WILD BLOG: The second mouse gets the cheese ...
NEW Feb. 21, 2009 / 8:30 p.m

TILLAMOOK, Ore. - Drift boat steelhead fishing on many rivers has become a race.

Boats race down the river, sometimes leaving the ramp a few hours before it's even daylight, hoping to beat the next guy and be the first to the biters.

Although this works, and sometimes very effectively, there are other options.

I’ll admit, under some circumstances I’ll get caught up in this rat race. If there are just tons and tons of boats, it simply must be done because if you’re number 10 or 20 down the river, there just might not be any fish left. But when there‘s normal traffic I prefer to be the second mouse. 

No fish left behind: I don’t mind if there are a few boats ahead of me. That’s because most the time they will be on a race. A lot of time they will hit the holes so fast fish are left behind.       

I prefer to practice “No fish left behind”. 

If I have a choice, I like to work a hole over thoroughly, making sure I’ve hooked each fish out of every good piece of water. Effectively reading water helps: you can eliminate water that doesn’t hold fish, and can choose the correct technique so you don’t waste your time throwing everything but the kitchen sink at them.

Besides, sometimes it’s just nice to stop and smell the roses ... and sometimes those roses smell fishy.

-DJ