Some time over the last two days I wrecked my back. It's happened before and it usually just happens on it's won without any help from a twist, fall, or heavy lift. If you asked me what I actually did I'd probably give you a Mike Tyson to reporter Jim Gray answer....
But luckily I found my wading staff and gave it a go. While the conditions didn't matter as I was going when I was going I felt like I might just catch a fish. And I almost did, some kind of fish. It was about an hour and a half into the flood tide and I thought that maybe fish would be on the move upriver from the deeper water. In the tidal section, with a changing tide every six hours, fish either hunker down or drop back as the water recedes. That's why guys love dropping tides, it's easier to figure out the lies and holes and where to find them.
There's a cool point that occurs when you're fishing an incoming tide on a river. and I'm not talking about a somewhat lazy ocean side 3-4 foot incoming. On the river there's a nine foot tide and at some point who can actually see it push up and actually flood there area you're in. And sometimes, like on a moon, it comes in real fast, and you have to be sure you don't get caught being further then you should.
If you look at the top photo you can see kind of what I'm talking about. "Normal", although running now at 8,300 cfs, river flor heading downstream and the "flood" waters coming upstream. When there's bait around that point can be a place where fish move into hunting spots as bait comes down with the current. That usually happens in bigger water, and this is not big water. In fact it's more like late summer then early to mid-spring.
I did have a swirl behind my fly during the retrieve in. I speculate is was a bass, either a smallmouth, largemouth, or maybe even a small striped bass. In early light it wouldn't be wrong for the possibility that a walleye might have taken a shot at it. Outside of the pain, and tingling in one leg, it was good to get out and clear my head before heading back to the work camp. And that's what the house is starting to feel like. Psychically I'm running out of steam, but my eyes are still on the prize.
