Remember your first steelhead?

[Green Willie]

All of us Ifishers love to fish for different fish throughout the year, yet there is something special about a couple of fish. A fresh spring Chinook, or a hot Steelhead are things we all dream about. I was thinking, a few days ago, about my first Steelhead ever and how it ignited a passion that causes me to loose sleep the night before a steelhead trip. Thought that I'd share the tale of my first, steelie, and invite any to tell about theirs.

The year was 1966, I was on Christmas break from my studies as a 6th grader at Northlake Elemtary School in Longview. A friend, Bart Potter was his name, called and invited me to go steelhead fishing with his father and him. I accepted and they showed up at my door the next day. It was a typical December day in the northwest, non-stop rain and about a 40 degree temperature. I didn't have rain gear, nor gloves, but luckily we were plunking and we stayed in my friend's car to stay dry.

We arrived at a popular plunking spot along the Cowlitz River known as Riverside Park. My friend's dad did all of the work while Bart and I sat in the car. And sit we did, all afternoon. We had hot dogs for lunch and waited while the rain poured. Suddenly, Bart's dad shouted "fish on" and we jumped out of the car. One of the rods was jerking about wildly and the bell attached to it was chiming out. Bart's dad announced that as I was the guest, the fish was mine to catch.

The rod was handed to me and a crowd of men gathered around. I remember fighting the fish and was scared and excited by how strong the fish was. What I remember, however, was the men who had gathered around. They proceeded to give me a lesson in fighting a steelhead. They taught me how to pump the rod and reel back down, how to keep the rod tip up, and how I should always face towards the fish.

There was one older gentlemen, whom I hope to meet in heaven one day, who took the green wool army surplus gloves off of his hands and laid them across my hands as I fought the fish. His act of kindness is a memory that I've carried with me for the past nearly 40 years.

I ended up landing that steelhead, the only one we caught that day, and have considered myself a steelhead fisherman first ever since. This is a memory that is forever engrained in my life's record and one that I cherish.

So, how about you? What was it like to catch your first steelhead?

JN

[CARTMAN]

No. Only because I am still trying to get one

cartman

[SandyRiverRon]

How could you forget number one. Sandy River, Oxbow Park, tailout of the Hosner Drift, wind blowing 25+ in gusts, hammered nickel Steelie stops in mid-drift, I jerk it jerks back, 12# hen, funny thing is the feeling has never changed since #1 thirty two years ago this month.

[Fish Hawg]

Just like it was yesterday . It was in the late 80’s on the NFL drifting eggs from a sled . I can still feel the spongy tug tug, then the vicious head shake . I remember it did not end without a few Aerial stunts in between .

[Thumper]

Summer of 1957. Plunking under the Modrow Bridge on the Kalama with Sally B. sharing my towel. The steelhead interrupted a VERY pleasant interlude. I wished at the time that the fish had just minded its own business....

[Green Willie]

Thumper, I worked my way through high school and college emptying trash and cleaning restrooms at Camp Kalama there on I-5. Many a steelie was caught in the 70's, by me, on the Kalama. In fact, broke in my first "real" steelhead rod on that river. It was an 8 ft Eagle Claw "Granger" steelhead rod equipped with a Mitchell 300 spinning reel. I was in heaven, my mom thought I spent way too much for that rig--she'd have a coronary if she saw what I spend now.


Mike

[Corkie Monster]

Wayside boat ramp on the Big Nestucca. I was about 13 years old. I lived almost right across the street from it. It was just after I got home from school. My Aunt had left to go Grocery shopping and to pic up my Steelhead Tag. I was fishing for trout with a tiny yellow Panther Martin with red dots. My reel got all tangled up and I had to strip some line off to untangle it. When I was reeling back in I thought I got hung up, so I gave it a few jerks and it jerked back . My reel started loosing line at a high rate of speed and I got freaked out beyond all belief. After about a 10 minute battle the fish finally gave up. While I was fighting this fish, I failed to notice that I had an audience, an Oregon State Trooper . I looked up at her and said "I don't have a tag right now but my Aunt is at the store buying it as we speak". I was about ready to cry :depressed:. She told me not to worry about it and to tag it when I get home. I was so relieved and excited that I got to keep that fish. When I got home my uncle put it on the scale and it weighed in at 13 1/2 lbs . Thats my first Steelie story :grin:

CM

[letsfish]

It was on Josi's place on the Wilson I had put in a full day of fishing, since dawn. Now, I was watching the sunset as I cast upstream and waited for the corkie to find its way into the little eddy below me. It was like before, same old bumps and a curl into the eddy. As the corkie was drawn into the eddy below, the bright sinking sun silhouetted my rod tip ... it was making little bumps, not like before. Well, after setting the hook and landing the big fish,14.5lb dressed, it was time to head out. A long hard day, but the only memory that remains is the fish, the fight and the infection(winter steelheaditis) that still has me itching to fish.

