the Tailout May 2020 tailout_may2020finalx | Page 5

EDITOR’S LETTER
It’s There For the Taking.
You Just Need to Take It.
M
arch hit me like a freight
train and kept pulling me
down the track through
the month of April. The
coronavirus was a gut
punch that still has everyone catching
their collective breath.
Life as we know it changed in a
matter of days. We have been forced
to live our lives differently. I suspect
you were like me. I hunkered down
and kept to myself until I couldn’t
stand it any longer. So you know
what I did? I went fishing. Weird,
right? For two days I drove to one
of my go-to spots on the Sandy
River and fished alone. The second
day the river was high and muddy.
That didn’t deter me. I fished any-
way knowing full well my chances
of catching a steelhead were slim
to none. As muddy water swirled
around my legs, I mindlessly cast into
the Sandy. It was cathartic. Medicine
for the psyche.
Then three days later I drove to the
coast and fished with a good friend.
The river conditions were perfect. I
hooked four steelhead and landed
three. If you think fishing a river a
near-sighted farmer would have mis-
takenly plowed is cathartic then you
know what a 12-pound steelhead will
do for the soul. It was part lightning
bolt and a glass of single malt scotch
rolled into a five minute fight with a
fish. Energizing yet soothing.
I didn’t necessarily need to catch a
fish, but I did need to get away from
the office and remind myself what is
important in times like this. Or more
aptly put, forget momentarily about
times like this.
We are in the midst of a pan-
demic. That much is true. Parts of
our economy are getting crushed.
Small businesses are taking it on the
chin. Fishing was altered, and in the
state of Washington it was closed. I
could make a list a mile long of how
this pandemic has sucker-punched
everyone reading this, but you get
the point. And while it’s easy to get
bogged down in the trappings of
the pandemic let’s not forget what
we have at our disposal — natural
resources that answer the call when
we need it most.
I’ll be the first to admit that I often
take for granted the opportunity in
my back yard. I found it 15 minutes
from my house and on a lonely
stretch of river two hours from my
house. It was there for the taking. I
just needed to take it. And I would
encourage you to do the same. Op-
portunity is out there if you want to
look for it.
And while our “opportunities”
seem to dwindle each day I would
argue that there are plenty to be found
assuming you have the gumption to
find them. It’s easy to get mentally
fatigued with the steady barrage of
the coronavirus pandemic, yet I’m
convinced there is still plenty of good
things waiting to be had. There are a
lot of fish to be caught. I, for one, am
looking forward to fishing for spring
chinook on the Columbia River again.
I’m planning ahead for the summer
salmon season. And the summer
steelhead season. And when the leaves
start to fall in autumn, I’ll be waiting
to intercept any unsuspecting salmon
or steelhead on its way home.
As this issue of the Tailout hits
your inbox we are starting to see
good news on the horizon. The
restrictions that were placed upon
us have been lifted. It’s now legal to
fish in Washington again. Just the
sound of that sounds strange, but for
those of us who wanted to fish in
the Evergreen state that opportunity
was taken away from us for a month
and a half. Now that were seeing
flashes of good new, it’s time to pull
on the waders, trailer the boat, bait
your hooks, tie your flies, and wade
metaphorically into the wake of the
pandemic. It’s time to appreciate
what was once denied us, and what
we denied ourselves. Because there’s
plenty for the taking.
Admittedly, it’s easy to get lost in
muddy water, but it’s also important
to remind ourselves there’s clear
water and willing fish ahead. I’m just
sorry it took a pandemic for me to
recognize it.
PAT HOGLUND
Publisher, Executive Editor