100% Hole

rpnsteelheadlps · 02-16-2004, 12:35 PM

Do you have a special spot that you hook fish everytime you fish it? My son Jordan has a spot on the Nehalem Main Stem that he hooks Steelhead everytime he fishes it. We fished the SalmonBerry on Sunday and he hooked 2 nice Cut's. I didn't hook up and we didn't see any Steelhead. When we left we went to Jordan's hole. 5th cast he hooked and landed a 15+LB Native Hen. We fish the Nehalem 3 or 4 times a year for Steelhead and everythime he lands a nice fish out of the same spot. After that we went to OUR special river/creek and hooked 5 Steelhead. 1 flipped out of the net , 1 broke the spinner off and the rest had the fish god's on there side. Oh well just another day on the river.............I'll post Jordan's fish when we get the film back. She was a thick beauty...................

Short Hop · 02-16-2004, 01:17 PM

I have one little ripple that I absolutely love and it seems that no matter the water heigth or clarity if I fish it I'll get a chance or two. I'm guessing, but I think I hooked about 20 steelhead this winter and a few last winter in this spot. What's amazing to me is that its no more than a 3 square foot area that they were all within. My only advice for a place like this is absoultely pound that spot. If you know it and you know there are fish moving around in there dont give it up.

IFISH4U · 02-16-2004, 01:54 PM

I have an after work spot like that, fish it for two hours usually. 11 trips 18 steelhead. All within ten feet of one another, bobber and jig, all different colors, you can experiment when you know holes like this. I offer were to offer advice to inexperienced anglers, it would be to fish one stretch of river that consistently holds fish and you have confidence in, dont pick a spot where alot of other anglers are flailing away and the fish are pressured learn your own little spot, get confidence in it. Get skilled at one technique and use it till you are a deadly menace to the fish in that hole every day.

Keep track of water height and color of when you had your best days and your worst, what you were using and what the estimated depth of water the fish you caught came from, this comes into play when low water is getting you down, try and find those depths you were catching fish in prime water and fish those depths in low water.

When you have finally mastered your hole you`ll enjoy walking down in the middle of the day standing between other anglers that have fished with nothing making a few casts and spanking fish out of that same water, now thats fun.

I dont try and keep my holes secretive anymore, especially to youngsters and beginners. I will go ahead and tell them where to cast and how to fish the same water, in hopes of seeing them hook into those beginning steelhead that start there journey into the fabulous obsession of steelhead fishing that will last all of there life,its such an awesome sport and passion. If you do find them at your hole more often just learn a new one, its time anyway.

Fish on.

Fishen Fool · 02-16-2004, 02:04 PM

I'll bet you 25 dollars that I can outfish Jordan in his own hole, take ne there and the bet is on!

Twitchs_Tackle · 02-16-2004, 02:30 PM

I have one...

Between my friend and I, this past week we have hooked 33 fish in 7 person trips. (person trips means at least one of us, if not both, went fishing) :grin: I love steelies...

B-run · 02-16-2004, 04:23 PM

The place I went this morning after I couldn't launch my boat.
Never lets me down.
It's called the confidence boosting hole.
Wish I could take my boat there to break it in.

SHOUGALNITE · 02-16-2004, 07:58 PM

rpnsteelheadlps · 02-17-2004, 10:20 AM

Fishen Fool - Jordan is my only fishing partner and as he is more of a man on the river than any adult I've ever met I doubt things will ever change in my life time. I would be willing to place a wager of $1000.00 or more that Jordan could out fish anyone on any river at anytime. I started Jordan fishing at the age of 3 and it became very obvious that he has the gift. That special scent in his fingers or just pure luck. Jordan used to be a Fisherman a few years back but now he is a Catcher, part of the 10% club that catches 90% of the fish. Am I proud ? There is nothing better in life than taking him to a hole with 10 other guys fishing and Jordan taking his limit out in 15 minutes. One thing for sure is he doesn't make a lot of friends on the river. Jealousy is a cruel sickness amoung fisherman.

Bill Monroe · 02-17-2004, 10:33 AM

I'm going to need details and maps of all these...

Fishen Fool · 02-17-2004, 12:14 PM

rpnsteelheadlps, its a joke, what better way to learn a great hole for the meager sum of 25 dollars. :tongue:

rpnsteelheadlps · 02-17-2004, 02:17 PM

I know it was a joke. To quote STS Dec/Jan 2004 page 59: Finally, don't tell people where you fish, and don't take untrustworthy people fishing with you. This may sound selfish, but ask an experienced angler about what can happen if word gets out about a hot hole. Not only could you have competition when you fish, but the potential exists to overfish the runs, or damage habitat through LITTERING, churning up the banks, or removing structure.

rpnsteelheadlps · 02-18-2004, 12:54 AM

IFISH4U · 02-18-2004, 07:13 AM

[ 02-18-2004, 08:17 AM: Message edited by: IFISH4U ]

rola76 · 02-18-2004, 07:34 AM

Great thread!! 2 spots for me:

1) Cowlitz between Barrier and Blue Creek...walk-in access through private land that always produces a quick limit on spoons. The key is the water looks like it would NOT hold fish...but obviously it does!!

2) "Special Place" that kicks out while drift-fishing flies. It's your typical "after work" hole, but on countless occassions we've had 10-15 fish days between several of us.

Man I love fishing!