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[milo]

Damn linguists, don't they know biologists can't write?

I think at the time when I wrote it, I meant illusive, implying that people often talk about it, yet those who have never experienced the hunt almost find its existence a myth.

That's what I thought. The illusive/elusive steelhead. VERY COOL.

And then you tell me biologists can't write.
Next thing you'll tell me is they can't catch fish!

Cheers, Milo

[Derp]

Damn Straight I remember my first steelhead. Here is a copy/paste of the report I wrote the day of. (i'll try and dig out the pictures from my archives and add them in.)

well i hit my river of choice today after school. i get off at 12 oclock so i have lots of time to fish. so i headed out with the fly rod today thinking "I've fished gear for the last month exclusively, and no steel. and the dollies are just OK on the drift rod." so i take out my new 6wt rainshadow that was built up last september but hasn't realy caught much other than some small rainbows. so i rig up the rod with a type 6sink tip a few feet of 8lb leader and a nice looking purple egg sucking leech.

So I'm on the river and i walk down to my favorite fly spot. the water is near perfect today, maybe a little on the low side. so i cast in the fly and drifft a couple of times and work my way through the entire elbow pool. Nothing, nad, zilch. well i reluctantly leave my favorite fly spot to head down to some more pools.

I get to a new pool that i just went to for the first time 2 weeks ago. Its looking good. the water is slow and deep considering the water level on the rest of the river. so i fish through the first part of the pool. nothing so i move down. a few cast later i lose my hand crafted fly to a tree on the far side of the river. O well i got another 6 of those. "ahhh, lets change it up, i was getting them (dollies) on spinners the other day, lets try a 'rolled gold' ( a pattern Onthefly showed me). And hey, lets step down to some 6lb leader". so i search through my vest looking for six lb. "Damn it!" its not there. "ahh whatever 5lb will work" so i tie on a longer 4.5ft section of 5lb test mono on for a leader, finishing off the leader wheel. Now a new approach. I move down to the bottom end of the pool, the best part. Its deep and a bit murkier. lay a few casts out and figure the count till i hit bottom with the fast sink tip. next cast i start the retrieve right when i think the fly is near bottom. i get a tap. "was that a branch or a fish", i lift the rod tip either way. nothing so the next cast i shorten the length i allow the fly to sink. take a few strips in and another tug on the line, i set the hook and its a fish. a minute or two later i land this pretty little fish.



I was alown so i snapped the picture like that and quickly released the fish. And back to fishing it was. A few more cast and Bang! another fish, this one is big though. So i battle it remembering that i only have 5lb test attached to the fly. about five minutes later i land about a 3.5-4lb. dolly. i set the rod down on the bank while holding the line and try to pulll the camera out of my jacket pocket. finally i get it out. i turn it on and focus on the fish, i then try to manuver my hand underneath the fish to try and support it at the surface. "not likely!" he says, gives me a splash, snaps the leader and takes off. "O well, i guess i gave him a little too much time to revive".

Well there's not much left of the leader and no more 5lb left so i make the decision to use some old 7lb instead of bumping back up to the 8lb maxima. Would this prove to be a bad decision?

I tie on another rolled gold and procede back to my spot. i continue casting and counting and then stripping. i get another nibble on the next two cast. but i aint quick enough to set the hook. i lay another beautiful cast out, count, then begin to strip in. BANG!!! set the hook. another bigggggg dolly. Hopefully this 7lb holds out.
And then the fish launches itself out of the water, once....twice.....three times. "HOLY #@&%!!!! THIS AINT NO DOLLY! " . i begin to walk down river following the powerful fish. i hold my rod high to make sure my line does not get caught in the stump infront of me. UHHHOOO, the water is getting deep, only 10inches till my waders start filling up. Lucky for me the ground begins to rise as i keep walking, not that the water would have stopped me. i continue to battle the fish for close to 15minutes. A train goes by and i wave with a huge smile on my face. and the conductor does a double take when he sees my rod doubled over. Still the fish does not quit. Finally i get the brute to shore, adipost fin is still their, not that i would have bonked my first steelhead ever. i walk back up to my spot where my camera is. I get a few shots of the fish in the water.





