Tough Conditions Trip 4/12-13

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Fished out of Cranor's Wednesday and Thursday. Water release was vacillating between 26,000 and 30,000 cfs. Much trash in the water from debris pulled loose by water that high. Hard to fish, especially when the speed of the water altered usual locations. And ways to fish them.

Wednesday we only caught four browns, although I had a good fish pull off. Those we put in the boat were not large. Dave Crisenbery, with whom I have fished before with excellent results, was not a happy camper. We all resolved to get up the next day and do better.

Between 7:30 and 10:00 we caught two dink rainbows. I thought Dave was going to have a stroke. He said bad words.

Then he tried a new tactic. We drifted out in the current in the middle of the river. No more fishing where back eddies met the current. No fishing runs where dips, humps, or points created quiet water where the fish could rest and wait for the current to bring food. Just down the middle over gravel.

Between 10:00 and 11:30 we caught 6 fine browns; not trophies but decent 18 to 21 inch fish.

We had to leave at noon, but his last minute changes turned the trip from poor to fun.

The pictures show the current flow, day one and day two fish.

I know - not a brag report - but sometimes trips are not what you had hoped to happen. Guides cannot change conditions.

Maybe we should have taken up fly fishing and gone with @netboy.