Well the fishing is slow and the information is limited to the movement of fish, so it's time to tell you how I started fishing and the things that have happened to me along the way. It's been along journey getting to where I am today. So I would say it all started back when I was about 5 or 6 years of age. My Dad would take me and my brother out fishing for whatever we could catch, mainly cat fish along the Columbia George and in the Snake river. One of my most memorable moments of being a kid out fishing took place one day when we were fishing in the Snake River for cat fish. Although the memories fail me as far details go, I still remember the most important parts of the story. I am sure it was one of my first experiences with a fishing pole in my hands, so you can image I was not the caster or fisherman I am today. I remember the day being bright and sunny with just a slight breeze I believe blowing down river. We were using worms on the bottom and plunking in a way, by letting the worms lay on the bottom the cat fish would pick up the scent and come on over to investigate, ( I believe this is still a very effective way to catch big cats in the Snake ). As time went on throughout the day I don't recall catching any fish myself, although my brother had caught a nice 18" cat, and during the time when he was catching his fish is when the story of my first realization that fishing was a frustrating sport and that if I was going to make it as a fisherman I was going to have to learn how to deal with the rats nests and the bail failures, and the knots, and every little thing that comes along with a lifetime of fishing. Well I can tell you as I stood on the bank of the Snake river watching my brother catch a big cat and realizing that I had line wrapped around my hands, arm, legs, and the reel was a complete mess of line and knots. As I stood there crying and screaming for help as my brother called me cry baby and made fun of me, I realized this was not what I was made to do. Thankfully the years following I learned to deal with these adversities and I have overcome the challenges that all novices face, and I have come out of it a fairly good fisherman. This first encounter comes back to me time to time when I am having a bad day on the river, you know those days when every cast is a snag and you can't even move without hooking a tree or shrub that normally you wouldn't even notice was there, and it's then that I reflect back and remember that you never stop learning when it comes to fishing and even a professional can have a novice day on the river. I will sometimes just sit down when things are going bad and regroup and then with confidence head back out and start fishing.

 

Confidence in your fishing ability and in the river or stream you are fishing is key to catching fish. If you go into it without the confidence that your fishing skills are good enough to catch fish then you will tend to give up to soon and not try everything you are capable of. In order to build this confidence you need to study the water in your river and find where the fish lay from one year to the next. Confidence comes from catching fish and also from knowing your fishing grounds and your gear. Using the correct gear may not give you the confidence to catch fish but it will make you feel more secure once you do hit that record fish that lingers in every fisherman's future casts.

Enjoy your selfs out there and don't get to frustrated when you are having a bad day, if you need to just picture me as a 5 year boy standing on the banks of the Snake crying for help and feeling helpless in a sea of knots and line.

 

Aaron;