Steelhead University - Fishing with Steelhead U Girl Bryanna

May 12, 2012

Took a MINOR break from fishing and went SHRIMPING this weekend!!! There really is nothing like hood canal shrimp in May! While we didn't get complete limits, we managed to leave with about 115 shrimp to 4 people.

After shrimping, Jeff and I headed to the Cowlitz to catch the afternoon bite. While I rigged up my rod and got my bait hooked up, Jeff managed to lose one and land another. In about 15 minutes, he got a jack! We fished until about 7 PM, but it was amazing weather and I knew I got fresh springer and shrimp when I got home! Celebrated mother's day with our moms, the sun, and a whole lot of food! Was a great weekend to say the least!
~Bry

May 5, 2012

Last week was a 4 day week at work and I couldn't WAIT for Drano Lake on Friday morning. We have been preparing for this for MONTHS! Here's a breif overview of how the weekend started:
1 AM: Alarm clock goes off.....SNOOZE! The first mistake of the day.
2 AM: "Jeff, get up! We gotta go!!!"
7 AM: boat launched and we are trolling with his dad and uncle! 2 rods with maglips, 2 rods while herring behind a flasher
7:30 AM: kicker motor dies and is not running.

We dock the boat and see what the problem is. The gas is not running through the motor properly. So we take it into Hood River to a marine shop and they give us some advice as to what MIGHT fix the issue. As we're taking off, we realize the wheel berring on the trailer is shot. Wonderful! We somehow managed to drive 4 hours to Drano, launch the boat, and drive a nother 30 minutes to Hood River before realizing there was an issue. We head to Les Shwab. And after seeing all their amazing reviews on commercials, we are sure to be on the water in no time....Right! They are "busy" and will get back to us this afternoon as to whether or not they can fix it. We eat lunch and try to pass the time. Go watch the toilet bowl with jealous faces and nap in the car. at 5 PM, we go back to Les Shwab and after it took all of 5 minutes for them to take the wheel off, they inform us they have to order a new axel and it will be ready on Wednesday.

"OK! Let's drive 4 hours back home!" Jeff and I stay up all night packing and switching gear to head to the Cowlitz and a successful weekend is exactly what we had! Jeff got his limit both days while I brought home one fish and we got to set the tent up for the first time this year. We did have a fantastic time at the Cowlitz, but let's hope 2013 Drano brings some better luck with the new boat!!

~Bry

April 29, 2012

Another successful weekend on the Cowlitz this weekend! I worked hard again at my schooling all day Saturday and Jeff came home with a special present for me; My very own 13ft free drifting rod!. Just a "little" something he thought I'd like to have. Lucky me and it must be one lucky rod! After missing TWO, yes TWO fish, I managed to get my limit. To be honest, I'm really not good at losing fish. I mean, I'm REALLY no good at losing fish! When fighting the first fish I landed, I noticed my leg shaking uncontrollably. When I was fighting the second fish I landed, the same thing happened. I just really didn't want to lose ANOTHER fish. Jeff took one look at my face and said "breath". I wasn't breathing!! Luckily, I landed them both and got to take a little afternoon nap :)

I certianly saw more winter steelhead thanspringers, but some were actually really nice steelhead! Jeff also lost a springer but landed a nice 12 lb steelhead! It was so nice to have my fishing buddy back this weekend and to get my first springer limit of the year all with a new rod! While Terry is having the trip of a lifetime up at the Skeena, I'll be spinning circles in the toilet bowl at Drano Lake. Be sure to check out Steelhead University the next two weeks for the reports!!!

April 21, 2012

I work hard and play harder. I've been focusing most of my time on my studies, especially the past month. We tried for springers a month ago on the Columbia and failed along with most of the river that weekend and came home empty handed and hungry for springers. Last weekend we got down to the Cowlitz for a few hours and Jeff got the pleasure of meeting this beauty while I brushed up on my drifting skills.

