Rate the season

[Trick]

On a scale from one to ten, rate the current winter run for steelhead.

Size of run-10
Size of fish-8

This has been a awesome year. I fish some out of the way, zipperlip spots that are very difficult to land fish in. So my hook to landing ratio is very poor this year. I'm loosing about 4 fish for every one landed. One spot a landed a fish at took me under 5 trees that laid less than a foot above the water line. Yesterday I landed around a 18-19+ chrome native hen and 3 other dark hatch hens. While loosing at least 16 because I light line it and wasn't able to cross the high water to land them for fear of dying.

This is the best year I think I've seen and I've been fishing for about 20 years.

If your new to steelhead this is certainly the year to learn the ropes while the fish are arriving in these numbers.

Please keep El Nino' away!

[DanS]

So far, I rate the fishing a 9+.
I rate the weather a 4. :rolleyes:

[Fishen Fool]

Excellent season!! DanS, if it wasn't for the 4 rating of the weather, the fishing wouldn't have been nearly as good.

[fishon]

I give it a 9 I have been out three times this year and i have caught 2 steelhead one that was about 12 pounds and yesterday I lost a big one on the wilson I had it all the way up to the bank in about two inches of water then the line snapped. It was probably around 18 pounds.

[Steelie Ben]

Well from the number of fish I caught (1) it would have to rate the season a 5 but for the number of fish I have seen I would have to rate it a 9. Am I the only one out there who has paid his dues and still isn't catching fish? I an 22 and have been steelhead fishing since I was about 7 years old, I have probably caught less than 30 steelhead (summers/winters) in that whole time. Am I jinxed or what? Anyways I am glad to see someone is catching fish. Tight lines to all.

[DanS]

FF,

I rated the weather a 4 because the rivers I usually fish have been puked nearly all season. The fishing gets a 9+ because even going to the small rivers and creeks, I've still knocked the crap out of them.

BTW: The saltwater salmon season last fall was a 12 :shocked:

[rhansme]

9+ for me as well. 14 fish last weekend!
9 Dark
3 Chrome natives
2 pretty bait stealing searun cutts.

Weather gets a 3 for me. Always seems to blow the rivers out on the weekends... dohhhhh!

[Amerman]

The days we have got to fish have been a 10. Five days hooking 20 plus fish, 3 days landing 20 plus, my first ever 20 plus pound hatchery steelhead (it being one of our returning broodstock fish and knowing I may have caught its parents :smile: :grin: ) and a three fish limit. The weather I would say has been a 2 as in 2 wet 2 cold 2 much snow and Ice and 2 many days not geting to fish. Over all I would say it is a 8. We have two inches of snow here at my house right now.

[David Johnson]

I'd have to say at least a 9+ too. This has been something special.

[THE REEL HEY_YALL]

Dan,

I think 4 is being kind. I'd give it a 3.5 on the sphincter scale.

[William]

I'd rate the overall winter season a 10, there hasn't been a trip I haven't at least hooked a fish. Some days have been in the double digits and the new 3 fish limit, I've done it at least on every other trip.