Here's your story about no crowds, lots of fish: I was driving back to the sound from taking the Oregon state police entrance exam, and crossed over the Toutle on I-5 and thought that I had always wanted to fish it. I told myself that there will probably be a lot of people, but when I got under the railroad tracks, no one. I tied on a jig and float for the first time and had casted out about 3 times before hooking into a 24" summer run, got him to the bank, released, and next cast, same hole, same size fish. Must have been his bro or sis. I was so pleased I packed up and went home after only 15 min on the river. Thank you Toutle.

I will do the quantity thing early in the season - like anchor my boat below Blue Creek and load up on Xmas presents for my relatives (7 hatchery dinks in 4 trips - no C&R here!). I'll also bump boats with the Bouy 10ers to load up on the chrome piggies, but what I usually wind up doing is fishing out of the way or off peak places and enjoyng the solitude, uninterupted by disturbing things like fish biting.

I have on occasion had the two coincide, like a few years back on the upper Quinault, where the river split into a side channel configuration that encouraged all the fish to swim into a channel that boats couldn't enter. I found this spot one March day while fly fishing during low water, and proceeded to hook 8 wild steelhead and land 3 (many snags and mean fish!) One taped out to be 21 lbs, and I only got him in by chasing him into the shallows after he had rolled up in my fly line to the point that he couldn't break me off. That spot went away during the next high water, but was sure fun while it lasted.

It all depends on my mood...I love bushwackin or floating a river in a pontoon boat and getting away from the people. A couple fish for the day just add to the fun.

But other times, I am in the mood for a terminal area fishery. Whoever has dont the Reiter summer opening, knows what I am talking about. Hundreds of people, poised to cast when the shotgun or whistle goes off. Most hookup and as you can imagine, this scene defines the phrase "Chinease Firedrill."

Another combay fishery I enjoy is Drano. I spent a day down there last Spring for springers. What a blast!!...hundreds of boats (boats used loosely as many are not boats but actually just some object that floats) fighting for position. Big springers running everywhere, tangling lines, cussing and swearing and screaming and yelling. It is a blast...

In a perfect world I'd take both.. But reality is for steelhead I enjoy solitude with my lazy ass... I don't care to race or compete with anyone, I'm too good.... I mean getting to old for that crap.. Fishing is fishing and if you hook one, well you hook one. It's the time in solitude that matters, all the fun of exploring and seeing it all for the first time alone no matter how many are there fishing in your spot...
Keith

At this point in my life, all I care about is learning to catch fish.

Matt

Fishing is my form of meditation. It helps me recenter myself as the stress of the outside world washes downstream with the flow.

Catching fish is bonus. If I don't, then I still come out of it better than when I went into it.

The river can be chalked full of trophy fish and if there are already people fishing it I go else where!
I guess I have gotten spoiled with all my exploring!Other fishermen always ask me how do you fnd these spots and I wrinkle my nose.I explore!I buy maps, good boots and stay in shape!Quality isn't the right word

PRISTINE: prime,first,dawnlike,primordial;fresh dewey,pure,virginal,unspoiled.

I enjoy being on the river all by myself without anybody in the gorge. Watching the sun come up over the ridge, deer near me, eagles soaring, and seeing bobcats on the other side. Hiking up and down the river pounding it all day. Finding and catching steelhead.