This weekend, I promised myself no homework, no errands, and plenty of fishing this weekend and I did just that. Jeff was busy working and I knew I would be flying solo so I would get to stay as long as I pleased. I headed down back to the Cowlitz on Saturday and it was slow pickins to start. I saw 3 fish caught before I enticed this beauty with my eggs around 1 PM. Being completely unprepared for the amazing weather we had, I was confined to under armour and my waders all day but I had the entire day to fish so I continued until 6 PM pleased with one of five fish that I saw caught that day.

Sunday, I headed back down and landed the second fish of the day by 8 AM on red Fire Cure egg/sandshrimp cocktail. I forgot my camera so no pic of that but it was about an 10 lb beautiful buck shaking scales all the way home. Being far more prepared for the hot weather, I lathered on the sunscreen and prepared myself for my first springer limit of the year. With all the time left in the day, I was certain that I would hook up again. Little did I know, the fish and I were not on the same page. With just one more fish caught around 10 AM, I still wasn't giving up. I fished for the next 6 hours trying every different bait combo/color/TRIO that I could think of but nothing was apetizing enough for the finnicky springer. The bite seemed to pick up around 3 PM with 4 more fish being hooked, but none on the end of my line.

Either way, I worked my tail off! I am exhausted, weak, tired, and sunburnt. Poor me....What a great weekend I had! It's was 100% worth all the work I have been doing just to get in some special springer time. :)

~Bry

April 03, 2012

I'll admit it....I'm a toilet bowl junkie. I love Drano lake. Even when fishing is slow, there is something about having boats within 3' of you on all sides and moving a max speed of 2 mph. Perhaps it's the sun that occassionally comes out, the clear aqua colored water, the many friends you make on the lake, or the many lures that bank anglers graciously give you by tossing them ever so gently into your boat. Among all of these wonderful things, the best part has to be the many spring chinook that stack up in this giant slew.
Although this year is no "record breaking" year, there are still expected to be plenty of springers to go around. With forecasts in the 9,000's, I am beyond excited to make the long journey down to Drano Lake. Excited to sit and watch the ever-so-slight thump of a rod with a prawn spinner on it to only be hammered by the most aggressive, head-shaking, chrome slab on the other end.
We are ready to go to say the least. With a little experimenting in the columbia, the rods are rigged, the herring is sitting patiently in the freezer, the flashers and plugs are cleaned with all swivels and hooks in tact, there are over 20 prawn leaders pre-tied, 20 dropper leaders, and the entire tackle box has been restocked. Now if only the fish were as ready as I am......
~Bry

March 18, 2012

It is March right? We ventured down to the Columbia for the first time this year and while the water was pretty high, the clarity was oddly pretty good. It snowed, hailed, sunshined, and blew cold wind all at the same time and there were over150 boats out all weekend. We didn't get to see any fish being caught, but heard of about 10 for the entire weekend. We were fishing in the area between highway 205 all the way down to I-5.

Big thanks to Mark Coleman from All Rivers Guide Service (http://allriversguideservice.com/fishingschedule.html) and Swanny from Swanny's guide service (http://www.swannysfishing.com/springers.html) for keeping me posted all week on the conditions. They both managed to be the few who did get into some fish!

I must admit I haven't been hitting the water as much as I'd like. With springers shortly approaching and a few other things going on, my mind has been elsewhere. We hit the Skookumchuk on Sunday and it was a beautiful day out (with a tiny snow shower). Jeff landed one and let it go "because I don't want no 6lb Jack". For those of you who listend to NWWC you'll know what he was talking about. It was one of a few fish seen caught but all were very bright fish!

Now Saturday. That was a show for sure! The NW Wild Country show!!! The topic was young nation and 221. In case you weren't listening in on the show, 221 is the number of 20+ lb steelhead caught by the general himself! It was a great time and extremely informative!

And at the peak of my "to do" March items......The 29th annual Salmon U saltwater fishing seminar!!! Touching basis on all types of saltwater fishing (and even the big C freshwater) there's at least one class for everyone! From crabbing to halibut to coastal steelies to springers on the Columbia. The dates are March 24th and 25th all day classes and even a chance in the evening to get more one on one advice from the pros on Saturday. Be sure to check out the details and purchase your tickets!!