[Tuna Ball]

I remember my first. I was heading from San Jose to Eureka to visit a friend. I stopped in Legget on the Eel River to kill some time on the long trip. Didn't know what I was doing, but threw out a Carolina rig with a spin-n-glow and night crawler(Primarily a bass fisherman then). Didn't know how to drift fish, and cast upstream into a big current boil. My rig hung up so I yanked and ZZZZZZZ goes the reel. That fish jumped half a dozen times. Once my buddy helped tail the fish I yelled out Wooohooo, to all the redwoods around. I moved to Eureka the next year and have fished Steelies and Salmon ever since. The fishing is even better here in OR, but Humboldt still has it's charms. I still head down there to visit friends and my old streams. If fact I'm going down in a couple weeks. Van Duzen, Mad River, here I come. TB

[STGRule]

Mid-seventies, 23" searun cutt on an earthworm.

[skrimmy]

Summer Runs, Klamath River, the riffle below Highway 101, 1969! I've been hooked ever since.

[Norski]

Yes I well never for get it, and have even told my family many a time the same story, and to top it off it was 43 years ago to the end of this month.
"Noodles Newman" and his son Jerry, they asked if I would like to go fishing, boy from the first fish I saw his dad bring home I wanted to go.
The day came, it was cold out, when you reeled your line in it froze in the guides, we were fishing the Pipeline Hole on the Sandy, back than if you saw another person you were lucky. We would cast to the other side of the river, and drift down to the Girl scout hole, and reel back in, I thought what the heck am I doing, I could be at home with mom in a warm home, but I wanted to hook into one of them big fish.
"O" Fred, he said to us, you to kids stay here and fish, and he went across the Pipeline to fish the Girl scout hole. (No Barriers back than)
I kept flinging my okie and yarn out, reel back in, this went on for some time, Jerry said I am going back to the truck as he was cold, I stayed and watched Fred on the other side of the river, I casted out, I could feel the tap, tap, tap tug tug, and jerked the rod back as hard as I could, and my Mitchell 300 was a singing, I played this ??? fish for a good 25 minutes, and here it came right to me, I thought WOW!! moby dick, I reached down and grabbed it's tail, and it took off again, I got the fish turn around, and brought it to shore, Fred on the other side was a hollering at me don't louse the fish.
I got it, and at that time I was hooked for life.
When we got to Fred's home he weighed it 17 pounder, Fred asked me if I was going to use the eggs???? I said what for??? I gave Fred the eggs, and a big Thank You.
Fred is still with us, and every time I see him I tell him it's all your fault for my fishing addiction.

[duckcall]

Trout fishing on the Necanicum in the early '50's. Nightcrawler and the biggest "trout" just grabbed that worm and came out of the water and took my hook with him. Must have been at least a bazillion pounds and several feet long!! Infected ever since. Still checking for my "lost" hook!

[Fishstix]

I remember my first Steelhead. It was on a cold snowy day in January about five years ago. I was fishing a drift at Dodge park. It did take me two years to finally land my first Winter Steelhead. But it was worth the wait.

[Uncle Milty]

I remember my first Steelhead. It was on a cold snowy day in January about five years ago. I was fishing a drift at Dodge park. It did take me two years to finally land my first Winter Steelhead. But it was worth the wait.

Oh, I think I've got everybody beat on the subject of "it took me a long time to get my first one". Now, granted, I did spend a few intervening years in the interior of AK, where steelhead are not.

I first went steelhead fishing on the AuSable River in my native Michigan with my brother when I was 12. Neither one of us had any idea of what we were doing and I got 37-degree down my old floppy waders almost immediately. We were from the Detroit area and would spend the summers up north and listen to the locals talk about steelhead. We were so pathetic looking that a guide took us for free down the river since his clients were no shows (and I'll never forget that.) Pulled plugs.......nothing.

