Local Wanderings: In the breakers..

A week later and another monday fishing opp. The weather is right to give the beach a try. Storms have proven themselves to me as a good time to be there.

Some crazy breakers rolling in but it isn't long before I see some green shadows sharking by. Nothing like a visual to boost your confidence. Occasionally conditions would shift slightly, bigger waves or showers pelting the surface racing in towards me off the horizon, and at times both together. This would bring a pod or two of fish in everytime, riding in on a bruiser wave followed by confusion of the shallows. Even though I was never touched by a fish it was such a great time.. my state of mind is completely refreshed. I wish now I'd concentrated on getting a decent shot first instead of attempting to hookup. Once in particular, a pod of eleven fish almost collided with me. When I turned quick during the retrieve it spooked them and they sheared off towards open water throwing some acceleration spray, darting and diving. There was one, an oversized hen Chinook of solid light rust color that lifted her head and shoulders from the surface for an instant making eye contact with me at no more than six feet.. It was what I call a 'moment' ..something totally undefined.. but still very real and tangible.

Things were getting even more extreme, an occasional big one would slam hard enough to drive you back a step or two.. enough for today. Stopping on some lower river pools found them stacked with freshies, much as I'd mentally predicted. Coho were rolling and porpoising as I walked down. Best time to attempt a dry I've had yet. Stalking the gin clear bend I crouched down in the sparse grass cover and tied on a small Bomber. Working out a cast I touched it down at the head of the pool just above some holding there and immediately began a slow strip. This excited them in a big way and over the course of the next few casts several fish moved to the fly chasing and boiling on it, but no takers. I re-tied with a quite small Comet and swung it in front of them executing short smooth strips a few times with absloutley no interest shown. By then it was starting to get dark. Not connecting with a fish didn't bother me in the least.. I'd gotten what I came for out in the lake earlier.