Fall Salmon 2011 Day 4

Day 4 dawned with rain and high winds, and the promise of much more to come. I headed back to the section where the kings had been so cooperative last evening. They were still abundant but amazingly subdued. In fact, they hardly reacted to the fly. It must have been a busy night because they all seemed totally lethargic. Then I saw some splashing activity downstream and very close in to my shore. I approached on hands and knees and saw a pair of cohos churning around in a pocket in the riffles. On the second cast, the female violently grabbed the Black and Purple Leech (black hair with purple flash in the body and collar). This has been one of my best salmon imitations, and the way the coho took the fly reinforced my confidence in the fly.

I decided to bail out after that first fish because the wind and rain were picking up. The inclement weather was an all day affair, and in retrospect, I’m very happy for the days I had on the river, and the cooperative fish that I encountered.

A nice female coho that was eager for the fly.