I am faced with a tough choice these days. The fishing for Chinook salmon on the upper Columbia, particularly at the Brewster Pool and below Wells Dam is very good right now. Another fishing opportunity I wait for every summer just got started, and that's fly fishing our small streams. Do I hit the Columbia with the chance of hooking a king weighing up to 30 pounds, or do I go wade the Icicle or Entiat and catch 9-inch rainbow.

I know most of you think I am crazy to think this is much of a decision. Don't get me wrong I like doing battle with these big, summer run salmon. But there's something about the solitude and scenery when I am fishing for small trout on these local streams that I really love. When I am out there wading around and casting to the small pools behind the boulders I just don't think of anything else. I am totally focused on the drifting fly. When a small rainbow hits it I often laugh as they jump, doing 360s like they were a big steelhead.

It's a great way to cool off on a hot summer day, too. I hope you get the chance to try this sometime. It's downright addictive