Clearwater Steelhead, March 2023
My anticipation for this year's annual guy trip was high; steelhead returns were the highest they had been in awhile. As the months before March slowly drug on and winter continued to cling, I knew we may be in for some tough fishing. The rivers were low, clear and cold; not ideal steelhead conditions. In fact, the flows were significantly lower than the lowest I'd ever fished. Our trip was set, however, and we would make the most of it.
We knew there were plenty of fish in the big river so we brought the boats. If we couldn't catch fish in the little river, we'd find them in the main. Camron also found us a fantastic Airbnb, so we'd at least be comfortable for the 4 snowy days we would be there.
"Makin' memories 2023!" Camron exclaimed as Richard, Kevin and myself loaded into the trucks with 5 inches of fresh snow on the ground in Boise.
We arrived, dropped off the boats at the rental house and then hit the river. We ended up at "The Big Rock Hole". The Big Rock is a super deep hole that always holds some fish. We all fished hard that first afternoon, with Camron grabbing the first fish of the trip on a bobber and bead and Kevin with the second, bobber-dogging a purple corky. Richard and I also each briefly hooked fish; at least we were on the board.
Day 2 we decided to split up; Camron and Richard went to "The Private Hole" and Kevin and I hit a new spot recommended to us by a friend. As the early morning darkness turned to light, steelhead began to porpoise, stirring our optimism. By 10am, we were still fish-less and so were Camron and Richard at their spot. Kevin and I left our spot and began exploring while Camron and Richard stuck it out at The Private Hole.
At noon, we all decided to scrap the little river and fish the main in the boats. We started at a new location that had been recommended by a friend. The water was deep, dark and screamed steelhead, but the water was just too vast. We tried to cover as much water as we could but never tied into a fish.
We then relocated to a place we had fished last time with some success. With just an hour or so of daylight to spare, we launched the boats and tried to salvage the dismal day. We were all quite discouraged having not landed a single fish this day. I was loading my boat back on the trailer when I looked upriver to see Kevin's boat drifting downstream with the net out. Apparently Richard had saved the day with a fish at last light as they free-drifted back to the launch.
Day 3 found us at The Private Hole; for Camron and Richard had seen some guys have some success in the run below. We call this run "Moe's Run". We split up, with 2 of us below in Moe's Run and 2 of us in the hole. Neither group had any success until about 10 am when I moved down to Moe's Run. I made a cast, drifting my indicator right down the waves in the main current. My indicator sunk and I just stared at it. The indicator stayed down for several seconds before I thought, I guess I better at least try a hookset. It's probably just the bottom but you never know. I set the hook and a steelhead came alive, dancing on the end of my line. I was quite surprised to say the least. After a short battle, we scooped the fish into the net and I was on the board with my first steelhead of the trip.
As the day progressed, Camron picked one up in the run and then Kevin followed suit.
Some of our "friends" just downstream of us slowly relocated to some slack-water I assumed would never hold fish. We could see them pointing in the water and casting to where they had been pointing. Then they starting catching fish. I had to walk downstream to see what the fuss was all about. Turns out they were sight-casting to cruising groups of steelhead; something we never get to do because the water is never this low and clear. They began picking up fish on a regular interval and invited us to join. It was pretty fun to see a 3 foot fish in 4 feet of clear water eat your fly. We all gave it shot and picked up a few fish.
We finished the day much more successful than the previous, with everyone landing a few fish.
Day 4 we decided to return to The Big Rock. We knew there were fish there and it also gave us the option to fish the corner hole below. We thought if the morning was slow, we'd return to the main with the boats.
The morning started slow like most do. Camron and Kevin moved downstream and disappeared around the corner, leaving Richard and I to prospect the super deep, cold waters of The Big Rock. An hour or so had gone by and Camron and Kevin had still not returned. Richard decided to grab his things and venture down there to see how they were doing. I continued casting, but after another 45 minutes alone I wondered if something good was happening down there. Then I saw Camron hiking back up.
"Dude, you gotta get down here. We're in the run below and it's stacked with fish. I landed one, Kevin lost one and the guy across from us has hooked like 8 since we've been there."
I hastily grabbed my gear, anxious for some fish and also a walk, because my feet were freezing! We came around the corner to see Richard hooked up and Kevin ready with the net. The sun was also starting to shine; life was good!
I squeezed into the run at the top above Camron and was into a small fish in short order. I decided the little hatchery male would come home with me and get smoked.
Richard hooked into another, then Camron. How did we luck into a spot stacked with fish?
Despite the success we were having, I was intrigued by the corner hole above us. No one had tried it this morning and I knew there would be fish in it; I'd just have to learn how to fish it. I crossed the river at the riffle above it and began looking around. Areas I thought were deep and un-wadable were actually shallow shelfs that dropped off quickly into deep water. This spot was looking better with each step! I got in a good looking spot and began casting. I was practically fishing off my rod tip when my indicator slowly sunk. I set the hook hard and felt the slow give and take of a large winter steelhead. Score! It's always fun learning new spots and having success when you figure out where the fish are located.
The fish popped off after a short fight and I resumed casting. My very next cast resulted in another hookup. After that one came off, my third cast brought forth another. By now, Kevin had come up with the net to give me a hand.
"Kevin, you gotta get up here and join me. This spot is sweet, and this is 3 casts for 3 fish!" I said, as Kevin helped me net the fish.
Kevin then got into prime position and it wasn't long before he was into his first fish of the day, and his first steelhead on a fly rod!
By noon, the action had slowed in the run below and all 4 of us were fishing in the corner hole. The action wasn't slow for us though; we were consistently hooking up, including our first double of the day.
The sun was shining and fish were coming to the net! Richard landed a 38 inch hatchery male and I landed a 37 inch wild male.
Richard hooked up, then myself; sweet, another double! We scooped both fish into the net and I looked upstream to see Kevin set the hook on a fish. Wow, a triple!
"Dude, we've never had a triple." I said, now holding the net.
"Well shoot! I better at least try to get us a quadruple." Camron added, grabbing his rod.
Just as we were netting Kevin's fish with the same net that was holding the other 2, Camron hooked up. All of us lost our minds. This had turned into an outstanding day. Netting a fish with three 30+ inch steelhead already in the net was no easy feat, but we did it. This is also a good reason to pack a large net when steelhead fishing. I walked downstream to recruit a camera man to catch this unforgettable moment.
We sent the 4 fish back to the depths and celebrated with hugs, high fives and deep sighs. We continued on, for the afternoon was still young. Fishing continued to be hot until nearly sunset. We even had another double!
