I’m still freezing. It wasn’t really that cold while I was steelheading on the upper Columbia River. The forecast claimed 38 and with the wind factor it was definitely lower than that, but I am still adjusting to local temperatures. It would have helped if the fishing would be been a little hotter. When I launched the boat next to the Lake Pateros Inn the bottom was littered with steelhead carcasses, so I figured the fishing must be pretty good. Well, it must have been when those fish were caught, but I felt lucky to get a couple of good bobber sinkers and get one wild fish to the boat. I heard that a record 30,000 steelhead passed over Rocky Reach Dam this past week. When I first heard about it I didn’t believe it, but it was later confirmed. That means that there is going to be kind of steelhead fishing everyone has been anticipating on the upper Columbia above Rocky Reach very soon. Fishing below Wells Dam is one of my favorite areas, and although I have caught fish there already this season, I know the best time to be there is still to come.