The water was low and clear as expected. The river was flowing at a raging 71 CFS and the water temp was 59 degrees. The air was about 65 degrees and it was a bit overcast, it looked like it was going to rain but never did.
I was the only angler in the lot when I arrived, I was shocked. I expected a bunch of assholes chucking bait or hardware, rubbing elbows, and crossing lines. This kind of thing never happens in early fall. This river is normally a zoo. I wadered up and rigged the rod. Before I could tie a fly on, another angler showed up with his spinning rod. He beat me out of the parking lot, but I got to the water first. I set up on river left, he crossed the river and fished from the right bank.
OK no problem, this is a big hole, there was room for both of us. Plop. A few seconds later, I hear it again. Plop. I saw a small splash to my left just down stream from where I was standing. That asshole was casting all the was across the river and fishing the water right in front of me! Who does that? On his second cast he hooks a bright chrome fish from the run I was fishing just before my rig drifted through. He robbed me of that fish! I was so pissed. I waded out to the middle of the river and began fishing his side of the river. I positioned my self so he couldn't fish across the stream any more. This forced him to move down stream to the next hole. What an asshole! I've seen some bad etiquette on the river in the past, but this was the worst I ever experienced.
I decided to fish hard after getting robbed of that nice fish. I picked apart ever section of that run and hooked a good fish. Hell, it was a great fish. It was a sweet chrome victory. This fish was the first steelhead of the fall season for me. It also gave me a feeling of vindication after chasing that asshole out.
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| First steelhead of fall 2012 |
