Klamath River: 40 years with old Joe Shirshac.
Joe started fishing the Klamath River in 1952 with a fly rod.
He also took many of us up there with him. We were lucky to be with Joe because he really knew the river well and how and when to fish it with a fly.
In the '60s the river was still doing well so we hit some good runs of fish at times. Many were 12 to 18 inches but then there were 4 to 6 pounders too. We were mostly fishing between Weitchpec and Happy Camp. Sept/Oct was the timing.
We stayed in Joe's trailer on the river and we got up very early to get on the water just as you could see a bit.
When we hit the water early I watched Joe work his way down the runs casting like a machine. We would all cast, swing and step down which is the traditional way to fish Steelhead. Early we would see fish rolling in the low light and they were eager to hit our Silver Hiltons.
As the morning progressed into day time and the canyon got brighter the fishing always seemed to slow down. Joe too would slow down and then we noticed he was sitting on a log working on his leader or just watching us fish. That was the sign that the early morning grab of the big ones was over.
We would then go drive the river and talk with anglers trying to get an idea where the runs were. Joe would note where cars were parked on the top of secret trail heads down to people's favorite runs.
Joe knew people in the trailer parks/camp grounds along the river so we would drive around and talk with other old time Klamath fly fishers mid-day.
We met one old guy who gave us his profile: " We (him & his wife) camp (in a trailer) here at Bluff Creek for a month or more. I get up and make coffee and then walk down to the river. If the rods are a straight, pointing to the sky, I go for a walk with my wife and friends and maybe play cards or read. If the rods are bent over, I go get my rod and join them because the fish are in."
I was about 20 years old then and decided that when I retired I wanted to be just like that guy.
We would eat a big lunch and maybe relax some mid-day like old hound dogs.
Then at 3:00pm we would get together our gear and get in Joe's old blue Chevy Suburban and head to another of Joe's 'secret spots'.
Sometimes we would have to hike way down in the canyon but it was worth it. When we got down to the runs it would still be bright and Joe would let us test the water. But when the light got low, Joe was in the water again like a machine casting and swinging his fly well into the dark of evening.
In the warm Fall weather we would hook the bigger fish in the first and last hours of light daily. The grabs of those Klamath fish is very fast and strong. Sometimes they just snap you off on the strike. I can't imagine catching Steelhead up there any other way than swinging flies on a floating line, early and late in the day.
Joe will be up there this year again chasing those hot wild Steelhead of the Klamath River. Joe is 84 now. I will be up there too.
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