Moved to Oregon in '96 and had good success with salmon, but no steelhead. Then, three years ago, took my father in law on a guided trip on the sandy with a certain gravelly-voiced gentleman who also runs a landscaping company. Caught my first one just below the Stark Street Bridge. 12 # summer nate.

Since then, it's been a bit more productive!

[RichH]

1975, Rogue river in Gold Hill where I grew up. I'd seen a guy catch some on Wob L Rite spoons so I picked up a couple and headed down to the mouth of Kane Creek. As it was swinging through the slot it got "hung up" and I gave it a jerk and out of the water came the biggest chrome fish I'd ever had at the end of the line. After nearly submissively urinating in my jeans I slid this hog on the beach and bonked it with the nearest rock. Of course, she started spitting eggs and I collected them all to cure. When I got home she measured out to a whopping 21 inches.

I was not quite 11 at the time.

[NR Maverick]

First steelhead came as a double in the early 60"s plunking eggs with my Dad at the falls hole on the wilson river just before christmas, had a third but it broke my line. Never forget it !!! Lots of fish with a three fish limit and only a few fisherman. Doesn't get any better !

[Green Willie]

It is great to read all of these memories, keep 'em coming. The thing I've noticed is that most of us got hooked at a young age, and with the help of an adult. All the more reason to take your kids, and their friends fishing.

JN

[LuckySteelhead]

I didn't actually land it, it torn line for about 50 feet down stream, did a back flip and broke off, I was torn for several years there after. I'll never forget how hard my heart pounded after I hooked up. The fish was huge, a good 36". The time was 1985, on a mckenzie off shute creek called "camp creek" just below a power dam. This was when I lived in Eugene. Since then I've never had the same experience and excitement level, even with a fished that was landed and bonked. I was 19 years old at the time.

[Gus Orviston]

Spent my mid teens running up and down the tucc and wilson..trying to find of those fishies We were chasing fishing reports with a delay of weeks

I kept at with with no mentor to assist me in my hunt. Finally, I showed up at hatchery on 3 rivers in mid november. Saying the river was blown out, was a real understatement. Jimmy Carter had just pronounced Tillmook county as a emergency zone, because the night before it had gotten 90 mile an hour winds and massive amounts of rain. What did I know I showed up to fish.

When daylight hit the hole, I knew it was another sucky day. The muddy brown water flowed throught the adler trees, you could barely stand on the river side of them without being taken off your feet.

About 10 of us flogged the water, then I remember somethign Buzz Ramsey wrote in an article in a magazine, the fish are there, they will just move to the edges of the river. Fish the banks and find the slower water, so i began fishing closer and closer to the shore.

Finally, right downstream of my leg I got the tug we all wait for The river was ripping and when i hit the current I didn't think I was going to stop him in the torrent. Finally got that fish... 7 pound summer run.

Somebody else caught a Nook that day, that was all that came out of that hole until mid afternoon when we left. I can't say that hooked me, I was already hooked at catching steelhead long before I actually go one.

gus

[Slayerofthefishies]

0

[Sensei]

Mine was on a guided trip down the Wilson at the age of 12. We were pulling warts about half way down. My rod almost touched the water and the large buck had leaped 2 times before I could get the rod out of the holder. I can remember all the coaching I got from my dad and the guide. Just as we netted the fish my line had snapped. I vividly remember the feeling of fatige because I was shaking, screaming, hugging and giving high 5s to my brother, dad, and the wonderful man who put me on my first steelie. About an hour later the crew went through the same emotions when my older brother got his first one. What a trip. On christmas I was talking to my dad about that day. The best part about it is that we have the entire trip on tape!

[peglegg]

5# hen summerun,Feb, about 68 or so, lower Wenatchee River. For those that dont know, there arent any Winteruns up here.
These fish show up in Aug and Sept, lay out to next spring for warmer water and spawn in the spring. Was using 7' Eagle Claw, Mitchell 410, 6# Maxium and 8 penney duplex nails half hitched to mainline with a newspaper rubberband. She hit a small cluster of roe. The flood gates opened after that and I filled my punch card. Thanks for reminding me of it. peglegg

[riverfisher101]

my first was a 9 pounder on the santiam. it was on a guided trip. we tried salmon fishing the first part of the day with no luck. it was late morning and still no hit on anybodys. then all of a sudden i felt my pole take a hit, fought it for a few minutes and netted it in. it was so much more exciting that catching a 3 pound bass that i was used to getting. it was my proudest fishing moment and i have been hooked ever sence.

