Great fish, Fishio. Beginning's luck or what? You just have to be lucky too these days when steelies are not as abundant.
Thank you for handling those jabs so nicely. You must be a really nice guy. I don't mind fishing with you if Chris turns you down.
I am just as old as he is.
Talking about how a newbie steelie fisherman can get hammered for his success, the following is a true story of my newbie fishing partner some years ago:
I took a first time steelie newbie out trying to catch the elusive steelie. He had been fishing rock fish mostly, had no idea what steelie fishing is all about. So I loaned him all fishing equipment, including rod, bait-caster, and even the terminal set up. Boy, what a day he had. We started off right below the Tamahi Bridge, got him set up, then let him make the first cast. He had a fish on. But his rock-fish fishing background fouled up the rest. He did not let the fish run and reeled in with dear life. Of course, fish gone. Then I let him cast some more in the prime water while I casted to secondary spots. Before long, 2nd fish. Guess what, he held on with dear life again and there go the fish. After that, he told me he wanted to switch to his own equipment in the car. He came back with the big rock-fish equipment and the big spinning reel. I could'nt bear the sight. So I walked around some log jams to fish the pool below (the one you could see from Tamahi Bridge). I stood on a rock in the water & casted. Before long, I fell something rubbing my feet area. It was fishing line. I looked up. Here was my friend above the log jam waving at me madly. What happened? He hooked another fish again. But he was so scared about breaking off the fish, he flipped open the big spinning reel to let the fish have a free run down river. The steelie actually was swimming at the calm water right below where I stood. Knowing it was hopeless to have him land the fish, I told him to hold on, rushed back to the car parked at the Bridge, rushed back to the pool with a net, and gently pull on the line so the steelie did not even feel the pressure. Got it close enough to the rock and scoop it up with an outside-in scoop. Wow, what a way to land a fish, haha. What a beginner's luck too.
What happened next was just amazing. My friend had 3 fish on and got the only fish around that area. Other steelheaders gathered to look at the fish and talked to the fisherman who caught the fish. They found the guy not even with a vest, no wader, and holding a big meat stick up with a huge spinning reel and couldn't seem to answer any steelie question intelligently. At this point, one guy even asked if my friend had a license, and was eager to even check it out if he had a steelhead stamp or had the fish registered. It was quite embarrassing. I had to step in to intervene the harrassment.....LOL That is what you got when a newbie told every body he caught 3 steelies in a morning when every one else was skunked, including the poor mentor himself.
Be nice to the newbie steelhead fishermen. Every body started as a newbie before. Congratulation again Fishio, and welcome to the forum.
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Topic: Vedder River-Jan. 05, 2008 (Read 6445 times)