It’s a funny thing about large snow-pack summers – we want the fish-related benefits for spawning success and over-all water abundance through the summer and fall, but we sure don’t like the higher water that comes when the weather even sneeze’s for a few hours.
Such was the case as the first group of the season dropped out of the sky in West Coast Heli’s A-star helicopter and onto the already snow-melt swollen Dean River.
A rain-storm more typical of January on the Hoh brought the water up significantly and reminded us all of who’s boss. This may have set the group back for fishing, but as all were experienced anglers, it was taken in stride as the hand dealt us to start the trip.
Yet casts were being made early in the week and fish were on the beach soon after, first a nice fresh Steelhead for Louis Cahill, then a Jack Chinook, then a few more Steelhead all around, some big hand-shakes, and Andrew Bennett seeing a show stopper Steelhead mega exit the little tidal side-channel he was fishing and it was gone.
All in all, the week ended with fish. Typically the biggest salmon push of the season comes this week and although it didn’t end as great as it could, the opportunities were there and the gang enjoyed them.
Leave a Reply