[fineline]

I caught my first steelhead the first day my family and I moved to Scappoose in the late sixties. My Dad did road construction for a number of years and for a few of those years we traveled around the state with him. He had said that we were going to move to his next job and he had found a place in Scappoose where a creek was in the backyard. This creek was known to have a small run of steelhead and after seeing lucky Jim Conway catch so many on the television I was ready to get a big one. I had fished for trout since I was old enough to know what they were and had become an accomplished trout fisherman at an early age. I loved to fish and having never caught a salmon or steelhead I was in awe of their reputation, size, and beauty. I had also seen lots of big salmon heads my grandfather would bring back from the coast and grind up into feed for the mink he raised.

We rolled into town just after a huge snow storm had dumped nearly six feet of snow. We had waited for the roads to clear a bit and the snow to melt enough for us to make the move. As soon as we arrived to our destination I made a beeline to the Creek for a quick look. I trudged through the knee deep snow until I found the banks of a snowmelt swollen creek that flowed an emerald green color. On the other side of the creek there was a big moss covered rock wall that rose up from the waters edge. Sunshine pierced the overhead canopy beaming sunlight where little could be found. Columns of seemingly heavenly sunlight illuminated the water leaving an awestruck teenager with a died and gone to heaven feeling. Clearly the creek was calling to me and I had to do something about it. After a couple of hours of required move in and unloading action, I had located my dad’s tackle box and my youngest brother’s Zebco trout pole that if I was lucky might cast 15 to 20 feet. Good enough, off I went with a carefully selected crawdad finish hotshot plug. Those things looked like they might work and today seemed like a good day to find out. I tied the plug on with the standard granny knot and stood where I might be able to cast to a very fishy looking spot that nature had laid out before me. I don’t recall how long it took but there was something about this spot and before long a steelhead that seemed like Moby Dick was jumping and tugging and doing everything it could to get away. This chrome fish would be here, there, and everywhere. I was so excited and amazed. My legs wobbled and I worried tremendously about the line breaking or the reel failing. I had seen trout break the line on this pole before. I shouted out for help. I called for my family to come see what was going on and before long my dad and my brothers were creek side offering encouragement and advice. As luck would have it I landed my first steelhead that day and it would become dinner for the family before the day was out. After my success, my dad fished the creek every day for a week trying to have the same luck to no avail.

I felt such a strong connection with this creek that I spent many years as a volunteer doing stream restoration and enhancement on the creek as a way of giving back something for the magical days this stream and that steelhead gave me.

[cade]

My first steelhead was two summers ago when i was just getting into fishing and was just throwing a spinner into the EFL and hooked into a decent sized summer steelhead. It was definatley what really got me hooked on steelhead fishing!!

[Big TULE]

First summer run was on the shoug, 9 years old at the high banks that are no longer a hole.

Winter run, um nope still trying...
Felt a head shake today, but alas no fish to the bank...
I think that is what makes me keep going back...

[Mad Mikey]

August, early 80's on the Hood River back when you could still fish it near Dee. Brown glacial silt and a hot day. I had a 6 ft. Ugly stick and a Mitchell 300.
Me and a few uncles/cousins were out in the AM after an anuual family reunion in Parkdale the night before. I was the only one without a hangover, probably cause I only drank soda pop back then.
I was chucking a basketball sized gob of eggs in a boily hole a bit below the E/W fork confluence when the bait stopped, thought I was snagged(isn't that always the case with the first one?) and then this chrome 10lb fish starts cart wheeling all over the place. I had no clue what to do and just yarded it in and my uncle GAFFED it!!! So much for C&R! Not that I would have anyways, I literally pounced on it and ran a hundred feet away from the river to whack it.
Yup, after that girls became #3 on the list, right behind bird hunting and fishin'......

[Navigator]

Nice story fineline!

