Rivers blown out, but Creeks are not!

Decided to sleep in my first day of break. Woke up at 10:00 to the smell of breakfast cooking downstairs. Thanks Mom! Decided to hit up some creeks today considering how high the main rivers are. Got the car packed fairly quick considering I had nothing setup, and was off to some creeks I've been wanting to try. They should be in good conditioning due to the fact that they've had almost two days to calm down. Anyway I pull into the parking lot of the first creek, slip on my waders in the front seat, and it hits me... I left the wading boots in the garage! Damn it. Looks like my new Timberlands are going to have to due the job today. I am going to have to catch fish now. I slip on the boots, get my rods, and descend the cliff down to the water. Looks great, except its alittle too muddy. I fish for over an hour without seeing any fish and call it quits. Time to hit the next creek.




















I reclimb the cliff, hop in the car, and take a trip over to the next creek. This one is in completely different condition. The water has a nice tint to it and is running slightly low. I start walking up to the first hole and talk to a centerpinner. He has caught two in the hole already. Now at least I know there is fish here. I continue walking up the creek and suddenly two steelhead splash and run. Damn, I should have been looking. I find them and fish for them in a few inches of water, but they are spooked so I move on. I get up to the waterfall at the top of the creek and begin to fish. There has to  be fish in this pool!




















I slip on a single egg, salmon egg and drop in in the run. Feel a few taps set the hook and out comes a creek chub. O wait, this is a steelhead smolt. Pretty cool actually, and a good sign. I think its a wild one considering they don't stock this creek.

I recast in the run a few more times and I feel my egg get stop and I set the hook. BAM, a big hen explodes in this tiny pool I'm fishing. I barely have enough room to fight her in, and she bolts down river into an open shallow stretch. I eventually land her after at least ten minutes and ask the only other fisherman on the creek to snap a picture.

We talk alittle, and I trot back up to the pool and first cast hook into a tank. It's a dark buch and he is jumping and rolling in this tiny pool. I can barely handle him considering I only have 3lb leader on! He also leaves the pool like the previous hen and bolts down into the fisherman below me's pool. I apologize and he says he enjoys the show. He kindly lands it for me and snaps a picture. I offer to let him fish up in my hole, but he says he is getting action in his already.

 I also took a quick video during the fight to give viewers an idea on how small this pool is.

 

I return back to the pool to only catch another smolt. I figure there is more in here, but I am running out of time to wait on them so I head back down stream. I stop at a nice run and take a few casts and hook into a skipper, quickly land him, and back in he goes. In a few hours he will probably be up at the dam I was just fishing at.

 I continue on and hit the last run close  to the lake. In a few drifts I hook into a super dark buck. It jumps and fights for several minutes, and I finally land him. This fish has been in the creek for a couple days due to how dark he is. I release him and call it a day. 6/6. My best day so far and hope to be back out on the rivers Monday. They should be fishable.

Until next time, Tight lines....