Sharphooks
Well-Known Member
Every spring I disappear into the woods and do a week long float on a river in Alaska. Pack up my tent, my booze and a pile of rods and reels and go stare at my bellybutton. I've done this trip every year since the mid 80's --the fish numbers fluctuate but there's usually between 4,000 to 10,000 fish in this river---it's not big, maybe the size of the Vedder ,and it's short (maybe 20 miles long) and feeds from a lake--it gets punched slow but once it does, it takes forever to get back into shape
When I launched, it was just coming off a major flood--lots of trees in the river, very fast flow---scared the crap out of me--small raft, way too much weight, oar locks that are rubber so if you pull too hard on the oars they break free from the locks and you spin around like a rubber duck totally out of control---never a dull moment
The first few days were busts---no fish, way too much water---it was more just trying to make it through log jams without tearing a hole in my Avon. I knew if I tore a hole it could prove to be catastrophic--that's a word I don't like having in my vocabulary...
On the third day I was still getting skunked even using heavy artillery (slinkys and Spin n Glows) so in a fit of desperation I tied on a fly and wouldn't you know it---first cast I hook a huge buck (a hold-over winter fish, not a fresh spring fish) and it was game over before it even started--- he swum under a log and kapow went my line (and broke went my heart) because that fly was very special to me---years ago I'd once hooked a big wild fish on it that I ended up keeping and bringing back to New York to share with my father who was dying of cancer---it was a Last Supper sort of deal so that fly had special memories for me
So by Friday I was feeling reeeal dejected---3 days with not too much to show for it---I'm used to 5 to 10 fish a day on this river without alot of effort so going on 3 days with not too much was wearing on me, especially feeling like I was risking my skinny butt going through these log jams
So Friday morning I say screw it---I would just fish a fly---if I was going to get skunked I might as well get skunked on a method I enjoy. First hole, FINALLY-- a spring fish. Nothing big, but getting a fish in this river on a free drifted fly was a confidence boost ---
So I cross over to another hole that's always been good to me---the water is booking through there so fast I knew a fly was useless so back to the spin n' glow--- I figured I'd bottom bounce heavy ordinance down under the bushes where they hide---first two casts---a chromer on each cast-- chromer as in major bullets, 10 pounds or so, black backs and white bellies---gorgeous fish---in the air and every which way but loose----coool---just like it should be.
here's what these spring fish look like when they're fresh in on a tide: they're stunning specimens:
So I get into the tail of this hole and see the water's slowed down a bit---maybe another chance for one on a fly--- I get out my fly rod. This rod I built for my Hardy Super Silex---I fish a floating line on it and like the bait guys on the "T", use it to free-drift downstream only instead of a shrimp I use a yarn fly---very effective for a drag-free drift and on the right cast, you can drift your yarn bug along the brush line and stay in complete contact with it during the drift in a very effective manner.
I throw a huge cast and let it drift in along the bushes downstream--- then on the swing just as it's pulling back mid-river, holey moley---the rod almost got yanked out of my hands---Check the fish in the second picture--she was 12 or 13 lbs, just a prime specimen--I swear she was in the air 8 or 9 times.
So now that I have the hero shots I've been waiting for, all the while I'm thinking---three fish in such a short period of time---there have got to be some numbers around.
So I see a log jam just downstream, boiling water below it, impossible for a fly so I get back out the nuclear weapon...a float, lots of lead, and a tangerine spin n glow. From the first cast it just became one big freaking blur of chrome---fish after fish after fish. I think I pulled at least a dozen out of that hole. All chrome bright spring fish, fresh in on a tide---I was on Cloud 9---
So with the fish thing taken care of I then started grooving on birds---they were going nuts---swallows and warblers, and sanderlings and yellow legs---there was a bug hatch going on and they were flying everywhere, a blur of green and blue and chartreuse. So here's the cool part---the warblers were really bold, like flying right up and flaring in my face, like just saying "hi" -- so I make a cast and after the float hits the water a warbler lands on my fishing rod, and we're looking at each other eye to eye, a foot away from each other...and as she's sitting on my Lamiglas winking at me and saying What's Up I hook another fish!!!
That's the way Friday went---I was in sweet Nirvana all day. You hear about getting into the Zone---Friday I was in the Zone big time. I spent the evening crawling around the rainforest taking pictures of the Sitka Spruce (who absolutely saved me Saturday night because it poured rain like hell and they kept me dry) Gotta love big trees like that---I have new respect for Tree Huggers---ha ha
Saturday was the same deal with the fish---I lost count there were so many---I started using beat up hooks without points because I got tired of trying to land them without a beach in a twist of logs and twigs from the high water
All in all, quite a trip. When I do these trips alone I'm always on hyper-alert---the place is crawling with bears and I'm camping alone on their turf night after night. This year I had a pile of smoked fish with me so although the pay-off is nice when you're eating dinner, there's always the worry of trading off a nice dinner for becoming a nice dinner. Carrying smoked fish in bear country is like hanging a sign around your neck saying "Eat Me"
Here's a typical camp in the rainforest---I found a hidey-hole under a spruce one night when it rained like hell
Made it back to town in one piece, managed to stay alive and get a piece of the good stuff for yet another year--we are blessed, aren't we?
