Ending 2015 with a bang and a couple bobber downs.

Skykomish River
7:30AM-3:50PM
Okuma SST 10'6" ML
Okuma Celilo 8' UL

This has been the most amazing year of my fishing career thus far. I gained my wings, catching personal firsts and breaking personal bests along the way. The fish were the product of meticulous studying and spending time on the water. Perhaps my greatest accomplishment has been learning how to read a river in order to find fish that can be highly spread out. Venturing far from the crowds and the busy interstates and highways, I take away from this year many memories I will never forget.

So why not give the Sky one last go before the year runs out?

The day started slow, with temperatures well below freezing. Iced guides, numb hands and lethargic fish all made for a quiet couple of hours. At one point I took a small nap on the riverbank, letting the day progress a little and the fish warm up too.

The fish sort of switched on in the blink of an eye. Trout and char started to swirl about on my offerings, making for a fun tug-of-war as the day approached noon. I also had a fish grab my jig, then shoot straight up and hit the float. I had no idea what it was, but it looked to be around six pounds or less... So a bull trout? Coho? Steelhead? I don't know. All I know is that I reeled in a jig-less setup after that encounter.

So I re-tied one of my favorite clear water patterns and hucked it out. A little depth adjustment, and the next cast, my float sunk. Setting the hook I expected to feel a snag because I purposely adjusted my float a couple feet down in order to find out how deep the water was. Turns out I was plenty deep enough, and a good sized steelhead had taken my offering.

I have learned to take my time when fighting these fish and keep a loose drag in order to preserve the 8lb Copolymer leader I run. The jigs I buy run sturdy Mustad hooks and are razor sharp and super strong, so losing a fish due to a bent hook or poor penetration is sort of out of the picture. I have only lost 1 steelhead on them this year due to the hook being thrown, and that was about ten seconds into a fight.

So, ten minutes later, I bring a decently bright but nearly spawned out hatchery hen of 29". I suppose it was an early winter or late summer run to be spawning now. She was donated to the Horning & Friends Freezer (I often share my fish) and I threw another cast out.

The float disappeared again. Whap, another fish, this one bigger than the last. A big ol' boot of a buck had taken to my jig and sped about the surface of the water, going airborne and peeling line. This colored up dude was a hatchery summer run of 31". He was dark so I released him.

Boot of the year!

The next one came quickly afterward on a different jig and was another colored fish of 27". This one had some sort of wicked desire to swim between my legs and break me off, like steelhead love to do, but didn't succeed. When the fish get close, my feet lock together. I debated keeping this guy but he was colored up as well and really he just seemed to pretty to keep. I put him back as well. I didn't get a great picture (blurry) of him but oh well, the exquisite boot coloration still showed up nice.

A nice Char ended the day and I headed home. One of my best days of fishing this year for sure.

Awaiting the next outing and the next year!

Tight, unbroken lines, Happy New Year!

---