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Went down to the Skookumchuck for the afternoon bite today. Started at 2pm and fished until dark. We wandered a bit in the lonely fields before heading up top to play with the rest boys.
Saw fish rolling up and down the river, but the majority were up in the corner hole. Apparantly it had been slow until I showed up. The water has dropped dramatically since Saturday, and visibility has dropped to about 6 inches.
The go to rig for me today was a yarn ball under a float. My first take down was a quick nibble that promptly turned into my bobber swimming upstream at an increasing pace. I nailed the fish hard to the hook and I'm pretty sure he didn't even know he was hooked at first. He dug under and mad dogged the bottom until he catches a glimpse of the bank. At this point I'm sure it's probably a dark rainbow buck like we've seen rolling around everywhere, but It gets one look at me, I get a look at it and then so does everybody on the bank, as it tail dances towards the far bank. Line singing, and this fish has shiny shoulders like a california governor. That moment when you realized that the situation turned from good fun to serious happened and everyone that had their line out reeled up right quick. The fish was amazing. The guys and I were talking about a big dark buck that they'd caught early, about 14 or so pounds, and lamenting that we would have liked to have hooked it when it was a chromer. Well, I hooked one. One of the guys with a net got ready for it and I'd played it out so I'm bringing it to the bank. It's got a little fight left and make a dash for a few feet and it's just sitting in the slack three feet from shore, resting and - tink! He's gone. Just like that.
It happens to the best of us, but man, it still hurts.
I retie and switch up. The next take down comes like a little trout about 45 minutes later. When I hammer it home, I can't barely budge the fish, but I sure could make him angry. As soon as he feels steel he bolts for the far side and downstream. I was running 12 pound maxima, which rates at 15 compared to most lines now, I wasn't messing around anymore. But I couldn't turn this fish. I've got my drag cinched tight and my thumb on the spool and he's maddogging me like a 30 pound king and I have no choice but to follow him down. He finally takes a rest right before the tail out, and I catch my breath, but it was just a break. I've got my thumb down so hard on the spool that I'm getting blisters and cuts from the mono, but he still takes off on another run down and then up into the sticks and frees himself. Not once did I see this fish, but anything with shoulders like that has got to be a hawg. Especially for these hatchery fish.
Third fish hooked and it's a charger. Charges the bank as I'm reeling up on it trying to keep up with it. It does some jumps and rolls, but I'm playing it super safe this time and keep it down and out of the sticks. I get it's head and she's done, just some thrashing and I drag it up on the bank as the net guy had gone home. Was a very nice bright chrome hen maybe 7 or 8 pounds. Bonked and bled on the stringer and I'm taking a break for a bit.
We kept at it for a while until dark, with a few more nibbles, but nothing solid. The homewater boys hooked a decent amount of rosy to dark bucks while we were there, and a drifter in the rapids bagged a nice chrome buck, so I'd say the action was fairly steady.
Fishing with a rainbow yarnie soaked with sand shrimp oil, along with a gob of roe. Big puff balls, about an inch in diameter, drug along the bottom. I'd rate the amount of fish in the river at a 5, but they were having trouble getting connected with the bait, so it'll have to be a 4. When the water goes up and gets clearer, these fish will be able to see the bait better and the bite will pick up, but until then you have to go big and bold and get it smack dab in front of their face. It was a good day. I'm coming back for those monsters.
Nate Treat Fishing
Official WashingtonLakes.com Sponsor
"Specializing in Fishing Instruction and Shore Guiding on Washington's Rivers."
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