The WDFG & ODFW bios predicted a good return of winter steelhead this season, due to the improved ocean feeding conditions that contributed to very good summer steelhead runs, and salmon in most places. I've been up to fish steelies in Wash. twice this winter season. On the trip to the Cowlitz R. on 12/14, with Oly Ifishers Jeff, Mike, and Dan, we saw very few fish caught. Although it was up close to 10,000 cfs due to dam releases; but a definite lack of expected fish numbers was the consensus opinion. ...
Today (Sat. 22nd) I fished with our member Joe Superfisky (Superfly moniker) up in N.W. Washington on one of his zipperlip rivers that muddies up slower yet clears faster. So unlike many others that were blown out up there and down here, we fished in 2+ ft. of visability, and at a good level. This river usually puts out good numbers of steelhead by this time and it was flatout empty of them. We don't know whether the run is late, or over predicted by fish bios, or even if Indians were netting down river. The latter is a possibility because we did get into some bright late silver jacks and some nice good sized searun cutts. When I fished the Hoh R. late last spring with Marty we didn't get a bite and neither did the few guides that ran it that day. It was found to have been net covered down lower in the river that day. It's hard to catch fish that aren't there. ...Or is the start of the N.W. steelie peak hatchery push just late as we near Christmas Day? ...
Had a fun day with Joe, and his friends Bill and Cary (who catarafted along with Joe's driftboat). Here is a suggestion, not a plug as it may sound; check out the new All-Star 'Elite' series rods when you see them marketed. I think one of the rod's designers used to do the same thing for GLoomis rods. The Elites have a graphite modulous that should fall between the GLoomis GL3 and IMX's. Until they get market saturation expect them to be bargain priced nearer to about a 1000 series Lamiglass or so? I tried a couple of them today and they feel really good. BTW, I'm sure you recall that Joe's company, Vision tackle, took some hits for lacking quality control on their larger hooks; from around 3/0 on up I seem to recall. I recall that most guys reported that the steelhead sizes 2, 1, 1/0, and 2/0 were of better quality. Joe gave me a large box of Vision size 1 steelhead hooks to look thru and they all looked good and very sharp. He acknowledged some probs with the larger hooks but says they have the sharpening process improved on those now. ...
We could all have paid a little more attention to where we were casting our floats with all those overhanging branches today ... eh Joe?
Wash. Steelies off to a slow start - despite fishin\' with a Superfly
. I should say that "Heavy Weiner" is the fantasy name of a 'rockers turned fishers' band idea that I have. I figure that it would fit right in with today's modern era band names? It had nothing to do with Joe's anatomy. I think that would be 'little Timmy' .... ah, jk. Hehe. 
. RT
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