FLY PULSE (NOVEMBER - Saving Steelhead & PenCraft Award)

SAVING STEELHEAD
Now that November is upon us, I recall a foggy fall morning when I took a solo Erie trib trip in search of steelhead. I arrived to the water's edge to observe the water at extremely low levels due to the lack of rain. In situations like these, an angler decides to hunt for steelhead hiding in crevasses and tight against the back or do some scouting. I decided to do both and headed upstream in search of fishable water.

Luckily, I found a spot that held some fish, had good water flow, and had some ground water trickling into it. It took a while, but finding the right weight, the right fly pattern, and the right tippet size did the trick as I hooked into a bunch of steelhead for hours. In low water and tight stream conditions, steelhead EXPLODE when they know they are hooked, and many of my steelheading friends know this firsthand as the angler must hold on for the ride as they steelhead makes a run, leaps out of the water, or does a mixture of both. Eventually, I got a few to the net and really made the best out of the day.

On the walk back to the car, I traveled up a small offshoot of the main river. Water was still making its way down this skinny tributary as the rocks stuck out like ominous cemetary stones. I noticed some commotion up ahead and saw two trapped steelhead: One was an extremely large male and the other was a female. They had probably gotten stuck up there when the water levels started to drop. I took some action and decided to net the fish one at a time and walk them quickly back down to the main channel. The buck was the easiest to net since he was sitting in shallow water. I scooped him up and lugged him down to the main channel. His kype poked through the net and his body curled in my large steelhead net. I got him down to the water's edge and allowed him to get fresh water in his gills. He slowly swam into the depths. One down.

The other female steelhead provided more of a challenge as I saw her hiding among some tree roots hanging down in the shallows. Carefully, I placed my net in front of her head in case she took off. I grasped her tail and was able to pull her backwards and drop her into my net to make the quick run down to the main river. As I eased her back into the river, her bright body vanished into the deeper water. It was a fitting end to a great day on the water, and I'm hoping to meet them again on the stream someday.

PEN CRAFT AWARD
Good news to share with readers as Salmon Survivor wins the Pen Craft Literary Award for First Place in Pre-teen Children's division!