the area where I had just left. Our water movement must have spooked some fish because two well worn salmon moved upstream through a cut in the rapids. I positioned myself to cast that shoot and saw another salmon which I hooked in the dorsal. With a quick flick I let it go and it swam between my legs on its way to free water. A short time later a fourth fish moved into the run. I had two casts and it slipped back into the murky water and never showed again. I stayed there another hour without seeing any more.
I walked downstream another quarter mile before I came upon a 20 inch brown. My third cast spooked it and goodbye, brown. It was after 10:00 when I began seeing browns in number moving upstream. I was watching two small 18 inch browns chasing each other. That's when I saw a huge brown in a fall away pool. I worked the pool with short drifts and hooked up. She put up a great fight and my line wrapped over the handle on my reel. I thought for sure she would break free, but with quick rod work, by releasing the drag, the line loosened back into position. She went a good 10 yards down stream but I held her in the pool. Then back up stream and into shallow water turned and back into the pool. Finally she got tired and turned on her side where I could take up the line and take photos. She was obviously still full of eggs and I released her with hopes she would spawn a wild brood. Two things about her stood out. The tail was large like a fan. The photos don't show it but her color was gold, almost yellow. I could not get over how perfect she looked. I have caught another that color, years ago, in the winter. If I can find the photo I'll post it. My first trout of the 2015 fall season. This 27 inch pre-spawn female. A very enjoyable first day out.
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| My first fish of the 2015 fall season. |
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This 27 inch pre-spawn female.
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