Could it be that I caught my first 'Ho today?
Is it possible?
Yes. Well ok, not really. I better tell my personal most ironic fishing story ever.
I left this morning by 6 am, and headed across the Lion's Gate and up to the Hatchery to park and hike. Sun still hadn't made an appearance so I headed over to cable pool with my flashlight to take a peek. Water was up but nothing too drastic.
Guided by my flashlight and the sound of the river, I hiked on for a stretch, and came to a stop when my flashlight beam showed me my trail had come to an end…which made no sense at all because I was sure I hadn’t made a turn off. After a minute to think and shine the light around, I realized what must have happened. Sometime during the night, the forest bedding gave way above and there was a slide, which covered the trail and knocked the fencing down into oblivion. I was able to get an idea how bad it was. Nothing too damaging…but had anyone been walking by at that moment they would have been swept a 100 feet down by the mud and trees. Keep your head up if your at the Cap in the next few days…there’s some of the sections that look like it wont take much more rain to bring ‘em down. So I walked over the debris and a few minutes later was setting up at the spot. A few small fish we’re rising, and some fellows had arrived across the pool. Anyways, to make a long story short, after about 2 hours of drifting pink wool around, I had nothing to show. I just happen to glance down into the water just to the left of my feet, and there in the water, not 2 feet from my left foot, was a Coho, maybe 5 pounds. It was practically right up on the rock…and it was just sitting there opening and closing it’s mouth at this spot where a small stream of water comes down the rock. Now, having casted probably 5000 times with spinners, drifted enough wool to make sweaters for 10,000 needy children, and hurled a world of spoons around with nothing to show…my first reaction was to kick it. Kick it for having the nerve to mock me this way. Instead, I nudged it gently away with my rod tip, and it swam right back to the same spot. I continued casting, and after a few minutes noticed it’s head was almost right out of water, looking right at me…it was kind of eerie. So I nudged it again…and it returned to the same spot. Finally I put my rod down, and stepped over and grabbed it by the tail. It didn’t really react, so I spun it around so it was facing back into the pool, and gave it the ‘ol back and forth a few times. All of a sudden it tail splashed me and swam into the current. I’m going to call that a legitimate catch as of the moment I had one hand on his tail, and one on the belly
So anyways...who wants to venture a guess as to what the h3ll was going on in that fishes head...