I took my father in a drift boat for the very first time in his life last monday.  We floating the Clark Fork River in hopes of finding some nice fish on top.  I was praying for clouds during our 2 hour journey.  We arrived at the boat ramp to find a very low fog lining the river valley.  Perfect?  almost.  I knew the fog wouldn’t last very long.

As we began our float I tied on a large Chubby Chernobyl so he could see it and it would float.  I was explaining to him how we switch between rowing and fishing if the fishermen catches a fish or misses three fish in a row…or hooks the oarsman in the head.

So after about the ninth fish he missed in the first hour of our float I told him strike nine..it was time to switch.  Now If you have ever been in a drift boat with someone that has never rowed any boat in their entire life, you soon start to get dizzy from spinning in circles down the river.  Frustrated, I got back on the oars because I just wanted to see some fish, and afterall it was his trip to fish.  During all of this my uncle sat in the back of the boat quietly chuckling at this father/son deliema that was un-folding just as it does ever time we fish together.

My uncle, strike three.  Now I am in the back of the boat.  He can actually controll the boat.  It was nice to fish at the same time as my father out of the same drift boat.  Whenever he would cast to far back into my zone, I would simply shoot a cast out in front of the boat over his line.  After about the third time I hooked a nice rainbow near the 20″ mark.  My turn on the oars.

Watching my Dad botch fish after fish was starting to wear on him, because I was constantly giving him shit, like stike 13!  Strike 14!  FINALLY!  He hooks one.  A nice 16″ Rainbow. 

Fishing was good.  The fog lasted until about 10:30 am followed by some high overcast.  There was some PMD activity once the high clouds came.  Fishing was very good.  It will be a day I will never forget.  It was one of the best days fishing with my father that I can remember…despite the flat tire on the way home.

I can’t sleep when I picture steelhead, ever.  No matter how tired I get, once my mind starts wandering and long spey casts over crisp, clean water  creep in, I am done for till at least 3 in the morning.

I try and think about other things, I try to focus on my breathing, think about snowboarding down a deep powdery slope, but then I get a slight tug at the end of my line and I am wide awake once again.

I tie flies everyday that I am in the shop.  I now have more flies than I have ever had before…this means I have not been steelheading in a while.  Trips cancelled, bass fishing, etc…  But soon I will start handing out flies to my fellow addicts and hopefully I too will get to go.  I am tired of trout fishing, bass fishing, and whatever else that isn’t swinging for the best fish on earth.

Fall is coming.  Until then I will be tired.

Cal

Sorry for the lack of reports the last couple weeks….Fishing has been good.  The Clark Fork River is now fishing great!  Flows are down and the evening Caddis hatch is awesome.  Floating anywhere above the confluence has been good.

The Coeur d’Alene River is low and slow right now.  There are still fish to be had, but I would move on the the St. Joe River.  Fishing has been great and flows are dropping.

Lake Pend Oreille has been fishing very well for Bass.  We are in Summer mode now with Surface temps in the 70′s.   Larger fish will hold deeper during the heat of the day. Rainbow and Lake Trout Fishing has tapered off…Jigging is stillyour best bet for Large Lake Trout.

The Kootenai River is finally down and fishing has been outstanding.  PMD’s are coming off right around 1:00 pm and hopper fishing is picking up along the banks.