S
Spydeyrch
0
FYI: This is a LONG post, but it is a good one. 
Just letting you know. Please continue to read.
I originally posted yesterday saying that I was going to go to Rood Bridge Park to go fishing.
I wasn't too sure if I was going to catch anything. Well ....... I did!!!!
Here goes:
So after doing to things around the house for my wife, I shot off to the park to check the water levels and see if I could find any fish rising. I had only fished at this park three times in the past in September & October of last year. And during those brief excursions, I hadn't seen a single fish or caught one for that matter.
This trip was more of scoping out the water, getting out of the house, and satisfying the hunger of addiction to cast a fly and feel the rod bend in my hand. hehehe :lol:
So I got there at about 5:45 pm. I had brought my fly rod (in its sock and tube for protection), my fishing vest, box of flies, fishing pack, and full rubber chest waders with the boots attached.
I threw on the vest & pack, grabbed my rod tube, and threw the waders over my shoulders then took off to the creek. I had intended to start at the mouth of Rock Creek where it enters the Tualatin river. I got there and the water was kind of high, a little muddy-ish, and not moving too quickly. So it wasn't looking too good. Plus it looked like the banks had been eroded quite a bit and were at a pretty steep angle plus very muddy, so not good to get down to the water.
So I started hiking around, following the creek as best I could to try and spot some possible spots. I found one area that looked promising but I couldn't get down due to the steep angle of the banks. So I kept hiking on.
Eventually I got to a spot that I had fished last year. Last year it had some rocks on the bottom, a nice little riffle, and a deep pool at the end. It looked promising last year but wasn't productive.
The bank wasn't too steep at this point and I knew the depth was wade-able, so I decided to go for it. I thought for a moment if I really wanted to take the time to take my running shoes off and put my waders on just to fish an area where I most likely wouldn't catch anything. I decided that it wasn't worth my time. I had told my wife that I would be back in 1.5 hours. It took me 20 mins to get to the park, 20 mins to hike around and get to that spot. It would take me another 15 to get back to the car, and 20 to get home. So basically I had 15 mins to fish. So not worth it to put the waders on just to fish for 15 mins.
BIG MISTAKE!!!!!!
Due to how high I was up on the "bank", I could have easily spooked any if in the stream below me (if there was even fish in the water, hehehe
) So I had to use the high grass to my advantage and kneel down. I checked what was behind me as I started to cast. Oh, I was using a size 20 stimulator.
I would cast up stream from where I was at and let the fly drift as I would intent to mend the line to flow with the current, key word being intent because I certainly didn't do what is traditionally considered mending, hahahaha.
One my first cast, my line got wrapped around a single small stick poking out of the ground, right at the waters edge on my side of the stream, just 6 feet down the bank from where I was at.. There were no other sticks poking out of the ground anywhere in the close vicinity, except the one that my fly line decided to wrap itself around. I couldn't believe my luck. On my first cast I got snagged at probably the worst spot possible. I would have to descend the bank, scaring/spooking any possible fish in a miles radius, just to unsnag my line from the only stick poking out of the mud. So, proceeded to slowly and as stealthily as possible, lower myself to the stick and untangle my line. I got it untangled and got back up the bank to my rod. I thought for a moment if I should change location due to the spooking of fish by my Sasquatch-ish descent to the water's edge. I decided that I didn't have enough time to do so and thus continued to fish the same spot.
So after casting up stream for a few casts, I noticed that a little down stream from where I was at, a log had fallen into the stream on the opposite bank from where I was at and looked to be the perfect place to hold fish, plus the bank that I was on, in front of the fallen tree, was undercut and so either side looked promising.
I cast up stream and let my fly drift down stream and into the current created by the fallen log. After about 5 time of doing this, my line got wrapped around a wild rose bush right at my feet. I looked up to see where my fly was and it was in the water right between the fallen log and the undercut, it was skimming the surface and seem to be ok. So I turned my attention to my tangled line. I started to untangle the line when all of a sudden I heard a loud splash! and felt something on my line!! I thought that perhaps the splash was one of the local muskrats entering the water and that the tug on my line was my line getting caught (again!!). So I looked up to see what it was.
No sooner had I raised my head when this fish comes jumping out of the water about 1.5 feet into the air!!! :shock: I was stunned and quickly reacted. I stripped line and raised my rod to make sure the hook was set. Then I started to reel in the slack line that I had just got untangled from the rose bush. Once I got that reeled in, I started to reel to get the fish in closer. He kept jumping all over the place!! Just freaking awesome!!!:dance:
Only one problem, I couldn't reel in anymore. It felt like a snag but there wasn't any snag. Then I looked at the tip of my rod. Apparently while I was untangling my line from the rose bush, I was moving the rod tip around in circles and tangling the line around it!!!
