Fall Bangin’!
Got back from Alaska and went straight to it! Had 6 trips that had to end with me coming back home due to a neck injury. It’s unfortunate as I had to cancel a week of work and miss out on the amazing fishing. The Trinity is going off! I was having a blast out there man. Great clients, a lot of good fish hooked up and lost, amazing weather and salmon…every where.
When I left the trees were turning orange. The temperatures were swinging 30-40 degrees a day! Insane. On the 13th though, it was 42 degrees and dumping on us. I was cold! That made for some good conditions. Super rad day with some new clients. Can’t wait to get back out on the river with those guys again.
As I write this, the water was brought back down the 300 CFS on Oct 16. Got to fish it at 450 for a bit and I felt that was perfect. Now, I am very grateful I have a raft. It’s low and clear. Therefore, if you want to catch any fish of size, you have to hide from em’. Be a little sneaky. Sometimes that’s hard to do on a boat so I simply ask my clients to try their best to cast down and away from us. OR, you can focus on the heavy riffles. They’re in there. Caught a lot of fish in riffles below salmon. I have not been getting any fish in slow moving pools. That just doesn’t start becoming the jam until it gets colder.
Fish of all size have been hooked up. Hatchery fish, wild fish, halfies, and whoa…are there a lot of halfies. It’s awesome.
Now I know fly fishing has a thing about the way you fly fish. Sometimes, some people do it better than others because they don’t use bobbers. And other times, people just want to have fun and don’t care about how they catch their fish but if you are open to using beads and fishing behind salmon, there are steelhead there. A lot of them. Of course, we ask you stay OFF the redds. Do not go stomping through salmon spawning grounds just to get the cast you want. Please. I don’t care how you fish for steelhead honestly, but just stay off the salmon redds. And I’ll say it again, there are PLENTY of steelhead head by the salmon right now.
That should be the name of the game until the end of November so I am excited to get back out there. We did some swinging on a combo trip with just a few grabs but the action was on the nymphs and the beads.
Oh, but then there is October Caddis hatching up top. That’s the location to focus on traditional techniques this time of year. Which I plan to do on my day off this next weekend. Yep, I have the weekend off…I need rest. DAMNIT!
So the neck…well, I get back this week and I am going to give her a go. Some old injuries rearing their ugly head in my neck. It’s time I consider how old I actually am and give my body the respect it deserves. I need to prep myself better for rowing. This shit beats me up and my neck paid for it. MRI this week and been doing a bunch of physical therapy. I’ll be back out there in no time…and I am excited as I finish up this fall season and then head straight to MAGBAY! Wish you were here. I am old.
Thanks for reading the reports. Fish riffles, use nymphs and beads, swing if you want to look cool. Go up top for evening October caddis hatches. Find the salmon, find the steelhead. I am booked for rest of the fall season but if you want a trip, I have dates open in January and February. Holler for a trip.
Cheers,
Mario Guel
