We made another fishing trip to the Cowlitz River in Washington State. It was beautiful to watch the deer on the river bank, and the bald eagles swoop down on the water trying to catch some fish for dinner.
It was rumored that springers (salmon) were coming up the Cowlitz River early to spawn. Also, the steelhead trout were coming home also. So off we went with great expectations.
The first hit we got was a big fish. It partly rolled out of the water after being hooked and it was enormous. After a ten-minute battle, with me on the rod-n-reel, and Nolan skillfully maneuvering the boat against the strong current and then netting the big fish, we finally got it on the boat. What a battle!
The steelhead trout weighed in at 15 pounds. That's a lot of good eating.
We did hook in to some more great fish, but had no luck getting them in the boat. A couple of them spit the plug back at us within a few feet of the boat. Another large steelhead turned in to an aerial acrobatic and did several leaps completely out of the water before finally getting rid of the plug. The last fish rolled on the surface of the water when hooked, leaped out of the water, and when it splashed down, it was gone, hook(s) line and sinker. Or rather the plug. We believe it was a springer (salmon) because salmon have very sharp teeth, and if they get the line in their mouth they cut it with their sharp teeth. On examination we saw that the line was cut a smooth as if with a very sharp knife. Sure hated loosing that great plug. It had caught a lot of fish.
What a pretty fish! Where did you buy it? :-)
ReplyDelete~Melissa
That fish looks like it's already mounted. ;) Seriously...it does look bigger than 15 pounds. So what is the difference in a plug and a hook?
ReplyDeleteIt IS a real fish! I caught it in the river in the background. It is pretty and we just cleaned it in the river. Then we cut out the guts. Now it is in my freezer. Yum Yum
ReplyDeleteA plug is a little plastic-like thing that sorta looks like a bug. It DOES have hooks in it. It wiggles, vibrates, and flashes to attract the big fish. It dives down to a depth of about four feet, and hovers in the current.