Got to the river just at dark and as soon as it was visible to see my hands I started to tie my leader. I started with a UV orange jig so that they could see it in the tad of light. I was excited to see the water dropping and the weather forecast showed no rain and a high fourties to low fifties. Ideal for a good bite. Second cast my bobber was drifting in slow almost frog water but fast enough for a decent drift. I could barely see my bobber go down, so I didn't get a great hook set that I normally would like. I yell "fish on"!! and i'm sure this got all the other fishermen excited as it was one of the first hook ups and it's still dark out. I feel the head shakes and a chrome hen surfaces. I get it to the beach and i'm not too overly motivated to land the fish as I planned on enjoying the whole day fishing and wanted to see how many fish I could actually hook up. I didn't want to limit out to soon. So after a few minutes I get a short line release of the fish and back at it. After about 20 casts more without a strike and seeing some space up river in a hole that I usually like to fish I move locations. It was no more than three casts I hook into my second fish about an hour later. It was lying in the same slow froggy type of flow in a seam next to walking speed water that was next to faster water. But I did change my jig to another color less bright than the first. This time no playin around I wanted to land and keep this bright hen that was slightly bigger than the first to at least have something to show for. It had a good fight and I was thankful to a friendly fisherman for netting my fish. Too many I've lost right at the bank lately. The next fish I was determined to get it on video. I enjoy watching them and remembering where, when and what I was using. The third fish I was drifting in the walking speed water and bobber down I hook into another chrome bright hen. All three have been bright hens. This one I get a fishing buddy to help me video tape the fight. The fish was in the faster current and the fight is totally different than when you hook them in the slower water. Each push of their tail in the fast current took drag off my line. We managed to get most of the fight video taped and I actually touch my leader and touched the tail of the fish and it released itself. If I wanted to keep that fish it would have been netted easily but I wanted to at least get a picture but the fish wouldn't have it and spit the hook. After several more drifts I another take down which I completely missed while chatting with a fishing buddy. I decided to move down river near the tail out. I met these fishermen who were fishing that spot all morning since dark and they said that they couldn't get a bite. So they willing gave up their spots and wished me good luck. It was like the four cast and those guys were just setting up to leave. I yell "fish on"!! my bobber goes down I feel the head shakes and the fish starts peeling out line. A fisherman just below me casts right over my line. I'm yelling fish on to this guy but he wouldn't reel in his line. So I start to pull harder and sure enough it popps out of his mouth. My fourth fish on for the day. These guys had their jaws dropped to the floor and were cussing because I just got there and no more than a minute I hook a fish. I felt a little sorry for them and told them sorry guys. These guys get their rods set up again and start fishing the hole again...lol

I move back up river to where I hooked two fish and my fishing buddy hooks into a huge hatchery hen in the teens. I help him net it and he shows me exactly where he drifted his bobber. I do the same drift and at the end of the drift I start reeling in then I feel a weight and huge heavy headshakes...fish on!!! My fifth hook up! This one was the biggest. It took me down river and I had to follow it. This fish was using the fast current well and I could feel the headshakes huge in that fast water. Exilarating...I wanted to land this one bad. He fought in the current for what seemed to be an eternity. He moved me further down river and it felt like he got caught in between some rocks because it wasn't moving. It felt like he was snagged. Good thing I was using 20 pound braided line. After about a minute he pulls loose. I couldn't pull him in at that point because there were rocks right there. I had to give him a little slack to coax him out of those rocks. Surely enough he goes around and i'm able to put the pressure back on him. He slowly gets close to the bank. I know he's big because I couldn't budge him. My buddy comes to help me net him and we were there for a few more minutes waiting patiently untill his head would turn. I knew my hook was about to give because i'm using the cheap kind. Finally he turns and we net him. It was a dime bright buck in the ten pound range. I mark my two fish and i'm done fishing by 1:30pm. I really should have released it because I wanted to continue fishing and see just how many I could hook up in one day. I'll never know I guess. I just like to eat them too much that it's hard to let them go, especially when all of them were dime bright. Well I was happy to let a few bright hens go anyway.
If you bothered to read this long
tight lines and fish on!!

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