The Yin and the Yang of the Clearwater...

Finally we're knee deep in the highly anticipated steelhead season of 2011 and for the last couple years, we begin on the Clearwater.

The Clearwater is a bitch of a river, only giving you glimpses of its drylining glory.  For me at least, it makes me earn my steelhead.

But good gawd, is it a special place.

This weekend marked the return of the annual celebration of OMR with the 2011 edition of the Fay Clave.   The weather was perfect, the flows were perfect and to add fuel to the fire, a certain "friend" of mine kept sending me texts with pictures of fish all week long.  Yeah, thanks a lot

So to the point of this post, the yin and the yang, the good and the bad, the up and the down of the Clearwater.

Within 20 minutes of setting up camp, we wadered up and bolted to one of our favorite runs on the river.   20 minutes after that, a rocket attached itself to my line and did it's best to head back to the Snake.

I couldnt have felt any better.   Catching my first B run CW fish was akin to getting laid for the first time and there could be some debate on which one I will remember more in 20 years.    Needless to say, I was a bit happy.  The Yin if you will

Then for the next 2 days.  Nothing.   The Yang to complete it.

OMR kept on rolling through the three days with nothing to show for it but a savage take and a battle that left him staring at the water for minutes after the connection was lost.  Still, he was the last guy on the water, keeping the hope alive

Not to be out done, Fay Clave attendee Bo hooked and landed the biggest Clearwater fish I've ever seen.

What a beast.

To wrap it up, three days on the C-Dub just stokes the fire to come back and find the right key on the right day to make it all happen.  Until then we'll just keep trying.

Because every thousand casts or so, you get to drop your loop and feel what a steelhead can really do.