Well my fishing partner (and wife) is really busy at Christmas stuff, and tells me if I want to go fishing it will have to be without her, so I decide to take her up on it and go out for a couple of hours. I have been looking out the front windows at the river, it looks so inviting, glassy water, outside temp. is 33*, and not a single boat on the water, too good to pass up.
I get the boat hooked up and head for Couse Creek to launch. It is 2:30pm when I look at my watch, only about an hour and a half to fish, so I head down river about four miles to a favorite drift that almost always produces Steelhead. About half way, there is a big, open guide boat with so many rods sticking out, it looked like a porcupine, I cruise by them and wave, relieved that they were not in the hole that I was headed for.
The water is still glassy as I power down, and point the bow upriver, look at the fishfinder, the water temp. is 42*, what a great day to be chasing Steelhead. Well I doctor the plugs up with Shrimp scent, and get the lines in the water, in about five minutes my rod takes a smashing hit, I pull it out of the holder, and after a couple of tugs it is gone. Continued a very slow back troll, near the end of the drift my rod gets a really hard hit, but no hookup. At this point in time I decide to try another stretch of water that is not very far off.
Get to the start of the drift at the new location, and put the lines out, in just a few minutes my rod goes down, finally got a good hook set, fells like a good fish, makes two long runs, and comes out of the water three times, after about twenty minutes I slide the net under a beautiful Steelhead, there just isn't anything in fishing, that is better than catching one of thes trophys. It's starting to get pretty dim, so I button things up and head for the launch. Barb said she would go with me tomorrow, so if we are lucky enough to catch one, I will submit another report. We are so fortunate to be able to do what we do. Ken

---