Tough going, but got the skunk out of the bag!

I took the day off of work for my birthday and fished the entire lower section of the river.  I caught one steelhead in the morning.  That fish got the skunk out of the bag.  Conditions were tough at best.  The water was low, ultra clear, and the flow was only at 8o CFS.  It was a gorgeous day.  With the water so low I was able to see the bottom of the river very well and did a lot of scouting for later in the season.  In the afternoon I came across a pod of steelhead that were holding mid-pool, my presence made them nervous and they started circling the pool looking to avoid me.  I was standing on the bank 20-30 feet from where the fish were holding!  At one point, I had hiked up hill where I could look down on the river from above to see if there were fish and to see what the bottom looked like.  It was a steep hill and I slipped on my way down.  I broke my fall with my hand.  As I did this I continued to slid down hill.  I skinned the tip of one finger and sliced the tip of another.  There was a pricker bush on the rock I grabbed at leaving several thorns in my hand as well.  I made a trip back to the car for the first aid kit.  I put a bunch of band aids on my bleeding fingers and headed back to catch more fish!  I wasn't going to let a couple of small wounds ruin my day.  I worked all the way down river to as close as I could wade o the mouth of the river.  I walked back to the car and drove up river and fished another section of stream that I expected might hold fish under such tough conditions.  I didn't catch any other fish yesterday, but I caught the one that mattered most; the skunk killer!  The day was beautiful, I had most of the river to myself (unusual this time of year) and I caught a good size steelhead buck.  It was a great day.  Afterward, I headed home, cleaned up and went to dinner with my family to celebrate my birthday.  It was a wonderful dinner and a great end to a great day!

Yesterday's fish