Now i set the camera on the bank with the Ten second timer going. i set the rod on the bank and wait for the fast beeps to start indicating 3seconds till picture time. i lift the fish out of the water and get this shot.



the sun was directly behind my so i turned out slightly dark so i lightened the picture on the computer so the colours aren't perfect.

I guess the 7lb held up. I revive the fish, thank him for the pleasure of meeting him, and then send him on his way. i then take a seat on teh bank and try to comprehend what just happend. after a long break. i pick up the rod and fish again, not really hoping to catch anything else. my day has already been made. but i do catch another 2 dollies. i got a picture of one who dared to bite my fly.



Enough is enough. i have had my fun. Its now time to brag. I start walking back up river continueing to replay the best day of fishing i have ever had.

Hey Dion, when was this? around the same time of year? I think know where your spot is, do you think there are still dollies there right now? I wanna get out and try that.

[DionJL]

it was nearly two years ago to the day. But since then the hole has filled in with sand after last winters high water.

[Geff_t]

Searun also has some great stories about plunking in the canal with his now wife. I guess those stories are best left around the campfires  .

[DionJL]

What sort of head was he getting???

[Big Steel]

Yeah, I remember my first!!  But I have 2 firsts I guess.  My very first ever was on the Hoh River down in washington, 2 hrs into day one!!  I was using a sand shrimp tail, and fishing a deep run, we were bouncing, well, barely bouncing with about a 14" leader.  All morning, I was wondering if I was doing it right, never having done this before.  But I was getting better at my casting, as when I started the morning, I couldn't hit anything in a 10 foot radius.   Anyways, I had been trying to get the rig into a slick about 2 feet from the shore line, but was worried about getting hooked into the shrubs hanging off the bank, FINALLY, I got that cast in there.  About 10 seconds later, a felt a little bump, not really thinking much of it, but out of reaction I guess, I lifted the rod.  I didn't slam it home or anything, but just lifted the rod.  Well, what happened next hooked me for life, the rod started pounding and pulling hard, then a beautiful long piece of steel came thrashing to the surface.  I will never forget that first look at a Steelhead.   About 10 min later, the beauty was beside the boat, the guide was telling me to take it around the other side of the boat, I was thinking why, it is right there.  Anyhow, I did then the guide knocked it off the hook with the net!!    Anyhow, it was an awesome experience and had me out on the Vedder 2 days after we got back.  As I had not really fished the Vedder before, I headed to the one spot I had fished for Spring the fall before.  Prison Camp.  After seeing nothing for about a couple hrs, I put on a Blade, made a cast over to the other side of the flow, the second the float touched the water, well, it didn't make a movement down river, it went upriver!!  Perplexed by this, I pulled back on the rod, thinking that I had landed the blade on a rock or something, but that rock pulled back and then headed up stream fast.   Well, that was maybe one of the best fights I have ever had with a fish.  After what seemed like forever, a lot of runs and some major thrashing, a nice big doe came to hand, was admired and sent back on her way.  Afterwards I was thinking that maybe I should have taken a pic or 2 of each fish, but never thought of it at the time.  I was so pumped up about getting into them, and I will always have that snapshot ingrained into my head of each first steelhead.  Was after that 2nd fish that I went on the massive no Steelhead streak.  Made me appreciate the next one and every one after that.   

[younggun]

Didn't we all, it took me 2 1/2 steelhead seasons before i touched another steel after my first!

[island boy]

for me it was 3 years ago and it was my 3rd time steelie fishing. purple piece of wool and a small corkie in the same color. was fishing the peach rd area. i thought that this was no big deal,didn't know what all the fuss was about. that was the last time i've caught one.