A late start and mild heat stroke.....

I got a very late start on things today. I had to take the truck in to get a pair of tires and didn't get on the water until 11:30am. Probably not the best idea on a sunny baby blue day.

I hiked up and down the bank for a few miles. I got into this obscenely fat female which was the width of my hand and landed one other fish today.

I thought I was getting heat stroke as the sun beat down on me later in the afternoon but that just because I was walking so far.

I had the pleasure of meeting Brian Kelly from Watertown on the bank today. He was in the area on business so he brought his fishing stick to keep him busy in his free time.

Good job on some nice fresh runners Brian.

I will be at early tomorrow.

http://www.fishinggeeks.net/

Gotta see it to believe it.

www.fishinggeeks.net

A trickle from the faucet.........

Another day of scouting with a pleasant surprise.

A few of them are slowly trickling in.

Any sign of life is a good thing.

More scouting

Scouted the Catt with Bill and Frank today in the early morning for a few hours. Nothing overly exciting to report yet.

To the left is a picture taken by Bill displaying large chunks of 300 to 500 lb pieces of shale that were pushed down stream by the flood waters from god knows where. Quite a display of the power of water.

These morning walks are going to shed 15lbs off my frame if I keep it up. Bill is going to put me in my grave. He is half jack rabbit and half billy goat. He just never tires. I just look at Frank and he shakes his head as Bill navigates himself over boulders, shale fields, and swift water.

Give me what ever he is eating.

Das Boots Scouting Report

It's about time I get off my lazy rear end and start posting. I have been giving the new waders and boots a workout as I have been scouting the streams for changes and fish since the third week of August.

First of all I love the boots. They are lug soles with studs so when you get walking through muck or up muddy banks they really dig in. Thank you Bill Shearer for the advice on this boot. I would still be sitting on the fence about what I should buy if it wasn't for you. I love the toe room too.

Now only if I can get that Kingpin I dream about....................:)

Back to the fishies. I am sure you all remember the wet rainy summer we had capped off by some very cool nights toward the end of August. Well during my scouting of streams both big and small starting the third week of August; Steelhead showed their pretty little faces in a few of our mid sized and small streams much to my joy and surprise. One morning I nearly shat myself to find 30 steelhead sitting in a hole. Well I did a little fishing back then and caught a few but most of the time was spent observing stream changes and just enjoying my little early season steelhead Easter egg hunt. You never know unless you look I guess.

The bummer is that the last few weeks have had warmer temperatures and a lack of rain. The above conditions resulted in the mid sized and small streams drying up to just about nothing and the majority of the steelhead that I previously encountered made their way back to the lake. So best bet is to cast the spoons and spinners at the mouth or heave some streamers out their in the great big blue.

The flood waters of August have really done a number on the Big Girl. You know how that goes? Bends where their were no bends;pools where their were no pools, and unfortunately some pools and runs filled right up with gravel and rock. She tends to be murky and chalky most days even with low flows which I would surmise that when it does rain, she is going to stay muddier for longer periods than normal. But as you know we are all at the mercy of the steelhead gods and must play the cards we are dealt every year.

Sorry I don't have any great stories or pics right now but it is early and we need precipitation and cooler nights to get things rocking.