Another New Guy

Siwash · 12-11-2003, 01:27 PM

Hi everybody,

Been lurking for awhile, figured it's time to step up the the plate. My fishing background includes a variety of stuff; I typically like to try a little bit of everything--whether it's different species, places, or gear. My favorite quarry, though, is steelhead (especially in the winter; summertime has more distractions), and my main technique is tossing spinners. Within the last year, I've managed to successfully add spoons, bobber & jig, and flies to my arsenal, although I'd still classify myself as a rank novice on those.

Debated what to relate for an intro story, whether to go for funny, dramatic, or most successful. Finally decided on a summer trip to the Siletz back in 1990. I was hiking along past a major rapid, when I got to the tailout of the next hole above. Right in the middle of the tailout was a big boulder that just barely riffled the surface, only a few yards up from the lip of the whitewater. I stopped for a moment and reasoned that a fish coming up that rapid would be looking for a place to take a quick breather, and that rock looked like the first decent rest stop. Of course, now that situation would be a no-brainer, but I was still pretty new to the game then and it wasn't automatically obvious to me at the time. So... My first cast landed just above the rock, washed over the top and down into the eddy, and BAM! (As you'd expect, the little bugger ran right down into the rapid; I tried to hold it against the current rather than stumble down the bank giving chase, and my spinner popped into the air with a straightened hook.) Even though it was a fairly small one, and I lost it, that was beside the point. I still felt a huge rush of satisfaction because the fish was exactly where I thought it should be, even though I couldn't see anything in there. I'd gotten a few steelhead before that, but I'd consider them all mostly just luck--make enough random casts in some good-looking holes, and eventually you'll hook up. This was the first specific time the proverbial light bulb really lit up for me, and I thought maybe, just maybe, I actually had some idea what I was doing out there. I'm still far from considering myself an expert, but looking back, that was the point of no return for me, where I felt like I became a legit member of the steelheading club.

Thanks,
Mike