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This report is for the North Fork. I am still smiling while I write this. I would love to rate this a 5++ but, I really went thru some mental battles over this entire Steelhead season. Getting skunked and skunked and skunked, I was feeling extremely frustrated. I hit the river at 5am on Sunday morning. The past few days the temperature was well below freezing and windy. I did have high hopes finding my spot fairly empty with only 1 other guy there. I started off glowballing with no luck. I tried every imaginable color combination in my tackle box.
The other guy was drifting shrimp under bobber with no takedowns. The sun started coming up and I tried drifting eggs and corky. Nothing. Tip for you guys who use braid and trying to get your line into the bobber. Tie it to mono and then slide it thru. I tried for about 10 minutes when finally the other guy told me the trick. Sooo, when I was trimming the bobber stop, I ended up cutting my mainline. "Going to be one of these days again huh jens," I said in silence with a few adult words. So finally, I was ready to go. Bobber, inline sinker, hook and eggs. I cast out, the bobber drifted above the hole, a fish jerked violently and immediately took off. I called out "fish" to the other guy, but then I felt slack. "You gotta be kidding me!!" I reeled in and I notice the fish broke my 8lb leader. Again, all was against me since I realized my 12lb leader was in my car. I asked the other guy if I could use some of his, he graciously gave me some. I retied. Cast out, BAM! I called out "fish" but somehow his line was tangled into mine. "Are you related to "kinghunter" or something," I thought to myself. We somehow managed to get his line free and I was able to continue this battle. This fish was strong and I had every negative thought going thru my mind. I loosened my drag a bit and just let him tire. The other guy jumped in the water with me to help me land it since neither one of us had a net and of course when the fish seen him, it took off. I finally got him into a nice flat cove and the guy reached into the icy river and got ahold of its tail. Whew. I did it. I did it.
A big shout out to curado. Thanks man. I owe you.
Until next time...
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