Smith River (last week)

     Patrick and I hit the road at 1:00 am wednesday  in order to get to the river by daylight and we were there with plenty of time to spare. Upon arrival we hooked up with Juan at the local cafe and after a little breakfast headed to the river. The flows were all over the map the previous days but the river was dropping as we launched into a swift and swirling stretch that looked promising. Not an hour went by when I heard my name called only to turn and see Juan hooked up above me. We beached as he worked the fish to shore for a quick picture and release. Hopes were high as we re-entered the river but the fish were not taking our offerings.
     After lunch we went on a tour of a few different holes and ended up fishing up stream of our initial attempt. This piece of the river had huge boulders above and below the water with a mix of fast and slow deep holes. We fished right up until dark and called it a day.
     The next morning we got a familiar knock on the door by Abking/Eric who was headed to the river where we would meet up a bit later. We arrived at the same hole as the previous morning to find the water had risen yet again. Eric had seen a few fish landed just at sunrise and we launched into the even faster water than before. Just before we broke for lunch Eric had to scoot off to work so after watching him swim a few laps in the river we said our good byes. Less than an hour later I was plugging a real fast hole below a rock pile when my fishing rod went bendo and it was fish on! The salmon went deep into the swift water but stayed close and put up a real good fight using the current to it's advantage. Eventually I led the fish to a group of rocks where I knew I could get out and coax the fish into the shallows to a quick picture and release. We spent the rest of the day attempting to recreate the scenario but it was not to be.
      Friday morning we tried down river at a popular pram hole  and saw a couple of fish landed but again it was not in our cards. We called it a day before noon and made our way back to the launch spot. As we were packing up another NCKA'er showed up.........imagine if you will the top four current AOTY positions  all in one spot at the same time......someone should have taken a picture.
      After bidding our farewells Patrick and I headed out for coffee where we passed the Rowdy Creek Hatchery so we stopped by for a peek. The kindest lady showed us the whole operation where we viewed a couple of big  hens and bucks in the holding tanks. I was thinking of asking our tour guide if it would be possible to borrow a monster for a quick photo on my Hawg Trough as a spoof but thought better of it.
      Soon after we left the hatchery we went up to the Forks per Juan's suggestion and we were not disappointed. We took a short hike to the  convergence of the two flows that have dug a magnificent gorge through the rocks.............absolutely beautiful!  On the way home we stopped by the Klamath Overlook for a quick peek of the river mouth. The visibility was great and we could see for miles and miles.
The adventure to the Smith River has been one of the highlights of my year..............only hope we can do it again soon.

Couple more but........the pictures just don't do justice to the scenery

And finally fish pictures and one of someones front yard......and I thought the gophers in my yard were bad!

Awesome report!   

Don't come up here if you can't deal with the gophers.   

Way to capture the adventure, Allen.  It was great seeing you guys and hanging out for a few hours.   

Man... that day sounds awesome, start to finish. Thanks for letting us in on the journey. Sounds like one of those days where you just take it all in and enjoy everything. The kinda day you talk about around the campfire for days to come. Great pics and fish.

Z

I had hopes of joining you guys but when I saw it was going to be 900 miles round trip leaving on Saturday and returning on Monday I decided the delta was a better bang for the buck.
Great scenery. Thanks for the pics.

Man o man, what a trip - I'm jealous.  Fantastic report.  One day I'll be lucky enough to make a trip up north.  Until then, I'll live vicariously through yours!

Michael

Cool report Allen the Forks is a Magical Place

That first pic of Patrick, the river looked great! The other's fishable, but far from ideal. No matter what tho, that river is always a treat to visit. Nice little browns you guys got there...

Looks like you boys had a good time.  The Smith is a special place for sure.  While its always handed me my ass, I always look forward to going back...it the most beautiful salmonid river on the west coast.

Allright!...after having to deny myself of such a pleasurable jouney. I think I'm gonna have to MAN UP and do the darn thing!(whenITSaSUREthing)
You two, three, four are on a MissionOfMadness!!...I LOVE IT!   
Thanks for not holding out on such a BEAUTIFUL JOURNEY!!  I've only heard stories up until now.
anAOTYjourney4TOURNEY  

I think I'm gonna have to MAN UP and do the darn thing!(whenITSaSUREthing)

When it's a sure thing? FH.... you know there's no such thing when it comes to the madness... That's why it's the madness!!

Z

Yeah it's never good to have "gophers" in your yard that can kill you!

Geez! can't slip any LazyLurkerInnuendos past yous'!