My favorite one-liner from Roderick HB-- "I fish for an excuse to be near a river..."
What more can we say?
When I launched, it was just coming off a major flood--lots of trees in the river, very fast flow---scared the crap out of me--small raft, way too much weight, oar locks that are rubber so if you pull too hard on the oars they break free from the locks and you spin around like a rubber duck totally out of control---never a dull moment
The first few days were busts---no fish, way too much water---it was more just trying to make it through log jams without tearing a hole in my Avon. I knew if I tore a hole it could prove to be catastrophic--that's a word I don't like having in my vocabulary...
On the third day I was still getting skunked even using heavy artillery (slinkys and Spin n Glows) so in a fit of desperation I tied on a fly and wouldn't you know it---first cast I hook a huge buck (a hold-over winter fish, not a fresh spring fish) and it was game over before it even started--- he swum under a log and kapow went my line (and broke went my heart) because that fly was very special to me---years ago I'd once hooked a big wild fish on it that I ended up keeping and bringing back to New York to share with my father who was dying of cancer---it was a Last Supper sort of deal so that fly had special memories for me
So by Friday I was feeling reeeal dejected---3 days with not too much to show for it---I'm used to 5 to 10 fish a day on this river without alot of effort so going on 3 days with not too much was wearing on me, especially feeling like I was risking my skinny butt going through these log jams
So Friday morning I say screw it---I would just fish a fly---if I was going to get skunked I might as well get skunked on a method I enjoy. First hole, FINALLY-- a spring fish. Nothing big, but getting a fish in this river on a free drifted fly was a confidence boost ---
So I cross over to another hole that's always been good to me---the water is booking through there so fast I knew a fly was useless so back to the spin n' glow--- I figured I'd bottom bounce heavy ordinance down under the bushes where they hide---first two casts---a chromer on each cast-- chromer as in major bullets, 10 pounds or so, black backs and white bellies---gorgeous fish---in the air and every which way but loose----coool---just like it should be.
here's what these spring fish look like when they're fresh in on a tide: they're stunning specimens:
So I get into the tail of this hole and see the water's slowed down a bit---maybe another chance for one on a fly--- I get out my fly rod. This rod I built for my Hardy Super Silex---I fish a floating line on it and like the bait guys on the "T", use it to free-drift downstream only instead of a shrimp I use a yarn fly---very effective for a drag-free drift and on the right cast, you can drift your yarn bug along the brush line and stay in complete contact with it during the drift in a very effective manner.
I throw a huge cast and let it drift in along the bushes downstream--- then on the swing just as it's pulling back mid-river, holey moley---the rod almost got yanked out of my hands---Check the fish in the second picture--she was 12 or 13 lbs, just a prime specimen--I swear she was in the air 8 or 9 times.
So now that I have the hero shots I've been waiting for, all the while I'm thinking---three fish in such a short period of time---there have got to be some numbers around.
So I see a log jam just downstream, boiling water below it, impossible for a fly so I get back out the nuclear weapon...a float, lots of lead, and a tangerine spin n glow. From the first cast it just became one big freaking blur of chrome---fish after fish after fish. I think I pulled at least a dozen out of that hole. All chrome bright spring fish, fresh in on a tide---I was on Cloud 9---
So with the fish thing taken care of I then started grooving on birds---they were going nuts---swallows and warblers, and sanderlings and yellow legs---there was a bug hatch going on and they were flying everywhere, a blur of green and blue and chartreuse. So here's the cool part---the warblers were really bold, like flying right up and flaring in my face, like just saying "hi" -- so I make a cast and after the float hits the water a warbler lands on my fishing rod, and we're looking at each other eye to eye, a foot away from each other...and as she's sitting on my Lamiglas winking at me and saying What's Up I hook another fish!!!
That's the way Friday went---I was in sweet Nirvana all day. You hear about getting into the Zone---Friday I was in the Zone big time. I spent the evening crawling around the rainforest taking pictures of the Sitka Spruce (who absolutely saved me Saturday night because it poured rain like hell and they kept me dry) Gotta love big trees like that---I have new respect for Tree Huggers---ha ha
Saturday was the same deal with the fish---I lost count there were so many---I started using beat up hooks without points because I got tired of trying to land them without a beach in a twist of logs and twigs from the high water
All in all, quite a trip. When I do these trips alone I'm always on hyper-alert---the place is crawling with bears and I'm camping alone on their turf night after night. This year I had a pile of smoked fish with me so although the pay-off is nice when you're eating dinner, there's always the worry of trading off a nice dinner for becoming a nice dinner. Carrying smoked fish in bear country is like hanging a sign around your neck saying "Eat Me"
Here's a typical camp in the rainforest---I found a hidey-hole under a spruce one night when it rained like hell
Made it back to town in one piece, managed to stay alive and get a piece of the good stuff for yet another year--we are blessed, aren't we?
My favorite one-liner from Roderick HB-- "I fish for an excuse to be near a river..."
What more can we say?
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