Where art thou.... MR. STEELFACE?

Skunked yet again! This is becoming a far to freequent occurrence and I am beginning to think I suck....

But alas, I am fishing for the gray ghost.... And it is never easy.

I decided to take the day off. I am fortunate enough to have a job/ career that allows me to do so every now and again. So,  I checked with a few buddies and a few trusted shops as well, to see what might be happening.

It can be difficult to keep track of river levels, runs, pressure, etc. if you are not in the know, on a regular basis and I am not. I was thinking of heading to one of the NW Oregon Streams. I drove HWY 6 twice in the last week and a half, and the Wilson was looking in pretty good shape. I have only fished it once before and it was a raining like a son of a bitch (but we still had fun thanks to COORS HEAVY). Anyway, word on the street is I am a few weeks late. Which always seems to be the case when relying on others for info. Bastards!

So, I opted for a local SW WA stream the "Shoug". This river is only 5 minutes from the crib and I don't know it well. So why not.....This river use to have some of the best runs in the State of Washington or so I've read (and heard).Unfortunately (like many other rivers in the state and in OR) it has been reduced to mainly hatchery brats...

Needless to say, I didn't catch or see a fish, but I saw almost 15 miles (stopping at various runs) of the river, most of which I had never seen before. Due to the lack of rain, the river is quite low and I did not expect to see many moving fish, (this river is best late Dec through early Jan for winter runs).  Wow! This river is one beautiful piece of water (for those who have never ventured this way). I am glad I decided to take the day off, even though Mr. Steelface eluted me yet again.

I, like many of you, enjoy hooking, catching, landing and chasing tails, but I truly love standing in the middle of a stream. No phone, TV, people (sometimes I have the tunes on). But, for those lucky few who have chosen this as their profession, I am envious! There is something therapeutic about hearing the water flow, the megansers flying bye, a stick breaking, even the occasional Bambi, etc, etc, etc..... Of course, it would be nice, to hook up at least every five trips (whose counting), but what fun would that be.... Would I take it all for granted, if I was able to hook up every trip? It's not, at least for me, about catching fish! It's about being in the great outdoors and not having a care in the world while your on the water (except the occasional slip and fall, which happened to me a week and a half ago..... Water just over the waders.... Shit! Pretty freaking cold).

Anyway, just thought I'd throw some quick thoughts on the ol bloginator......

I hope to see everyone at the F3T tomorrow. I'll be there to see some, blow your mind type shit and meet some cool folks.Thanks for reading.

Over and.....

OUT