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Big Steel Hi Speed Only

Daylight found us knee deep in a run that Joey had familiarized himself with the previous day. It wasn’t long maybe three drifts and Joey’s line came screaming down river towards me. The battle lasted a short time, the big fish spit his offering and his line went slack. Steel 1 us 0. The day was young, we had plenty of water to cover and minimal pressure, no worries. We trudged upriver to a tailout of a large pool and set up shop. Jeremy was into a decent fish. He brought it to hand and we were officially on the board. With high spirits we decided to check out a couple of stretches that fish well at the current water level. After a hairy river crossing we reached a sweet piece of real estate above a set of hard rapids that looked like an ideal resting place for a weary steelhead. Jeremy had given it two drifts, got hung up and was re-rigging, “give it a drift while I retie” he said. I took him up on the offer and half way through the drift all hell broke loose! The indicator stopped, I raised my rod tip and the leviathan’s head broke the surface and shook back and fourth violently. Jeremy and I looked at each other speechless and totally stunned. The fish took off upriver with such force my fly line made a slicing noise as it ripped through the water column. Suddenly it turned on a dime and shot through the class two rapids and the foot chase began. The chromer covered 300 yards of water with me in tow. After a stressful fifteen minute battle Jeremy was able to get a hand on the mighty hen and we brought her to shore for a quick photo. During that moment all my cares and troubles vanished as if the current of the river had swept them away. Thoreau said it best, “many go fishing their whole lives without knowing it is not

fish they are after”. For me it is the instant in which I have just spoke of, when nothing else in the world seems to matter. Thanks for the memories guys.