North 40 Fly Shop eMagazine December 2016 | Page 25

in my journey as a steelhead fisherman. My mind was already onto the next run. Where can we get out of the wind? What lines do I have in the boat that perform better in these types of conditions? It was at that point in time when I saw a steelhead, happy and angry at the same time, engage in a shark-like showdown with my fly. I pulled the remaining slack out of my swinging line. I’m not sure why, for some steelhead it seemed god intervened, but it certainly wasn’t for the sake of my sanity. After that moment my understanding of the enigmatic nature of fishing a swung fly for steelhead would not grow, but decrease. Some days they come right when they’re supposed to. Not that day. I have never fished a run the same, since that hot, windy day on the river. I was in disbelief. Feeling the weight of that fish was as dumfounding as having a steelhead jump out of the river and into the boat, or like one falling out of the sky. There was no “there he is” or “fish on.” Of every cast I have ever made in my life, it had to be that one? Really? Remember, fish out every run with conviction and leave no stone unturned. Even a blind squirrel finds an acorn every once in a while. 25