Steelies on the Sky!!! Leave a reply
It's been one of "those" years for local steelhead anglers.
The hatchery fish were late and spring runoff -thanks to El Nino- is early.
Fortunately so are the wild steelhead! After taking something of a year "off" last year, pulling a no-show on many Puget Sound streams, reports of solid numbers of wild fish are more the rule rather than the exception.
After years of guiding up and down Western Washington, it's a rare treat to get an invitation to fish in somebody else's boat. So, when my friend Derek Anderson of Screamin' Reels Guide Service gave me a call, it was a no brainer!
Derek had a feeling that the wild steelies were sneaking into the Sky a bit early, and after the last high water the Skykomish was dropping, clearing, perfect! We hooked up with my good friend Larry Stauffer and the plan was set!
Larry climbs into Derek's custom sled, there are no other boats in sight and the river looked "Steelhead green".
As we left the ramp I looked up river and thought I saw something roll, sure enough, a seal! Here we were, in the middle Skykomish and a seal was chasing steelhead.
"Well, he didn't swim up here for the exercise." Derek said, "There's probably a few fish around."
I didn't like seeing them either but in a bass-ackwards way, it was something of a good sign.
Leaving the seal in our wake, Derek twists the throttle and we head for a "Marine Mammal Free" stretch of river.
Free drifting from the sled was the technique of the day and Derek is a master practitioner of the art. From the jet sled, free drifting or boondogging is simple in description but the subtleties of this technique take years to master. The biggest challenge is for the boat operator as he needs to read the water in order to position the sled in the drift to give the anglers their best opportunity. Make no mistake, the guy on the tiller handle can make or break your day on the river!
Derek was out to make our day and Larry's day was made by the fight put up by our first fish of the day!
Larry and Derek pose with this dandy hen, a wild chromer still sportin' sea lice!
We had to cover a bit of water to hook up again but it was well worth the wait! This jumbo hen grabbed our gear and gave us a ride back up river!
We have a rare set of conditions on our area rivers right now. The calendar says "January" but the thermometer says "April". The wild steelies are agreeing with the thermometer but don't wait! Early closures loom on both the Snohomish and Skagit systems. Time is short so tilt the odds in your favor and give Derek Anderson of Screamin Reels a call. He will point you in the right direction and like me, you might just find out how his guide service got it's name!