PAGE A22, KEIZERTIMES, DECEMBER 03, 2021
WE TAKE
PRIDE
in being staffed better than
any other senior living
community
Being the bug
The Great
OUTDOORS
BY JIM TAYLOR
For the Keizertimes
A couple of weeks ago we headed
to a coastal river to go salmon fishing.
I arrived at my friend Driller’s house at
5:15 a.m. where we hooked up his drift
boat and drove to the coast.
We were meeting Stinky, our long-
time fishing buddy, who was coming
from Nehalem where he has a home. He
arrived at the boat launch right on time
and immediately started complaining
about having to get up so early and how
hard it was to drink in the dark. Some
things never change.
We put all our gear in the boat and
headed down the river, me on the oars.
Getting to the first spot, I pulled back
on the oars and positioned the boat so
Driller and Stinky could back bounce
their leads in front of the boat, allowing
the bait to slowly go down the river near
the bottom. This is a fun and effective
method to catch salmon.
After about 30 seconds, Stinky yelled,
“There’s one,” and sets the hook. A beau-
tiful bright Chinook boiled at the surface
as his rod bent with his thumb on the reel
as he tried to control the fish.
I pulled the boat into the softer water
and grabbed the net, which was tan-
gled in loose bungee cords. As I tried to
untangle everything, Stinky told me to
hurry up. About then he said “He’s off,”
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as the fish came unhooked. Of course he
blamed me, although I played a part in
his misfortune.
Back out, I rowed and once again in
short order Stinky was hooked up again.
This time Driller was able to net the fish
for him, a 12 pound silver bright coho.
Wild coho can’t be retained so Stinky
retrieved his hook and released the fish.
In the next hole Stinky hooked again,
this time a smaller coho which he also
released. We had been fishing for about
half an hour and he’s hooked three fish.
This one-man show was starting to get
irritating real fast. Sure enough, at the
next hole, Stinky exclaimed “There he is.”
As he was hooked up to a chinook which
came off quickly. At least he didn’t blame
me this time.
At the next hole he was at it again.
Driller netted a bright 25-pound hen chi-
nook for him as he got it in the boat.
Over the past 50 years we have had
many great days fishing that river—
everyone catching fish. But not this day. I
rowed all day. Driller wasted bait and was
head net man. Stinky? He hooked seven
and landed four, including two large chi-
nook. And he missed some bites.
It was a group effort, he said, trying to
ease our pain.
“Yes it was,” said Driller, “and thanks
for the clinic.”
It was then that I thought of the words
of the Old Cowboy from the movie The
Big Lebowski: “Sometimes you’re the
windshield and sometimes you’re the
bug.”
It was a great day spent with good
friends, but I feel the spray of Windex
headed my way.
If it's happening
in Keizer, or to someone
from Keizer —
WE WANT TO KNOW.
kt@keizertimes.com
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