The Wader Grab...

(photo courtesy of Billy Pheifer)


The alarm is sounded, fish on!

I scramble back to the back from my position, reel up and get ready to assume my role in the dance

When the fish vacuum connects, I like to add a little extra safety to the equation.  Our inland steelhead rivers are slicker than greased bowling balls and with that you can go down fighting a fish as you can walking into the river to make your first cast. 

A little extra precaution never hurt anyone.

So I become his anchor as the fish and OMR continue their ballet.  Step by step, we return to the calmer waters of the shore where the battle is really won or lost.

"I got ya dad"  "Put it on that fish, too much slack!"  "Big rock to your left"

"You got this"

Sure there are times when I'm not there when he fully capably hooks, fights and lands the fish with out me.  The dude know's what he's doing but maybe it's my way of pretending he needs me there and I get a front row seat to watch my father do what he loves most.