On Sunday, January 20th a group of three anglers and I fished the Wynoochee river between the 7400 road bridge and the White bridge launch area. The weather was mostly overcast with a few random raindrops falling on us throughout the day. We pretty much threw the kitchen sink at the fish-plugs, jigs, beads, bait, worms-you name it, in all imaginable presentation styles as the water was a bit on the high side (2500cfs) with just a foot or two of visibility. We hooked our first fish in the first 90 minutes or so of the day on a straight jig under a float but lost it in the same place I always get the most nervous about fighting a steelhead, right at the side of the boat. The rest of the morning and early afternoon wore on with just a couple other random bites and plug bumps, but we were determined to not give up on the day and it paid off in the second to last corner of the float when we were able to land a mint bright 10-11 pound buck on a bead under a float. Day saved! I think the fishing was a bit on the slow side because of the higher flows, but it should be good for hatchery steelhead at least until Valentines day, then the presence of steelhead will transition to more wild fish.

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