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.
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