Last year I met a flyfishing steelheader from White Rock. He told me that he was retired, and he spent lots of time fishing. He said in terms of steelhead population of steelhead rivers, ours are just miniscule compared to the American rivers. He was tossing out a series of names of American rivers from the Russian in northern California to the Clearwater, Williamette, Deschute & Umqua & Rogue of Oregon, to Cowlitz & Klamath of WA, & those in Olympic Peninsula Wa. He said you would not believe the phenomenal steelhead fishing in some of those rivers, 20-30 hookups per day are common, and fish runs are in 20K to 40K steelheads per river. Some rivers, particularly those in Olympic Peninsula, produce huge steelies. So he said in his retirement, he only fished the U.S. rivers now.
I have not fished the U.S. waters yet, but if his stories are true, what the heck is happening to our great Canadian fishing? Is MOE the culpit in the decline of our fish stock? I mean, if our Vedder is considered among the best steelhead river here, and yet most fishers are skunked in their trips (even top rods), how do we come to this, that even our best river is so far behind in productivity?
Has any one fished the U.S. steelhead rivers to echo this gentleman's comment?