Thursday, August 6, 2009

A Hot Bite at Flaming Gorge, August 2009















Its kind of amazing that four adults can stare at pole tips for hours and yet all manage to miss the moment when a salmon hits and the pole releases from the downrigger. I mean it's pretty obvious, the pole tip jerks a couple of times and the the tip straightens as the salmon pulls the line from the release. Soon the pole bends as the slack line is tightened by the running fish, but by then Val, sitting in the bow chair, had already alerted us to the fish on!
Pandemonium then breaks out in the boat as the boat is slightly turned into the fish. Renita or George or I would crank up the cannonball, so the fish wouldn't get tangled in the steel cable. The net would be handed back, and it seemed like we would all hold our breath, only releasing it when the net would swoop down and the thrashing salmon would be lifted into the boat!
We would take turns landing the fish, playing the three strike game in which each person has three chances to land a fish before they lose their turn and someone else gets to fight the fish. Its rare for one person to strike out and so everyone gets to catch a fish and enjoy the catching.
George and Val were visiting us form their ranch in Colorado. They live near Crawford and grow hay in the summer to pay for their winter in Rockport, Texas. We met them at Watersedge Rv Park last winter and George kindly taught me how to wade fish and also fish the jetty's. Val and Renita had also hit it off so we were happy that we could take them fishing.
I don't know who had more fun, George, who would quietly fight in his fish, or Val who would laugh and giggle like a little girl as the salmon would leap from the water! Regardless, we were happy that they came up here fishing during the hottest bite of the summer.
We fed like pigs, eating grilled salmon and salmon patties and even had some grilled fresh brook trout that George had caught in a stream near their ranch. Renita and I hadn't had fresh brook trout in years and we were surprised by their delicate grilled taste!
Too soon their time was up and they had to head back to the ranch. They have horses and horses and livestock demand attention. We had fished together for three days in a row and caught and released both salmon and rainbow trout. George and Val took their limit of salmon home and Val was excited to have salmon for her new smoker!
It is a privilege to be able to fish Flaming Gorge with such fine friends! Clear skies.

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