Salmon Fishing

November 2010

COME ON… LETS GO!

One time Ago… in the 1980's I went fishing with my twin brother Todd for Salmon at the American River, Nimbus Dam to be exact. 

 it was late in the season and several gates were open which caused the water to rise past the normal areas to fish, which made it hard to find a good spot on the riverbank to fish from.  We finally found a spot in between some small tree’s.

I like to catch fish especially big Salmon, and I don’t like to sit there all day or even more than 1 hour without even a nibble.  I drift a small orange bead at the end of a 6 foot leader with just enough weight to bounce off the bottom of the riverbed as the current takes my set up downstream.  You do this repeatedly over and over and over waiting for a hit or hook-up. That’s fisherman Slang for hooking a fish.  Also when you hook a Salmon on the banks of the river you yell Fish-On! To alert others that they better reel–in their lines and get the heck out of the way because the next thing you will hear is, COMING DOWN! Which means the fish is coming down river and sometimes way faster than the fisherman can maneuver across slippery moss rocks in about 4 feet of water. 1 out of 5 fisher persons fall down and if they have waiters on, it can be dangerous in fast moving water but for the most part its dam cold and shrivels things up might quick if you know what I mean.

Me and my two brothers grew up fishing, starting at the age of 4 years old. Our father was an avid fisherman in Southern California and was involved in surf fishing clubs for many years.

When we moved to Northern California in 1969/70? He took me Salmon fishing at the American River and I have been fishing for Salmon and Steelhead ever since.

 Well anyways on this particular day, there wasn’t another fisher person anywhere in sight, which is a sure sign that the fish are gone. Salmon spawn (lay their eggs) and die off.

 There might be a few stragglers’ but not very many. Steelheads start making their way to this area shortly after the Salmon so you never know?  Well we found a narrow 10 feet of open space in between the small tree’s to try and cast out into strong enough current and hopefully hook a Salmon if there are any?  After awhile and getting colder by the minute, I’m getting a little impatient which turns into frustration which turns into me and my brother arguing about stuff.  Like whether we should go or not, whether we should stay or not, or maybe we should go to another spot a few miles down the road…or not? 

Anyways I don’t remember what was more frustrating; the snagging of my line every other cast or my brothers constant badgering to go somewhere else and get skunked just the same. My brother is into one of his Come on let’s go! Every 30 seconds rants while I’m snagged at the bottom of the river for the umpteenth time. This time my line was stuck at the bottom with no give whatsoever, I mean you could hear the line stretched to the max, with that twanging sound it makes right before it snaps!

I’m tugging on what seems like a big solid rock or a root from a nearby tree at the bottom of the river and there’s no give and take whatsoever. So while all this is going on, my brother is fishing right beside me and while I’m cursing under my breath out of frustration …WACK!

Son-of-A- what the hell did you do that for? I scream!  Sorry he blurts out. (On his last cast his sinker hits me in the back of my head?!!!!) I could tell also that he’s trying to keep from laughing out loud.  “Oh you think it’s funny? So now I’m slightly bleeding and feeling the back of my head for a hook or something,  I’m Bleeding! -You (Bleep %@#!)” I yell. While all this is going on, I’m holding my fishing pole in my right hand while my line is still snagged at the bottom of the river! Arrrrgh! I sneer as I grit my teeth. Now I’m even more frustrated!

“THAT’S IT!  L-E-T’S --GO!” I shout and I give my pole a hard tug at the same time and then hold the tip up in the air waiting for my line or pole to break. At this point I didn’t care what broke. The line was so tight that it sounded like the devils own Choir singing way, way off key. The devil went down to Georgia or something like that? I couldn’t quite make out the words because I’m now focused on purposely trying to get the fishing line to break so I can then go over and smack my brother up side his head. (I know he didn’t mean to do it and he is a nice guy and everything but we are brothers Twin brothers to be exact and hey? I can’t speak for other twins but that’s what we do?)

  Todd (Same Me)                               Tom (Same Him)

Suddenly the end of my pole starts tugging back several times.  HEY?  … Hey Todd?  I think I have a fish? I yell.  “Ya right… Come on lets go and stop clowning around” he yells  from a now safe distance. No, seriously? I think it’s a fish?   NO-WAY? Todd says but then starts walking cautiously over to where I’m at because he is probably thinking I’m trying to lure him closer for the payback. Suddenly! I feel that familiar head shake at the tip of my pole and then all at once my reel starts singing and my line is now taking off out of the spool at warp speed, and the tip of my pole is bending into a “U” shape!

Picture of me at the Port of Oakland pier catching a 4-1/2 ft leopard shark

And then this huge dark reddish colored fish leaps out of the water about 10 feet in front of me! and I yell to Todd “Its a FISH!!” Right then my line breaks with a loud SNAP! I just stood there in disbelief as Todd is now beside me.

 “DID YOU SEE THAT! -IT WAS A BIG SALMON!” I shouted and my brother Todd says “heck ya!” and we both started laughing at what just transpired. It all happened so fast. One second I’m pissed off and my head is bleeding and the next we we're both laughing so hard, it took a few minutes to compose ourselves only to start laughing some more.  We laughed about it all the way home. We tell that One-Time-Ago story to each other once in a while reminiscing about our funny moments we shared together.

Tom S.

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