October 9th, Lower Sacramento River

Gabe Duran and I met four fishing friends at the Posse Grounds on Friday the 9th for another float down the Lower Sac. They had already placed their bets for first and last fish by the time the boats hit the water and anxiously awaited their first casts. Despite more salmon in the system than the previous week, the rainbows ignored egg patterns early and fed indiscriminately on anything from a #22 brassie to a #6 rubberlegs. By ten o’clock though, the egg-bite turned on and stayed on. Regardless of the presence or absence of salmon redds, riffles accounted for the majority of the day’s rainbows. As daylight fell, smile filled faces told the day’s story. No one mentioned the bets and everyone bought a round.
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October 6th, Klamath River

On the hope of finding a few early summer steelhead on the upper Klamath, I met Peter and Brook at the Klamathon Bridge for an afternoon of “research.” Trucks and trailers packed the take-outs and put-ins and quickly changed the tone of the day from perhaps what could be to what others already knew. Thankfully, the masses stacked in the river’s deep runs targeting fall Chinook, leaving the riffles and runs untouched. The first fish came out of heavy current and instantly went airborne. Brook, a 95-pound, curly coat retriever, took notice and desperately tried to follow his instinct. Peter held on, and fought both battles from the chair. We slipped the beautiful, wild fish in the net under Brook’s watchful eye and set it free. The rest of the day, Peter didn’t stand much.

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Hank

Hank came into our lives three years ago after Rachel picked him out of a lineup online. After meeting the breeders and playing with Hank under the lights of a Wal-Mart parking lot, he was the obvious choice. Yet, Rachel’s upcoming trip to Argentina made her apprehensive to bring him home, as she feared the two boys would bond without her.

The deal done, Jim picked Hank up two weeks later before a stop at the airport to welcome Rachel home. On his first fishing trip, Hank quickly showed his strong dislike of water and, on later trips, fair-weather tendencies emerged. However, be it four in the morning or afternoon, rain or shine, when he gets the nod, he’s the first one in the boat and the last one out.

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Dan Elster Photography

One look at Dan Elster’s photography and it becomes clear that, for him, “getting the shot” runs through his blood just as guiding trout and steelhead rivers runs through mine. Turns out, he and I moved to Ashland within a few months of each other, each shared the same birth city of Chicago and grew up devoted “Sox” fans. Conversations over a couple of beers exposed a mutual belief over the importance of preserving wild places and wild creatures. He has since become a good friend and generously decided to loan a few of his images for our Conservation and Ashland pages. I urge everyone to view his full gallery at www.elsterphotography.com.

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October 1st, Lower Sacramento River

Anticipation filled the air Thursday morning as the drift boat rolled off the trailer into the lower Sacramento River. With the arrival of another October comes the unmistakable buzz that surrounds the onset of spawning Chinook salmon and egg-eating rainbows. Cheryl and Rebecca fished well throughout the morning but only managed to bring a few fish to net. However, the stars aligned in the afternoon and the bite turned on. Despite relatively few salmon in the system, most fish keyed on egg patterns and took the indicator under hard on the take, often coming right at the boat once hooked only to turn and run like only Sacramento River rainbows can.

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September 30th, Rogue River

What an end to September! On Wednesday, Tina and Jim floated the upper Rogue for the first time and experienced a day to remember. Tina hooked a steelhead briefly out of the gate and Jim followed up minutes later landing one of his own. So it went throughout the day as the couple alternated encounters with steelhead, rainbows, and coastal cutthroat trout. Tina put on a clinic to end the day, landing two beautiful steelhead, including one taken on the final cast. With perfect autumn weather, optimal flows and the river to ourselves, it doesn’t get much better!

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Rogue River Summer Review/Fall Preview

It all started Mid-July on the river with a couple of guys who wanted to spend a few hours improving their technique.  Prior to the trip, I mentioned that over 2,000 summer steelhead had swum passed Gold Ray dam and that we might just find one.  Although they certainly took that number as good news, each of them assured me that finishing the day better anglers took precedence over hooking steelhead.  Back at the hotel lobby, we shook hands and both guests expressed how much they enjoyed the day and how their confidence on the water improved.  As I turned towards the truck, I heard the two talking and the words,  “you know, three steelhead certainly makes a morning.”  Agreed.

Fortunately, the strong push of summer steelhead continued to make their way into the upper Rogue through August, almost doubling the count at the end of July from 2082 to 3948.  Not only did these numbers account for some outstanding days, but they also suggest that October and November’s counts could go off the charts.  By comparison, last year, 2943 summer fish filtered into the upper beats by September’s end with that number jumping to 5525 steelhead by November 30.  As of September 15, this year’s count already stands at 4212!  The next two months look to showcase the Rogue at its best with mild days, autumn color and the peak of the summer run.  Make this the year to experience the upper Rogue!