Like Tuna Ball - mine came from behind the redwood curtain in northern California. Technically, my first steelhead were 1/2 salt fish that were milling around in the lower Eel River. They would come and go with the tide - about 12-14". The first bona fide steelie was from the VanDuzen River - just above where it flows into the Eel. A neighbor gal's (these were good ol college days in the late 70's) Dad was up visiting and wanted to go steelheading. I was the expert - though I really hadn't caught one. Well, I guess I am a better teacher than fisherman - because on his third or fourth cast he hooks into a nice steelhead after following my instructions. He lost the fish - but his day was made. I trudge upriver with 3 spawn sacs - on my third or fourth cast I landed a nice 6 lb winter chrome steelhead. Two casts later, I hooked and lost another from the same hole. So the expert got himself a fish that day.

[SilverFly]

My 1st steelhead landed was a winter run on the Sandy river in the early '70s. After getting frustrated losing gear in a very fishy looking boulder garden, I tied on an egg fly below a cork with a few split shot. I tossed this rig out into the boulder garden several times, watching the cork drift behind a large rock and reappear each time. Until one drift when the cork didn't reappear! I ran downstream to get a better view and saw the cork a foot underwater and moving upstream! I reeled up, set the hook and held on. About 10 minutes later I was running back to the house with a bright 7lb steelhead in hand. Couldn't wait for Dad to get home!

[lor]

Fall of 1996, it was a late summer fish on the Siletz.
Second one came two years later.

[guitgary]

I was 16 years old...1969...fished the Sammamish Slough right by the bridge and what used to be the old Shell Station in Redmond, WA. Not only is that fishery no longer available...you can't even recognize the area.

[Fred N]

40 years ago when I was a young lad while fishing with Dad and Grandma, using a single egg I teased one I could see directly below me in the Yuba River, CA. I had lots of patience even then as I bounced an egg on top of his head for over an hour before he finally got upset and grabbed the obnoxious egg. The fight lasted all of about 10 seconds as he screamed line off the reel and made a mighty jump for all to see before breaking the line. I will remember that darn fish for all time!

[HT Buzzo]

Great stories.

I grew up fishing small trout creeks in Eastern Oregon for rainbows, whitefish, suckerfish, *********, dolly varden, brookies, crappie, yellow perch, etc. This was all through the seventies and eighties. Every weekend Dad had the overhead camper and the yellow Ford crew cab loaded for the family to go trout fishing.

We moved to the valley in '88, and I gave up fishing in favor of girlfriends, parties, and college(Ducks!). My first steelhead trip was with a Lithuanian friend of mine, Guntis. He took me to the Walterville canal in 93 or 94, and I hooked a hot summer steelhead on a cocktail shrimp. The drag was set way too loose and I lost it downstream.

In 1995, I decided to go live near Detroit Lake with my parents for a few months to adjust to being out of school and having no life. The North Santiam was right there, so I became a dedicated fishing fool. Starting in mid-August, I was down near Big Cliff Dam every morning trying to hook a summer steelhead. That was when hatchery fish were still allowed above the Minto Fish containment weir. I lost my first two steelhead that I hooked. One was in my hands, and it squirmed away and busted the leader(that hurts!). I started packing a net and shortly thereafter had my first through eighth steelheads. That winter on the Salmon River, I caught my ninth through fourteenth steelheads. I haven't stopped fishing since then, and I think I'm up to around 110 or 120. I still have a picture of that first bronze coated summer buck in my wallet. I am the most proud of that fish.. HT

[yankemnbankem]

Mine was this past summer. I really started fishing just this year (after living on a river all my life). I was bobber fishing early in the morning on the NFL and it was about 8 in the am when I seen a chrome flash and my bobber disappeared. I didnt get that one all the way in (bad knot) nor the second one.....I skipped work and fished until dark. Next morning drove back up to the NFL and around 8 oclock again.... chrome flash bobber down, and fish on... heart pounding! this time...drag set right, knots tied right, letting the fish play a bit, relax! walked her down to the tidewater area and hauled her up on the shore. Shaking from the excitement and trying to act like it was just another fish! Wish someone couldve filmed me for Funniest Home Videos. Now we need to do a post on our first Tule or ugly toothed fish!!!!

[LrgCampfires]

:smile:

My first steelie was in about.....1978 I think. Fishing the Wilson River with a buddy, across the highway from the old Jordan Creek Inn. The fish was dark, but smokable. :smile: Upto that point, hehehe, I'd tried in vain for about 3 years to catch one.

