The picture of Ron and Bob says it all: these guys, two friends of mine, are a barrel of fun. Ron the bamboo rod maker and Bob the golfer share an infectious enthusiasm for life and the out-of-doors, making a day with them on the water a special pleasure. With the river running over 4,000 cu. ft./sec., though, fly fishing steelhead is not easy. Even if you’re on fish, the high water makes line management and take detection a challenge. The guys fished hard, yet, even though I dropped anchor at spot after spot throughout the morning searching for that happy spot, we experienced nary a take. As is so often the case, however, when I fired up the grill and start cooking, the guys started hooking! And so it was; in a flash, all those casts yielding zippo takes were forgotten as the fish heeded the dinner bell, big-time. Hook-ups came steadily making for exciting fishing. Soon, Ron was feeling fine with a number of skipper males he was hooking, as the picture attests, but when Bob closed the deal on the boss buck he holds, Ron had to doff his hat in deference to his friend’s success. Even better, the weather was travel brochure perfect with pleasant temps, light winds, and plenty of bone-warming sunshine. All in all, a totally satisfying blast!
Thanks guys! Can’t wait ’till we hook up on the Coldwater!
Captain Tom Kuieck
