Late Winter Steel

After nearly month without rain, the Oregon north coast had been reduced to summer conditions. Thankfully last week, we finally got 3 days of good rainfall. The Wilson river came up to almost 6ft.and by Wednesday and we knew it was time. By Saturday the river was back down around 5 ft.and the color turned out to be perfect. When we arrived at Mills bridge to launch around 6:00 the wind was wailing at about 25 mph. out of the East. A bummer to say the least, but you take what Mother nature gives you and make the best of it. We launched and made our way down, attempting to drift fish, but the wind didn't allow for much of it. Eventually we switched to diver and bait rigs and even that was tough. Our oar man Pete had to work at peak paddle just to keep our baits working. By the time we got down by the farmlands, we found some other anglers that had just lost a fish and decided to get out of the boat for a while. The wind still rippin from the East made drifting even the longest piece of lead almost impossible to feel, we had to get out of the wind. Back in the boat and down to the Thanksgiving hole. When we arrived there were a few boats anchored up, but room enough to weasel our way in. This was the one place on the lower river that we could manage a drift. After about an hour, the 3 of us had managed to get the position on our fellow anglers and Kim was the first to hook up with a chrome bright 9 lb. hatchery hen. Maybe 2 hours later, Pete had moved upstream to the fast water and hooked another 9 lb. mint hatchery buck. After that we fished hard for another 3 hours with no more action aside from one guy who caught a downstreamer on a plug just above us. By 3:00 we were ready to move. Back in the boat and before the anchor rope was fully reeled in, I had one take my easy egg rig down in the same water we had been fishing all day long. I guess I needed to be in the boat to make it happen. After a nice fight, it turned out to be a chrome 8 lb. nate. Let her go and moved down to the next hole. Dropped anchor and first cast again with the same easy egg rig, I hooked another fish. This was was a little bigger and allot more sporty. After a couple jumps, a few bouts of the steely gator roll, this fish decided the best place for him was underneath the boat. That is were he proceeded to stay for the next 5 minutes of the fight, directly under the bow of the boat. I was using my light Fenwick and didn't have enough stick to move him much, but eventually he pooped out enough to get him in the net. Another chrome nate, about a 12 lb. buck. Back in the water and with 2 in the box and 2 released we were ready for the ramp and a vb. Another great day on the mighty Wilson. Windy and frustrating, but we wound the day up with some good fish and I'm an easy egg convert. May never buy another corky! Until next time...