As a Midwest native, I came to trout fishing late in life. And had an idea that the craggier the water, the better the fishing opportunities. Broken, boulder-strewn, rapid filled stretches were easy to read — it limited where fish would actually hide. Also, something about dramatic water features appealed to my flat-lander fantasies.
So when I pursued trout on my own, I found myself staring down the banks of the craziest pieces of water I could find. Turns out I was killing myself for nothing.
With the brief lull between spring and fall salmon seasons, I convinced Rob to chase trout and we headed up into the hills where he’d never fished. I took him to my favorite spots — places where the stream kegged up in a giant gorge, dropped down from the road in a neck-breaking angle.
We caught a few fish, noted the beautiful scenery, and then Rob asked “What in the hell are we doing here?”
After a lunch break, Rob and I sought out flatter pieces of water with less gradient change. Deep pools without the turbulence. Brushy banks, slower water, better opportunity for big fish to hang out.
While we didn’t catch any bigger fish on these stretches, it was good to get an outside perspective on one of my favorite streams and to get a better idea of how to fish it without putting my life at risk.
-MS
Hey now, I’m not the trout expert. Just got spoiled on a couple of Kamchatka spring creeks. Wish those Willamette fish would take a mouse…
I don’t remember Rob teaching me the ‘B-Loop Spey Cast’ during my lesson. Hopefully, someday, I can advance to become so expert.