My first time out there was nothing short of amazing. From the minute I arrived in Forks to the minute I took off my waders. I was invited by Teedub from http://sidedrifter.com/ to fish with Mike Z in search of the infamous wild coastal steelies. The weather, water clarity, and company couldn't have been better.

Mike was an amazing guide who never missed a beat. There are rivers that I thought Jeff and I knew like the back of our hands but it was nothing compared to knowledge that Mike had of his waters. From every rock to every drop-off, he was aware of exactly what was going on even without the slightest indication of the top water appearence. His hospitality on the river was truly nothing like I would have expected. He was extremely patient and truely a pleasure to be in company with on the river.

We caught both wild and hatchery fish that were all different in each individual way. There was no "cookie cutter" fish and with each bobber down held the anticipation of the first run or flash to see what engorged our lure. I was not only able to simply relax and enjoy the day, but with the knowledge of Mike, I was able to retain so much more knowledge than I ever would have going by myself. Answering questions all day and walking us through each step of his process. From beginners to the most experienced fishermen looking to either expand knowledge or just have a peaceful, relaxing day on the river, Mike Z will provide an amazing trip.

This trip was full of firsts for me and is certainly not a fishing trip that I will ever forget. Both Teedub and Mike made this trip amazing. This definitely isn't the last time you'll see me fishing with Mike in Forks!

Since all of the other rivers have been blown every weekend for the past couple weeks, I decided to head on out to the Skookumchuck where I heard there might be a few fish! Now, this is the river that I caught my very first steelhead and while it's certainly not my favorite, it holds a special place in my heart so I was a little excited to hear they were showing up.

We went on Sunday morning and figured it's a small river and still early in the season for that river we could get away with getting there right at daylight rather than before daylight to stake out a bank spot. We were sadly mistaken and upon arrival at 7:30 AM, there were already at least 25 vehicles that lined the road. We headed back down river and fished a few pockets with no success. Decided if there were that many people and they were all at the top, there had to have been a reason. After meeting up with a few friends they informed us they had caught a couple on jigs but it was packed on the back. We watched for a while and fished for a little bit in in-between empty pockets and Jeff managed to land one after I casted into a tree!

My favorite fishing quote is "you can't catch a fish if your line's not in the water" and the one fish we land was when my line was not even rigged up let alone in the water! Anyhow, we saw a total of 4 fish caught on Sunday including ours and at least 50 fishermen in the half mile stretch of the upper skookumchuck. I wasn't thrilled with the trip, but it was so good to be able to get out again after 3 long weeks of no fishing.

Well I have been traveling far and wide across the Pacific Northwest in search of some decent water and chrome. I really haven't had very much luck the past few weeks and was beginning to get discouraged. I fished the Bogy, Snoqualmie, Kalama and a couple coastal rivers finding no luck anywhere.

This weekend my bad luck was begining to end until it took a turn for the worse. The one that got away:
It was a nice day, just Jeff and I in the boat. I pulled divers (not the first time but the first time I did it successfully!) And got to row some pretty intense rapids. I got Jeff into a nice little 6 lb native after he got me into about an 8 lb hen which was released. On the last hole of the drift, I plopped my side-drifting rig with a hot pink prawn and cheater upstream a bit and instantr fish on! What a beauty she was! Jumping a total of 6 times and several shorter runs, I had her 2 ft in front of the boat. The bank guys were hooting and hollering with good jobs and way to go's. This was the most beautiful hatchery steelhead I had ever laid eyes on. I was shaking I wanted this trophy so bad. After managing to get her ALMOST to the boat, I gave one cranks too many and she spit the hook. It was tears the rest of the way to the launch but after Jeff tried for quite a while to cheer me up, I realized the best part of catching a fish is the fight, not the slab in the box or the picture on my wall. That is one fish I will not forget and will hopefully get to come across again. Maybe she has a brother that I could tango with ;)

It's sure been cold but there has been some pretty good action on the Snoqualmie. Some rain sure would help though!

