Heartbreak and redemption on the Smith River

The Smith finally produced for me but it wasn't what I was looking for. It's enough to prevent a totally skunked season but I'm looking to do better come August with the first runs down the Klamath. I was fishing the Mad River last week with a buddy who clued me in on how I wasn't pluggin correctly, I had no luck still but faith was increasing. After setting camp at the banks of the Smith on friday I drove to the Hole called "Outhouse" below the Hiouchi bridge. I waded out into the current, gently drifted my plug that I had modified with a barrel swivel and Siwash hook. It was doing it's thing and my mind was drifting to other thoughts when WHAMMO, the rod nearly ripped out of my hands. A fish leapt from a the water and I could see some brown, some red, and spots. At that moment the sky parted and a choir of angels sang a melodiuos AH AH AH. I stood there for what seemed like an eternity until a  little voice in the back of my head screamed "reel her in you fool". I snapped to and started horsing that fish towards me. I didn't care to fight or enjoy the experience I just wanted a friggin picture. It decided to fight anyways and would not go gently into that dark night. Now I had this thing close to shore and it was gruesome to behold. Half of it's face looked ripped off and it's body looked like death warmed over. I realized my net and camera were upstream a good hundred yards away and a sinking feeling came over me. I watched others horse fish to bank on the Mad river and thought I don't need no stinking net. It felt like the fish had given up and victory within my grasp. At the shore I tried lifting the fish onto the bank with my rod tip but nearly broke the cheap k-mart special. Not wanting to set the rod down and the fish was only an arms length away so I opened the bail to give some slack. The moment I released tension in the line, the fish actually smiled at me flipped to right flopped to the left and spit that lure right at my feet. In a moment of panic I jumped over the fish keeping it between me and the shore. It was stuck in the shallow rocks but had moves that would make Barry Sanders blush. I grabbed for it like I was taking first place in a greased pig contest. She slimed right through my hands did a head juke and torpedoed right between my legs back to the safety of deeper water. A wave of disgust washed over me and I let out a guttural wail that I'm sure scared children for miles around.  I wanted to puke, I wanted to cry, but more than anything I wanted that fish, no matter how ugly. I sat there for an hour without moving contemplating why the hell do I bother and what did I do to piss off the fish Deities so. Did I mention that it was cold as balls and raining like the apocalypse.
The next day I had fun out on the ocean with a great group of clients (all big tippers). With spirits lifted and hours till sunset I beat feet back to the Smith for one last try before writing off this river completely. I loaded my Mini-x with safety gear and donned a drysuit as I was solo on this adventure. The Smith was raging. Every time I come here to do a drift the water is good color but just screaming towards the ocean. I only recommend drifting this river with a bonified Drift boat captain or in the company of Anglers who know the run by the back of their hand. This river has more tricky hydralics that any Northcoast rivers except possibly the South fork Trinity. Anyways I drifted the entire run without a hook-up until I approached my Take-out at Ruby Hole. I clipped into some brush along the seam in the current and that sent my Mini-x flailing about nearly dumping me twice if weren't for bomber bracing skills. I hooked the line to myself with a quick release belt and that did the trick. I only needed to a adjust my seat and dip a paddle edge now and again to stay lined up with the flow. I drifted that same modified blue K-10 Kwikfish Extreme and after a few minutes saw a fish leap right near where my lure was. I thought to myself "s@#t I need to get that plug in that steelies face and started to reel in for a re-drift. To my surprise I had the fish on the other end. It leapt once or twice and I could feel this fish had  no mass on it and would be pulled in easily without a net. No need to jetison the brush anchor, I could step out of the kayak and stand up if need be. I brought the fish alongside and could see that it was a wild steelhead but small enough that it probably hadn't been out to the ocean yet. I guess that's technically considered a rainbow trout but who cares. I took a quick few pics and went to release the fish alongdside the kayak. I read how some guys nearly had their thumb bitten off and others going to the ER for hook induced tetanus shots and thought no way will I ever be that foolish. As soon as I pawed that siwash hook the fish did a head shake and and impaled the treble hook firmly into the bone of my middle digit. There I was hooked to the same Lure as the fish and I could almost here it laughing. I thought if this fish go nuts It will rip my finger apart. I was prepared to put it and down smash its head to a pulp if it so much as moved a muscle. Instead I took a deep breath, whispered to fish the secret mantra, and went to work de-hooking myself. I couldn't get the hook out and I was beginning to sweat. I grabbed my pliers and pulled it out of the bone, thank God for barbless hooks. I thanked the fish for it patience gave it little peck on the beak and sent her back down where she swam away with vigor. I can still barely bend my middle finger but no Tetanus shot was needed. I learned so much about steelhead this year and it's a shame the season is over today. I'll practice what I've learned all year to keep it fresh for next season which will hopefully bring huge plentiful runs a wild and free steelhead.

Nice report, sorry to hear about the one that got away and the hook incident.

BTW, with all those bold spots, your fish looks like a coastal cutthroat to me.  Of course without seeing the throat itself, I could be wrong.

Absolutely riveting story Hawk! Seriously good writing. Thank you for brightening my morning. That fish is beautiful too. Anything over 15 inches in a coastal watershed is technically a steelhead regardless of whether its been inthe ocean or not. So, it looks like you did indeed catch a steelhead!
Thanks for the pics+detailed report,
PK

BTW, with all those bold spots, your fish looks like a coastal cutthroat to me.

Good catch.  Looks dead-on the ID photo.

Does that mean I could have eaten that SOB I had a good fire kickin ready for roastin

Looks like a coastal cutthroat to me too.  That spotting pattern to me is the dead give away.  The throat marks sometime are faint, but you can check the basibranchial teeth (I believe cutts have them and rainbows don't).  They're tasty too, I used to catch them at Stone Lagoon, when I went to HSU.  When I worked on the lower Klamath, we'd find them stuffed with salmon meat.  They'd scavenge the tribal gill netters filleted out salmon carcasses.  Anyway sweet catch!   

Great report, Hawk!  Definite cutty there - I'm not sure you could've kept it, but you CAN keep a wild steelhead up there, and the Smith stays open past today, FYI...

Thanks for the great report, and way to go!   

PS:  Where's the ocean photos?   

Nice report and trout. Those rapids look kind of scary, class 2-3?

Scott

Great story, well written Hawk! I have had my share of fishing laughing at me, too. Glad the finger hook was not any worse.

John

Definitely a CC...they are so pretty...nice fish.

PS:  Where's the ocean photos?   

Heres a few AB.

Right on, Hawk.  That's Good Times right there.   

One hell of a report right there.  gettin paid and fishing in the same day?  who would have thought?