How to do it All at the Same Time?

**Tony Buzolich** · 07-19-2005, 04:44 PM

What a beautiful morning.
Had planned to take my boss salmon fishing this morning. He'd caught plenty of salmon before but never one on a fly.
Picked him up at 4:30am and headed up river to one of my special spots. Not another car or sole around. Hiked over to my favorite run and started casting instructions as soon as we could see well enough to cast.

As the sky got lighter, birds began to move, salmon began jumping farther downstream, and it was just an incredible time of day to see everything waking up.

I told my boss that pretty soon there'd be a hatch off to the side of the run and the trout would beging to feed in some of the slack water there. It didn't seem important now because we were there for bigger things.

Well, sure enough, just like clock-work, a hatch of spinners (?) began to cover the quiet water on the side of the run. And also just like clock-work the trout began feeding on these floating bits of breakfast.

But this morning was a little different. These were bigger fish feeding, and lots of them. I continued to cast for the salmon but couldn't pay attention and had to stop and watch the feeding of these fish on the ? trico's,? spinners?, whatever kind of bug it was they were eating.

You could watch as several fish would quickly come to the surface and suck a mouthful of food in and then make a quick splash and turn and grab another mouthful a foot or two away. These were really good size trout. Their tails would come several inches out of the water making the entire tail a good five inches in hight and I would estimate the fish to be 18"-24" in length.

I actually forgot about the salmon for a moment and wanted my #4w. with a floating line in the worst way.

But, we weren't here for trout.

The boss and I worked our way upstream hitting several holes along the way but the salmon had moved from the day before. These spring fish move fast. Eventually we find a narrow deep run and I hand my boss my #10w. with a 400gr. head and put on a new silver and blue flash fly. A couple casts later, he hooks up

Yahooo ! He's hooked up. My day is made.
Oops, spoke too soon and his bright chrome missle is off. Geez, anyway, and lots of smiles. I tell him to set with his left hand several times before he lifts the rod and then get as much slack back in to the reel as quickly as possible.

A few more casts in the same run and WHAM! he's hooked up again. This time he sets right. The fish goes airborn several times and heads upstream against the current and against the drag and pulling my #10w. like it was nothing.
We chase the fish to the next pool and gradually work him in till I can get a good tail hold.
Yahoos again, high fives, and what a great way to end a beautiful morning.

Now, if I could just figure out how to carry a #4weight when I'm fishing with my #10w???
TONY

**Jasonh** · 07-19-2005, 04:54 PM

Wow, i would just bring the 4 wt and put it on the bank, especially if there are trout/steelhead that big sipping dries. I know springers are fun on a fly rod, but i could not pass up fish trout that big on dries. Nice report and keep it up.

Jason Hartwick

**David Lee** · 07-19-2005, 05:10 PM

Tony -

Please remember to tell your boss that you get a RAISE for every fish he drops .

Are they still pretty bright ?? Tough , rough Salmon in there in summer ...

David

**Tony Buzolich** · 07-19-2005, 06:34 PM

David,

These are some of the brightest salmon I've ever taken. The one today still had several sea lice in its gills. I've only seen one slightly dark fish which had a small white patch on its nose but all of the rest have been really chrome.

Last year July was poor and things didn't get going until August. This year things are starting out a lot better or I've just figuired out what they like.

So far a weighted size #1 Flash fly has been the best. Also, it seems to work better once the sun comes up a little giving it more "flash". In the darker early morning light they don't flash as well and then I've been using the more conventional colors. The sun actually gets the fly to reflect.

TONY