Another annual trip to fish the mouth of the Deschutes above The Dallas dam has come to a close. We met several fiends who also camped with us in the same park. What great times we had reliving the days fishing and enjoying great food together.

My trip started out with forgetting yhr salmon catch card at home which I discovered at 5:30 AM on Saturday the 3 rd. A quick trip up the hill to Goldendale where there is a 24 hour Chevron and store. They fixed me up and asked if $12.30 was OK? OK heck I would have given a hundred bucks if that's what it took!! I launched by myself and headed up to the fishing hole where my friends were already catching fish. Put out the Super Bait Hot Lava and proceeded to troll at the usual 2.3 mph. Looked over at my net and thought how will get that if my rod goes off? Moved the net out to where I could get it and not tow minutes later my rod did go off....screaming reel with three hundred feet of line out. Wow these fish are strong! I guided the boat out away from the crowd and kicked the motor into neutral as I fought this really strong fish. Another blazing run, man what fun.. Finally got the fish tired and got a look at it, what a chrome beauty. Now for the net; took a couple of tries but I finally got it in the net and hoisted over the side. What a rush I have never landed a fish that big by myself. Glad I didn't have a heart attack!! The fish was 22#, a bright chrome beauty.

The "bite" started at or just before sunup each day and was typically over by 8:30. The wind blew us off by 10 most every day. This was the windiest I have ever seen it. My sons mark and Jim joined me to fish the weekend of the 10th and Saturday turned out to be a stellar day with four fish. It just happened to be my turn when the third center rod went off; another screamer. Oh boy I thought it was going to spool me, man did this fish take line! No line counter but it took a LOT of line off the reel. We final got a look at the fish....holy mackerel it was HUGE! Finally got it in the net and it was the biggest fish of the trip at just under 35#. Life is good.

Woke up to high winds Sunday morning the 11th but decided to go out anyway since it was the boys last day. Boy did we get a boat ride in 5' waves. Finally called it a day with no fish. All in all a great trip, I love catching salmon!!

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