jamisonace
Most Featured
Every once in awhile, everything comes together to create the perfect day. Yesterday, circumstances combined with unlikely timing to create such a day.
It started out as one of those days where objectives were meaningless. My boys and I had planned to spend the day together doing some fishing and some mushroom hunting but not really caring where, when or how we did them.
So the day commenced, after running errands in the morning, around 9:30. At the last second, my oldest boy bailed on the outing so it was just Dylan and I. We drove from Springfield to the Siuslaw and found plenty of room to fish. We found a likely spot just below a rapid and tossed bobbers for a bit. Nothing was happening and we really didn't care. We started thinking about mushrooms but decided to try one more spot. I was thinking the fish must have moved up so I figured heading up high would be a good bet. I initially wanted to stop on the tracks and hike to Red Hill but there were a bunch of vehicles so we kept going. As we rounded the corner coming into swinging bridge I looked upstream and saw some people but it wasn't super crowded and it didn't appear anyone was on the rock at Indiola.
Here is where good fortune came in. We pulled into Indiola and 3 or 4 guys were in the parking lot. I asked them if they were pulling in to fish and they said they were leaving and the rock was ours. This was perfect because it was an ideal spot for my kid to work a bobber rig. Dylan got himself perched on the rock and I fished just below him. We fished for about an hour with a couple soft bobbers down but nothing stuck. Finally I set the hook on a nice little buck and handed the rod to Dylan. Much to my surprise the fish was in decent shape. (my expectation was to get Dylan into some darker fish that we'd release, but at least he'd get to fight some fish) Dylan played it really well and since I forgot the net, I had to tail it and wrangle it to the rock to get it bonked.
We looked at the time and decided that we'd fish until 2:30 before we headed out for some mushrooms. I put my rod away and coached Dylan. He made some great progress and was fishing like a pro by the time we were done. He missed a couple chances but he'll get one himself soon enough. The fact that he was casting to the right spot consistently, keeping focused on his bobber as well as keeping his line mended and tight were enough to make me proud.
We took off for hills and followed elk trails to find some Chanterelles. We didn't find too many fresh ones but we were able to bring home enough for a meal.
A darkening salmon and some old chanterelles might not sound like the perfect day to some but I suspect every father out there knows exactly what I'm talking about.
Most of you know that I don't take many photos when I'm fishing so these will have to do.
Dylan on the rock. I wish the pic was bigger. He is kneeled down, baiting his hook.
It started out as one of those days where objectives were meaningless. My boys and I had planned to spend the day together doing some fishing and some mushroom hunting but not really caring where, when or how we did them.
So the day commenced, after running errands in the morning, around 9:30. At the last second, my oldest boy bailed on the outing so it was just Dylan and I. We drove from Springfield to the Siuslaw and found plenty of room to fish. We found a likely spot just below a rapid and tossed bobbers for a bit. Nothing was happening and we really didn't care. We started thinking about mushrooms but decided to try one more spot. I was thinking the fish must have moved up so I figured heading up high would be a good bet. I initially wanted to stop on the tracks and hike to Red Hill but there were a bunch of vehicles so we kept going. As we rounded the corner coming into swinging bridge I looked upstream and saw some people but it wasn't super crowded and it didn't appear anyone was on the rock at Indiola.
Here is where good fortune came in. We pulled into Indiola and 3 or 4 guys were in the parking lot. I asked them if they were pulling in to fish and they said they were leaving and the rock was ours. This was perfect because it was an ideal spot for my kid to work a bobber rig. Dylan got himself perched on the rock and I fished just below him. We fished for about an hour with a couple soft bobbers down but nothing stuck. Finally I set the hook on a nice little buck and handed the rod to Dylan. Much to my surprise the fish was in decent shape. (my expectation was to get Dylan into some darker fish that we'd release, but at least he'd get to fight some fish) Dylan played it really well and since I forgot the net, I had to tail it and wrangle it to the rock to get it bonked.
We looked at the time and decided that we'd fish until 2:30 before we headed out for some mushrooms. I put my rod away and coached Dylan. He made some great progress and was fishing like a pro by the time we were done. He missed a couple chances but he'll get one himself soon enough. The fact that he was casting to the right spot consistently, keeping focused on his bobber as well as keeping his line mended and tight were enough to make me proud.
We took off for hills and followed elk trails to find some Chanterelles. We didn't find too many fresh ones but we were able to bring home enough for a meal.
A darkening salmon and some old chanterelles might not sound like the perfect day to some but I suspect every father out there knows exactly what I'm talking about.
Most of you know that I don't take many photos when I'm fishing so these will have to do.
Dylan on the rock. I wish the pic was bigger. He is kneeled down, baiting his hook.
Last edited:
