Being a total steelhead nerd, I sometimes do things that most sane people would not even consider. Case in point: I had Sunday off and decided I wanted to swing flies for steel. I left Bend with a buddy at 10:30 pm on Saturday night, arriving at Kloan around 2:00 am on Sunday morning. We loaded up our packs and took off down the railroad tracks toward our destination. We arrived at our run a little after three, rigged our Speys, and promptly passed out in the grass for a hour and a half. At 5:00, we were the first ones with wet lines in our run. The river wasn't crowded, but other people slowly started showing up, including a jet boat with about 6 people throwing spinners. The morning felt extremely fishy, as we got first dibs at some of the best swing water on the lower 5 miles. However, it was all to no avail. We fished through the morning then took a break to nap and take a swim. We then moved upriver and switched to Skagit setups with heavy sink tips for the afternoon session. Alas, it was not meant to be. All we had to show for our effort turned out to be a couple of squawfish and three redsides. Hopefully the fish are just a little late this year, not non-existent. Good luck out there!
