Duffins Creek

My best Smallmouth yet!

Nice lil Rock Bass this morning.

I caught my ninth steelhead of the year. Every steelhead I’ve caught has been special. Every one carries a story. As I held this fish in the water, I noticed something in her eye—a reflection of the clouds drifting overhead. I gently removed the hook and let her go. She flicked her tail three times before disappearing into the current. For a moment, those three tail beats felt like three words. And then I remembered. It was the day of my mother’s funeral. I miss you, Mom.

I crouched down along the edge of a small pool. It wasn’t much of a hole—at its deepest, the water barely reached above my thighs. Current rushed in from upstream, tumbling white over the rocks, then slowed as it spilled into the basin. A few large tree stumps lay across the water, and on the downstream side of the wood, the surface turned glassy and still. Once I slipped on my polarized sunglasses and cut through the glare, I saw them. Three trout hovered close to the bottom, almost motionless, holding their positions with the least effort possible. The patterns along their backs blended so perfectly with the stones beneath them that they nearly disappeared. The lead fish was the biggest of the three, flicking its tail every now and then to keep balanced in the current. I eased the roe bag into the water, letting it drift down beside the big log. As it sank, it twitched once in the flow. The largest trout shot forward instantly and inhaled it. The rod tip buckled hard, water exploded across the pool, and the silver belly of the fish rolled in the current like a flash of chrome. After fishing water like this, for trout like these, every other river starts to feel a little hollow.

Took advantage of the good weather and clear waters today. It was a good day!🎣🎣💯😎

Snow came early this year