Most of the fish along this 50-mile slip of water average
8-10 inches but the numbers can be good when vehicles are not throwing
themselves into the water which happens a lot for some reason. Larger fish can
be found in the 10-14 inch range by working deeper pools with patience or areas
that don’t get fished a lot (some sections get hit almost every day spring to
fall).
When I approach a section of river the first thing I do is
cast to the spot that looks most tasty. Maybe this is a pool of flat water
behind a rock or an eddy at the opposite shoreline. The biggest fish in the
area is probably going to fight for that spot and picking fish off nearby may
spook the lunker. In a tiny creek like this the good spots mean survival and
where the first cast always goes. Cast, cast, miss…that is how it often goes
for me on a creek bash. Cast again and move on.
After I have worked the sweet spot a few search casts go out
in a fan cast situation. I hit upstream and roll it down. Throw it downstream
and slow spin it back to me. 2 o’clock, 11 o’clock…sometimes I hit 6 o’clock by
accident and have to dig my presentation out of the trees.
Water is clearing up but still running pretty high. Most of
the drainages are working hard to keep the snowmelt moving where it needs to
go. If an angler waits for conditions to be perfect…that angler will hardly
fish at all.
My name is Matt and I’m a fishaholic