Using my new custom Fetha Styx rod I was able to find this bright beauty. Float and jig worked best for me.

A how I've missed winter steelhead! The past couple weeks I have been lucky enough to hook into just a couple to get my blood ready! I've been targeting the coast a bit and hit the Bogachiel on Saturday! While the water was extremely high and colored, it was still barely fishable. I must say, between the couple rivers I've hit, the fishing hasn't blown my socks off, but still nice nonetheless to be on the water.

While the crowd was quite large on the Bogy, I managed to find a couple of very nice fly fishermen who graciously let me and my pink tackle bag and rods fish between them. Most of the guys there were drift fishing using over an ounce of weight because of the insainely fast water. These guys were fishing with indicators so I thought I would be as courtious to them as they were to me and throw out my bobber and jig. I must say, they may have been the most helpful people I have met on the river.

While I stood there staring at the water wondering how in the world I was supposed to fish water that fast and high, with a bobber, they graciously started throwing some details my way. I did end up hooking one but unfortunately lost it to that fast high water. I hooked it about 50 ft below where I was standing and the bank was basically a cliff so walking down wasn't an option. As I tried to hold that silver bullet against the current, it gave a jump and it was gone.

Not the way I want to start my winter steelheading excursions, but it was good to be out!

What a refreshing change of pace this weekend was! Not to say that I don’t miss the Humptulips or it’s amazing, monstrous fish (or the launching the boat in the dark, seeing another boat in your favorite hole, using several quart jars of eggs, having to release wild coho after wild coho only hoping the next will be hatchery, or the cheap motels in town so you can do it all over again the next day), but I was in dire need of some close-to-home fishing, sleep, and getting caught up on homework!
We drifted the Skok this weekend and it was a pleasure to be able to take out two people who just don’t go fishing enough! They didn’t quite understand the addiction that comes from fishing, but they sure were a riot to have on the boat as Jeff and I caught our fish! A few quotes I will share:

Jeff: Justin, why don’t you fish? Doesn’t Bryanna’s silver make you want to get one of those?
Justin: My hands are too cold. They are red and blotchy and they HURT!
Me: Put them in your pocket to warm them up really quickly.
Justin: I can’t. I have to drink my beer and urinate. How can I do that with my hands in my pocket?

Justin: This isn’t normal! Normal people do not stand in the rain all day to look for fish! I just don’t understand what is wrong with you guys!

After Jeff’s “free-spirited” brother hooked the first fish to the boat (nice silver), he decided it was time for a break after about 20 minutes. After about 40 minutes of break, he started casting a spinner. He accidently foul hooked a chum and didn’t realize that they fight a bit harder. He was huffing and puffing and grunting trying warn us that “this is a HUGE fish!” After getting a barbed hook stuck in his pants, being stabbed with a scent injector, losing fish because he thought they were tree-snags, and a day of wearing my pink FlyGal cap (he forgot a hood!), he was ready for ice cream of all things.

We ended up bringing home 3 nice silvers (all spinner caught) and 4 fairly bright chum (all caught on prawn tipped jigs under a bobber). We caught at least 15 other fish that were either lost or released and I got to spend my Sunday night cleaning fish and curing eggs. It was quite nice to be able to have some free time that doesn’t consist of spending 2 hours driving not to say that I wouldn’t give up every other weekend of the year to go back to that.

What a great weekend again on the Hump! Saturday the nets were in until 10 AM so it was a bit of rough start but we still managed to hook into at least 5 in the first hole. As the day progressed, we were 2 coho's and 1 king shy of limited boat. A LOT of wild coho's out there. Sunday the day started out amazing! got our 3 hatchery hen chinook out of the first hole and left with just 1 coho shy of limited boat. Again, a lot of wild coho's and we got 3 fish in 3 passes for chinook on kwikfish! Tough spending the entire day looking for hatchery coho the entire river but it doesn't get much better watching your plug rod get slammed over and over again! The crowd was also much smaller this weekend and it was so nice not to feel like we were in a mall on the river :)

~Bry