Dinner Date

The wife was going to dinner with a friend so I made a date with the stream.  I fished from about 4:00 to 7:30ish.  I was hoping to catch my first steelhead of the year, but I didn’t expect the fishing to be very good because the water was really warm, over 70 degrees.  It was so warm I comfortably waded wet.  I went to a stretch of stream that usually fishes well during the stream and drifted a nymph rig through all the good runs.  When that failed to produce a fish, I decided to swing a big nasty streamer to see if I could tempt a steelhead’s predatory instinct enticing strike.  About midway through a nice run, I felt a grab!  It sent a jolt of adrenaline through my veins, but I didn’t connect.  I stepped down and made another cast.  Just before the end of the swing I felt a jolt… Fish on!!  This fish fought like a bulldog, it felt like a steelhead that was fatigued from the rigors of spawning or the warm water.  As I worked the fish in, I jumped revealing itself.  It was a nice resident smallmouth that hammed my streamer.  These warm temps might mean the end of the season.  The last two outings, I’ve seen steelhead lazily working their way down stream back towards the lake.  If things don’t cool down we probably won’t get another good run.  The 10 day forecast shows cooler temps and rain.  Let’s hope it’s enough to bring in another run!  I’ve got my fingers crossed…