Thanksgiving on the Hoh
This Thanksgiving my family and I trucked out to the Peninsula to enjoy the solitude of late November fishing in the world’s most beautiful place. Teagan and I planned a morning on the lower river where we would walk and wade a nice stretch of the river, and finish off the morning session with a warm, riverside meal. Later on, we would venture upriver in search of some B run (late run) coho. This outing is a great example of how Teagan and I would lead a guided trip out on the Peninsula, assuming one day we could move out there and start up our business.
The Morning
Earlier this year, during one of Teagan and I’s many expeditions to the Peninsula, we discovered a beautiful stretch of river accessible via 4x4. This area offers sweeping access to the Hoh below the Oxbow, and is easily accessible via truck. It also offers different varieties of water, small pocket water formed via a narrow bend, broad fast runs, and deep pools. I thought it would be a good place to take my family, as there is ample space for 5 people to roam, and we would likely be alone. We brought our stove and cooking box with lunches for everyone. A nice warm meal is a great antidote to getting skunked by the way.
Frozen rods on a clear, late fall morning
The morning was cold, around 34 degrees. The rods were covered in frost, and my family was emerging from our cabins with waders equipped, everyone looking cold but excited. We piled into our vehicles and headed to our spot.
Not long after arriving, we followed some tracks to a spot that we could call home for the morning. We unpacked our gear, popped the rods out of their roof racks and started to fan out alongside the river.
We threw lots of gear that morning to no avail. We twitched jigs, threw spinners, floated beads and jigs, Teagan ran the centerpin rod (a method she has become quite fond of), but we had no bites. The water was in nice condition, with a preference towards loud presentations.
After a few hours dedicated casting and constant movement up and down the river, we decided to head back to the truck and cook up our meal. We busted out the stove, boiled some water, sautéed some beef and combined it all to make some tasty, hot ramen, followed up by hot cocoa. It is remarkable what a hot meal can do for morale. I often find myself getting too caught up in the search for fish, that I forget to focus on having fun. Taking the time to put the rod down and cook up a tasty meal is a great way to force my focus back to having an enjoyable outing.
Hot lunch for everyone!
After the meal we decided to head up river in search of fish. It seemed to me that any coho in the river would be pretty far up considering it was the 28th of November, not to mention Nat caught a small dolly upriver the night before. We trekked back the way we came.
Afternoon Upriver
As we headed upriver, we decided to try a new pull off this time in search of a new hole, and boy oh boy did it pay off. This spot is just below my favorite hole. It offers a long run just below a deep hole, with several deep pockets along the run. It is the type of spot that you really could explore for your whole life.
As I noted above, this stretch contains a bend at the top of the section that curls around and offloads the current into a swirling, deep pool, ideal holding water for fish taking a rest day on their journey upriver. Teagan and I headed to this hole, while my parents fished the run below. Our first instinct was to float some jigs and beads through the hole at varying depths. I believe Teagan had a small take, but missed it. I found no takers on my float setup. I trekked up to the top of the hole and pulled out a twitching jig to mix things up with a louder presentation.
The water was icy blue set against towering green trees. First cast with my 1/2 oz twitching jig and I saw something that sent a violent wave of adrenaline through me. A silvery flash not far off from where I was standing, and almost certainly right next to where my jig was twitching. I couldn’t be sure that my eyes weren’t playing tricks on me, that I was imagining that flash. I turned to Teagan who was tying up a new lure on her setup and told her there may be something big in this hole. I cast again, same spot and this time I see a perfectly clear outline of a big fish dancing with my jig. This fish was certainly interested in the jig that was invading its space. Now I turned back to Teagan and was blabbering something along the lines of “Holy shit there’s a BIG fish in here alright. It’s dancing with my jig! I bet that is the last I see of it though…”. After venting my excitement, I grabbed a pair of scissors and trimmed the tag end of my line to clean up the presentation a bit. I cast for a third time and…damnit, I snagged on bottom surely…TUG…TUG TUG.
I initially thought I snagged bottom as is so common with twitching jigs, but no, this snag was pulling back! I was on the line with a beast of a fish and could now see the flash of silver under the surface of the water. This was the fish Teagan and I had been searching for all fall. A wild, chrome Coho just hammered my jig. Teagan reacted instantly and ran down to grab the cradle net, which was painfully far down the bank. It was my job to keep this fish on the line until she got back with the net. If I let this fish off the line, knowing me, it would have ruined my day. Heart racing, blood pumping, and all other senses muted outside of the sporadic and violent tug on my bent rod. It seemed impossible that I would keep this fish on, but I did. I kept it close to the bank, constant tension, but not too much, I played this fish pretty damn well I must admit. But Teagan played her role equally well and sprinted across slippery rocks and deep muddy holes to get this net to the fish as quickly as possible. Before I knew it, she was under the fish dipping the cradle net into the water and under the fish, securing the regal wriggling beast for us to admire.
The very brief moments spent with these elusive creatures once they’ve been landed are the sweetest moments in life. You have but a few seconds to admire their perfection, before they need to return to their kingdom and tend to their duties. All your senses are void in these moments, there is no cold, there is no tired, there is no hunger or thirst, frustration or anxiety, life is simply pure and free. Her iridescent colors seemed impossible. The flashes of purple, silver, blue and green….Mother Nature incarnate. An emissary of our natural world interrupted for a brief moment on her mission to further her species.
I hope to meet another one soon, but understand they have urgent business to attend to. Until next time, I will savor those moments and remember them as if they just happened. Thanks for reading and Happy Thanksgiving.
