I made a trip to Wells Dam the other day. I usually start fishing here later in the steelhead season, but I just had to give it a try. The steelhead counts are very good again this year and I hoped that some of them were resting below the dam. My wife Eileen did hook one while we drifted bobbers and jigs along the bar. I did get a couple of hits back trolling, too, but we didn't put a single steelhead in the boat.

Conditions were good, too. We had good flow for a weekend day, so I can't blame lack of current for our bad luck. We did get a jack salmon and some triploids, so we had some action on the sunny and clear winter day.

I talked to one other angler on the water, who is an excellent plug-puller. He lost one steelhead right at the boat, and caught some triploids, but that was all he could muster from Wells on this particular day. He had caught three, including one hatchery fish on an earlier trip here.

I'm going to try some other spots on the upper Columbia and give Wells another chance later in the year.