giveumhell!
should have another day or two of under 1000cfs.
if the wind don't blow too hard at you it should make for some good fishing.

Charlie ,  
cool story ,, safe travels  and   hit  em hard .

Happy birthday Charlie!...Hope you hang on to a 20#er

so back when the river changed corse and created the new upper clay there was a willow tree at the base of the fiff between the meadow and the clay.
it was a good hole in its own right.
when that sycamore fell it lodged first mid river along the willow hole to the south bank.
one day on about 1000cfs i was the only person on that side of the river.
a big run of kings came thru that morning and i had already gotten to see one of those solid white glass boat rods the snaggers used blow uo trying to stop one, so it had already been a good day.
about 9am a run of coho started and lasted the rest of the day mixed in with a solid amount of kings.
how many i had i have no idea but this is about just one of them.
it was a male in the 12-15 pound range that hit just below me, gave the classic headshakes and turned down not upriver, always a good sign.
it ran down 15 or twenty feet ending in one of those coho somersaults where it seems they are trying to bite there own tail.
ran back up to me then turned down going under the tree and leaped out of the water and over the tree not once but twice which stopped my line better than the best drag could do and snap it was over.
all took 30-40 seconds, or hours in the slo mo dimension i was transported to.
it was as if the first jump was to check out the obstructions and then a planned escape using the tree.
it was the only time i can remember giving a fish credit for human  like reasoning.
25 years later and i can still see it happening if i close my eyes and think about it.
 

if i might?
randy you are on the water5 days a week.
you must have had some special moments or spectacular fish.
how about pulling a chair up to the fire and sharing one.

lucky reminding me of that brown.
back in the day when the upper clay had just changed its flow to the backside of the island we were fishing for salmon.
that means it was probably early Oct.
shirt sleeves and sunny skies.
i had started fishing a west coast steelhead pattern searching for an early ingot when smashbang I get bulldozed.
Huge headshakes and just backing down to the tailout.
No doubt a good salmon.
As it turned to go out of the hole I got a glimpse and new it was a giant brown.
Change in plans.
Where i had been going to either turn it or lose it it became time to beat feet downriver.
finally landed it in the willow hole that used to be between the clay and the meadow.
she was rich buttery in color like a stream brown. truly a magnificent creature.
i whistled and held it up. to my supprise my left hand that i used to support her belly disappeared into what must have been 20000,# for you dime,eggs.
not really into them but her belly just flowed around it.
when i revived and realeased her and went back up to fish lucky asked what was the big deal about the salmon.
Still the biggest by far that my eyes have ever seen.
 
ps still can't believe nobody else has anything for this thread.

Thanksgiving 1992 my 3rd or so trip guiding a couple from NJ. Yep, they stayed at the sportmens lodge and when they came up, they would bring there parakeet with them, but on this trip they stayed at the Salmon Run Lodge.  I tied and filled a 1 quart mason jar with blue Salmon egg sacks. With drive in access, we went to the DSR south side of the flats, river was high maybe 1400cfs. all I can say is, every cast you had a fish. not one time did our split shot hit the bottom. It never had a chance. I figure it was 60 fish each including myself, All big fish........ I think we landed 3.
That same year Dec 2, My buddy Kent got a 20plus pound fish, took a pic and let her go. SS creek

i have one about a drop back from 7 years ago
i was up in late april for a chance at the few remaining steelies...but figuring i would catch more bass since it had been warm for a few weeks at that point
it was in the mid 70's as i walked over to my rock in shorts and tennis shoes
beautiful blue bird kind of a day
when i looked from the high bank into my favorite little hole i saw what i first thought was a beat up salmon holding with two sizable male steelies down stream flanking
i dropped in to my rock and drifted an egg sac down and sure enough she took it, i set the hook and she moved into the heavy water....well using 6lb test i knew this was going to be a short battle if i didn't start swimming...so, i jumped in and got across the river and started following her down stream...finally landed the biggest steelie i had ever seen in the tail out of the wire hole
the only other person fishing had a pair of boga grips and weighed it at 22lb 7 oz i nursed her back to vigor after about 10 minutes and watched her swim away
great day :)

great stories guys.
i love this thread of your's bear.
more people just have to have something special in their data banks.
i know that brown of mine while i hadn't forgotten it wasn't in my top 20 or so experiences.
i really am more of a steel kinda guy so those are what come rushing back to me as i'm falling asleep.
 

I like these kinds of threads for a couple reasons
ususally they don't get high jacked
they tell you alot about the people you are sharing water with
they make us all smile
 
just like fishing, it should be about the enjoyment :)