and battered from catching so many big salmon! ;D

The Predator took Justin (Juice) and I to the Salmon River on Friday to experience the thrill of catching big, brutal salmon! Words cannot describe this trip accurately. . .it was mindblowing! ! !

We left Thursday late afternoon/early evening to make sure that we got there in enough time to claim our spot on the river for the following morning. On the ride up, we were "Galvanized" and pumped up every second of the way. We have some great video footage of Aaron tying up flies in the CAR! ! ! ;D

We had the luxury and good fortune of staying with Aaron's good friend, Captain Kevin Davis of "Catch the Drift" guide service. What a great guy, and obviously a true master at catching Salmon and Steelhead. We arrived at about midnight, and then I had to catch up tying flies, so I sat at the vice until about 2:45. Next thing you know, we're all up at 3:30 am ready to begin the day. Kevin headed out to do his morning guiding, and Aaron, Justin and myself reached for the waders and rods and ventured to the river in another direction. We got to the entrance at about 4:45, and then headed towards our spot an hour later. Aaron led us through the thick forest in complete darkness (yes. . .he even knows every trail and pool up in Pulaski!). After a hefty hike, Aaron led us to an unbelievable pool, and us three were the first to get there. As minutes and seconds roled by, more and more people entered the river.

So, here we are, daybreak is just about to crack some light into the darkness, revealing the Salmon River! My hands and legs were literally trembling from excitement. Three minutes after first light, I see a HUGE explosion on the surface, as I notice Aaron's 7 wt. Z-Axis bending down to the water! FISH ON! This one led him downstream about 300 feet in no time! This was just an appetizer to what we would all experience for the rest of the day. We caught an incredible amount of Kings and Cohos, and hooked a couple of steelhead (there weren't many around yet; I believe Aaron only spotted 4). The first few fish were hard to keep on, but after Aaron showed me how to cope with big fish (20-25+ lb.), I got better and better at getting them in the net. One of the greatest moments of my fly fishing experiences had to be landing my first king (the picture is below). UNBELIEVABLE! This fish took me downstream probably a couple hundred feet or so before I got him in. Justin and I were in awe the whole time of these monsters.

It was a day of all days! Justin and I were discussing the fact that we've heard so much about the Salmon River, and all of the "unethical angling techniques", but honestly, you have to see it to really believe it.

Three short stories:
1. Aaron had spotted some big browns, and had started casting to them. All of a sudden this guy walks right into the pod. Aaron asked him to kindly step away from this 5' area for a few moments while he has a couple of more casts. This guy immediately starting using vulgarity, while dropping the "F bomb", and about a dozen other words.
2. This same guy crosses his line with Aaron's, and while Aaron is untangling the two lines, he notices that the hook is undressed; completely bare. Aaron politely said, "do you know that this hook is bare?". This man, full of rage, started yelling "who the 'F%&*@ do you think you are, the DEP?!". Aaron then told him that it was an illegal manner to fish, seeing as how the only way he could catch them would be to snag them. The guy kept getting more upset, and threatened to "come over to the other side of the river". . . we all know what that means. It's a good thing for him that he didn't come over .
3. This third story is mine. As noon approached, there were anglers shoulder to shoulder, separated by no more than 4 or so feet (at most). Keep in mind, that as usualy, TPO outifished everyone there. I finally had the misfortune of tangling lines with someone. I grabbed the tangle and throught that I had picked up some broken line from the bottom of the river, as there was a bunch of mono line with a few larger hooks imbedded in the mess. As I untangle everyone, I notice that this guy across from me is fishing with a wet leader setup. . .WITH 3 (that's right, THREE!) BARE HOOKS! Are you kidding me? the hooks were about a size 4. They could do some serious damage. I said the same thing to him as Aaron said to the other guy, but he didn't respond at all. . . just kept fishing. This is ridiculous.

There was however one really kind gentlemen fishing on one side of me. . .the only angler that was both amiable, and legally fishing. When he foul hooked a fish, he immediately snapped off his fly, no questions asked. When I had one on and got driven downstream, he even saved my spot when I returned. If only there were more of that kind.

Those brief discouraging stories couldn't possibly tarnish this all-star day on the Salmon River. I'm hooked for life now. This was by far, the greatest day of fishing in my life yet! ;D As usual, fishing with the Predator was awesome, and rewarding. This my first time meeting and fishing with Justin, and it was a true pleasure, thanks guys!