What more could go wrong!!!!
I didn't know what to do.
I tried to keep my rod high wile I turned it around and around to try and untangle the line at its tip. Well, as I was doing this, the fish kept jumping all over the place and then it shot down into the current and my line went slack. I was so disappointed with myself. 
I unwrapped the remainder of my line from the rod tip and started to reel in the slack line, when I felt a little tug and BAM, fish started jumping out of the water again!!! WWWWOOOOOOO-WWWWHHHHOOOO!!!!:dance: I just prayed that it wouldn't get any worse and I would land the fish.?
Now I had to get down to the bank/waters edge. Luckily I hadn't put my waders on, right ....... DUMB ME!!!!
So in my already traction-less shoes, I slid down the bank to a small one foot by one foot square piece of mud and stood there. Oh, this was the square of mud that the stick was poking out of!!
I proceeded to reel in the fish. It would jump and run into the current. It even managed to pull some line off of the reel, which felt great!!! My 5wt rod actually was bent over for once!!
Well, after about 1 more minute, I got it to the shore. I got it un hooked and was looking at it when it slipped from my hands and into the water. I quickly grabbed it, and very carefully held it in the current until it could swim off on its own. It was a beautiful little 7 or 8 inch cuttie. Just gorgeous!!!
I then reeled in my line, check the time, and tried to scamper my way up the muddy bank back up to my gear. I cast a few more times and then shot home. Going back through the grass, which was over my head!! I got home with 5 minutes to spare!!
I was so excited and felt like I had accomplished something great. My first home creek trout on my fly rod, and it was my largest trout to-date on my fly rod. What a great feeling!!!
The thing that sucks is that both my camera and cell phone batteries were dead. But I started to charge them about 2 hours before I left. But being in such a hurry to get down to the water, I forgot them … both of them!!!! So no pics for now. But I will go back and take some and catch him again soon.
So in total: 40 mins of driving ….. 30 mins of hiking ….. 15 mins of fishing ….. and 1 awesome fish!!! TOTALLY WORTH IT!!!
-Spydey
Just letting you know. Please continue to read.I originally posted yesterday saying that I was going to go to Rood Bridge Park to go fishing.
I wasn't too sure if I was going to catch anything. Well ....... I did!!!!
Here goes:
So after doing to things around the house for my wife, I shot off to the park to check the water levels and see if I could find any fish rising. I had only fished at this park three times in the past in September & October of last year. And during those brief excursions, I hadn't seen a single fish or caught one for that matter.
This trip was more of scoping out the water, getting out of the house, and satisfying the hunger of addiction to cast a fly and feel the rod bend in my hand. hehehe :lol:
So I got there at about 5:45 pm. I had brought my fly rod (in its sock and tube for protection), my fishing vest, box of flies, fishing pack, and full rubber chest waders with the boots attached.
I threw on the vest & pack, grabbed my rod tube, and threw the waders over my shoulders then took off to the creek. I had intended to start at the mouth of Rock Creek where it enters the Tualatin river. I got there and the water was kind of high, a little muddy-ish, and not moving too quickly. So it wasn't looking too good. Plus it looked like the banks had been eroded quite a bit and were at a pretty steep angle plus very muddy, so not good to get down to the water.
So I started hiking around, following the creek as best I could to try and spot some possible spots. I found one area that looked promising but I couldn't get down due to the steep angle of the banks. So I kept hiking on.
Eventually I got to a spot that I had fished last year. Last year it had some rocks on the bottom, a nice little riffle, and a deep pool at the end. It looked promising last year but wasn't productive.
The bank wasn't too steep at this point and I knew the depth was wade-able, so I decided to go for it. I thought for a moment if I really wanted to take the time to take my running shoes off and put my waders on just to fish an area where I most likely wouldn't catch anything. I decided that it wasn't worth my time. I had told my wife that I would be back in 1.5 hours. It took me 20 mins to get to the park, 20 mins to hike around and get to that spot. It would take me another 15 to get back to the car, and 20 to get home. So basically I had 15 mins to fish. So not worth it to put the waders on just to fish for 15 mins.
BIG MISTAKE!!!!!!
