No rain yet, and an Indian summer is what we’re experiencing this fall. It’s been pretty darn good weather for fishing and travel!
The salmon season started very slowly for me. Zero to three fish a day was about all I could muster. Getting skunked on a guided trip is not good for the psyche! The clients were appreciative that we worked hard, but at the end of the day, we’re judged by how many fish we get IN THE BOAT. Before Matthew left for school, he did manage to hook and land his personal-best salmon, weighing in at 34 pounds!
The tail end of the season, however, was spectacular. On my last morning of salmon fishing, I went out by myself but had to be home by 9:00am to make my tee time, so I only had an hour to fish. In that hour, I hooked five fish and landed three! At one point, I even had two fish on at the same time. It was utter chaos, but somehow I managed to land them both!
I switched over to steelhead fishing the following week, and it’s been a very good season so far. Not quite as spectacular as last year, but last year may have been an anomaly. I’ve been averaging about 70–90 minutes of fishing in the early mornings on the Feather River and hooking anywhere from three to 15 fish per outing. I also landed my largest Feather River steelhead ever. When I took Michael fishing, he managed to catch his largest valley steelhead ever too. Great conversations As a matter of fact, it was even bigger than mine!
I took a break from steelhead fishing for a week and flew to Chicago. Emma had a little free time, so she was able to fly up from Baton Rouge to meet us. It was wonderful having both Emma and Matthew together. We enjoyed some great dinners, shopping, and sightseeing, including an architecture tour and a visit to the Museum of Ice Cream. We also capped off one evening with a fun visit to a rooftop bar.
Matthew is seeing a very nice young woman named Bella, who is a Nepali dental student. We met her at dinner Friday night at a Spanish tapas restaurant. Great conversations and got to know Bella a bit. The food was super good, and it’s definitely a place I’ll be returning to!
Matthew seems to be thriving in dental school. He’s earning A’s and A-minuses and excelling in his lab work. Michael is also thriving in his third year of dental school. He started working in the clinic this year and absolutely loves dentistry.
Still no rain in sight, so there’s a chance the late-fall salmon run could be in play, provided the river doesn’t blow out. Here’s hoping for a little more good fishing before the weather changes!
