On my first cast on the Big Wood river I found myself attached to a 13" rainbow trout, and though it sounds like something I'd be thankful for (catch the holiday theme?), I shuddered a little after I let him go.

That's because catching a fish on the first cast is a jinx, like talking openly about a no-hitter in the seventh inning, or telling an actor to have a great performance.

Fortunately, I found another Big Wood Rainbow trout 15 minutes later, and before my day-before-Thanksgiving trip to Idaho's Big Wood River was over, I'd landed six pretty trout.


My jinx-breaking trout; I'll always be grateful.

Still, the first-fish jinx sorta held; my first fish was my biggest, and the fishing slowed as the day went on. I didn't see a fish the whole last hour, which was my cue to find a way up the bank and onto the riverside trail for a hike back to the car.

It was a laid-back, pleasant day on the water, and - due to the first-fish reinforcement - I stuck with a red brassie all day.

The day also reminded that the 8.5' 4wt Diamondglass rod is a nice technical nymphing rod; it flung the small, stick-on indicator, #4 shot, and red brassie in pretty much the right places all day, which was nice because I was operating largely on autopilot.


The Big Wood River in Ketchum, ID.

The 1.5 miles (or so) of the river I fished was deserted - at least until the last few minutes, when I stumbled across a local. A little older than me, he urged me to fish right above him, and as we got to talking, it turned out how he'd fished the McCloud River a lot.

We have a joke in Dunsmuir about "all roads leading to the Upper Sacramento" and it's true enough - at least among fly fishermen. I'm simply not that surprised when someone knows my home water.

He was a nice guy, offered what information he knew about the upper reaches of the Big Wood River, and pointed out the easy path to the trail.

Naturally, he'd hooked a few trout too (I watched him hook and lose one), and because I absolutely sure that a midge was the right fly, he told me he'd caught his on a big rubber-legged nymph, having struck out on the Zebra midge earlier.

So much for belief.

The Big Wood was a different river than in its winter incarnation (the only one I know), and while I'd like a shot at it in warmer weather, I've also been warned that it's heavily fished during the warmer months - enough that the locals tend to find other water.


A Big Wood River rainbow trout in late afternoon light.

Perhaps it's better that it remains a cold-weather river for me; it's never disappointed, it's fun to fish, and some of the trout have a yellowish coloration that makes them look like brown trout when they jump.

And yes, to catch a trout on the day before Thanksgiving is a powerful symbol of what life is like right now, and I think I'll postpone my Thanksgiving post for a day in order to gain a little perspective on that thought.

See you around the turkey, Tom Chandler.


Happy Thanksgiving! (to the Undergrounders from the head turkey).

fly fishing, fishing, idaho, big wood river, ketchum, rainbow trout, brassie, nymphing

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