Due to how high I was up on the "bank", I could have easily spooked any if in the stream below me (if there was even fish in the water, hehehe
) So I had to use the high grass to my advantage and kneel down. I checked what was behind me as I started to cast. Oh, I was using a size 20 stimulator.I would cast up stream from where I was at and let the fly drift as I would intent to mend the line to flow with the current, key word being intent because I certainly didn't do what is traditionally considered mending, hahahaha.
One my first cast, my line got wrapped around a single small stick poking out of the ground, right at the waters edge on my side of the stream, just 6 feet down the bank from where I was at.. There were no other sticks poking out of the ground anywhere in the close vicinity, except the one that my fly line decided to wrap itself around. I couldn't believe my luck. On my first cast I got snagged at probably the worst spot possible. I would have to descend the bank, scaring/spooking any possible fish in a miles radius, just to unsnag my line from the only stick poking out of the mud. So, proceeded to slowly and as stealthily as possible, lower myself to the stick and untangle my line. I got it untangled and got back up the bank to my rod. I thought for a moment if I should change location due to the spooking of fish by my Sasquatch-ish descent to the water's edge. I decided that I didn't have enough time to do so and thus continued to fish the same spot.
So after casting up stream for a few casts, I noticed that a little down stream from where I was at, a log had fallen into the stream on the opposite bank from where I was at and looked to be the perfect place to hold fish, plus the bank that I was on, in front of the fallen tree, was undercut and so either side looked promising.
I cast up stream and let my fly drift down stream and into the current created by the fallen log. After about 5 time of doing this, my line got wrapped around a wild rose bush right at my feet. I looked up to see where my fly was and it was in the water right between the fallen log and the undercut, it was skimming the surface and seem to be ok. So I turned my attention to my tangled line. I started to untangle the line when all of a sudden I heard a loud splash! and felt something on my line!! I thought that perhaps the splash was one of the local muskrats entering the water and that the tug on my line was my line getting caught (again!!
). So I looked up to see what it was.No sooner had I raised my head when this fish comes jumping out of the water about 1.5 feet into the air!!! :shock: I was stunned and quickly reacted. I stripped line and raised my rod to make sure the hook was set. Then I started to reel in the slack line that I had just got untangled from the rose bush. Once I got that reeled in, I started to reel to get the fish in closer. He kept jumping all over the place!! Just freaking awesome!!!:dance:
Only one problem, I couldn't reel in anymore. It felt like a snag but there wasn't any snag. Then I looked at the tip of my rod. Apparently while I was untangling my line from the rose bush, I was moving the rod tip around in circles and tangling the line around it!!!
What more could go wrong!!!!I didn't know what to do.
I tried to keep my rod high wile I turned it around and around to try and untangle the line at its tip. Well, as I was doing this, the fish kept jumping all over the place and then it shot down into the current and my line went slack. I was so disappointed with myself. I unwrapped the remainder of my line from the rod tip and started to reel in the slack line, when I felt a little tug and BAM, fish started jumping out of the water again!!! WWWWOOOOOOO-WWWWHHHHOOOO!!!!:dance: I just prayed that it wouldn't get any worse and I would land the fish.?
Now I had to get down to the bank/waters edge. Luckily I hadn't put my waders on, right ....... DUMB ME!!!!
So in my already traction-less shoes, I slid down the bank to a small one foot by one foot square piece of mud and stood there. Oh, this was the square of mud that the stick was poking out of!!
I proceeded to reel in the fish. It would jump and run into the current. It even managed to pull some line off of the reel, which felt great!!! My 5wt rod actually was bent over for once!!
Well, after about 1 more minute, I got it to the shore. I got it un hooked and was looking at it when it slipped from my hands and into the water. I quickly grabbed it, and very carefully held it in the current until it could swim off on its own. It was a beautiful little 7 or 8 inch cuttie. Just gorgeous!!!
I then reeled in my line, check the time, and tried to scamper my way up the muddy bank back up to my gear. I cast a few more times and then shot home. Going back through the grass, which was over my head!! I got home with 5 minutes to spare!!
I was so excited and felt like I had accomplished something great. My first home creek trout on my fly rod, and it was my largest trout to-date on my fly rod. What a great feeling!!!
The thing that sucks is that both my camera and cell phone batteries were dead. But I started to charge them about 2 hours before I left. But being in such a hurry to get down to the water, I forgot them … both of them!!!! So no pics for now. But I will go back and take some and catch him again soon.
So in total: 40 mins of driving ….. 30 mins of hiking ….. 15 mins of fishing ….. and 1 awesome fish!!! TOTALLY WORTH IT!!!
-Spydey
Last edited:
Congrats!