I had no mentor to teach me how, but that's ok too. These days I probably average 20 steelies and 20 salmon a year. I must have figured something out. :smile:

I could tell you all a funny story about Buzz Ramsey and a taping of " Fishing The Northwest " on the lower Wilson, hehehe, but I won't. :smile:

LrgCampfires

[RoscoeP]

1973 on the Alsea, when I was 12. I was fishing with a homemade #4 gold spinner. On my first cast a 12lb. buck slammed it and cleared the water 3 times. It took me 10 min. to land it, and I can still remember that fish to this day.

[Fish_Doc]

I caught my first steelhead on Feb 21, 2004. I have done a lot of salmon fishing. But this was a first. I read and studied about steelhead holding water and I was ready. I approached a good holding area on the upper Siletz with my spinning rod and a small gold spinner that I have caught many a trout with. I looked out and thought to myself, "That tailout looks like a good holding spot. I tossed my spinner out just above the tailout. Less than 2 seconds after it hit the water. Bang! Fish On! I fought it for a few minutes and followed it down through the riffle to the pool below and landed it. A nice 7 lb hatchery steelhead. That was my first cast into that hole. Apparently it was luck, cause I haven't caught one since. But I am bound and determined to get into some more this year.

Dr C

[SPRINGERMAN]

That is a hoot, my first steelhead was on the Trask just below the damn hole...We used to plunk like it was the only way to catch them, fire going and bells attached to the best fiber glass poles that Wigwam had to offer...Eagleclaws they were. Then one day someone showed my Dad to use the Oakiedrifter set up. Pretied and ready to go. They worked and soon it was drift fishing from then on. Thanks for the jog in memory

[SKP]

My next door neighbor kept coming home every Saturday with these large "trout". I started fishing for them in November of 1986 on the Siletz, but no luck for me. I had hooked one springer in late May of that year, but I lost it (That fish was the one that got me hooked for life, even though I lost it.) I fished all summer of 1987 hoping to land a steelie, but after a couple of missed opportunities, I was still skunked.

Then it happened. A friend of mine heard that the Nestucca had some late run summer steelhead in November of 1987. We headed over there on a Saturday. We were told to stop off at the Hatchery Hole on Three Rivers, and try that for a while, then head over to the Nestucca above Beaver. We had never been there before, but found the spot. It was probably 7 AM. We were the ONLY car there. The water was very low and clear. We looked off the bridge, and low and behold, there were about 50 fish within eyesight! We ran back to the car to get our stuff. I stayed back to get my chest high waders on, but my friend just ran down to anywhere he could cast. As I just took off my first shoe, I hear, "FISH ON" being yelled at the top of my friend's lungs on his first cast! I said, "don't give me that garbage", but he was telling the truth. He beached it, his first ever summer steelhead! I didn't even finish getting the waders on when I hear, "FISH ON" again. The adrenalin in my body was absolutely going nuts by this time, because we haven't been there 5 minutes, and my buddy has two fish on! He beached it, and let it go, it was a smaller one. I told him he was nuts, as he just caught his limit, and I hadn't even fished yet.

Well, the moment finally arrived. I made about 3 casts, and felt this jerking like a trout on the end of my pole. Sure enough, when I set the hook, out flies this beautiful summer steelhead, with a slight pink stripe on it's side. I had 8 pound test, and fought it for about 5 minutes, before my friend netted the fish. The fish went berzerk the first two or three minutes, making many tail walks, and torpedo jumps! :grin:

By this time, a couple more cars stopped, and people started joining in the action. My friend hooked and lost another one, and I didn't hook any more at this spot.

I do remember, there used to be a tree on the other side of the Hatchery Hole, where there was a girl fishing out of the tree that day. She hooked one, and was screaming, and yelling, and having a good old time with an old sore head salmon. It was fun to watch.

We went to the Nestucca, and did not hook anything, then went to a hole by the S Curves. I hooked and lost 4 more steelhead that day, and my friend landed another one, to make his limit.

It was great, I went home with one fish, and my friend went home with 2 of the 3 fish he landed!

SKP

[William]

Winter steelhead on the Nestucca river 1988, metallic blue corkie green yarn and a prawn tail. It took me two years just to get that one and the rest is history. I've been hooked ever since. My first chinook came on the same rig in the same hole, the year before. Anyone remember how good the Preachers hole used to be? That hole was my bread and butter, no matter what season it was.

[Green Willie]

The stories are great and the details are fantastic--just like hanging around the old tackle shop swapping stories. :smile:
JN

[retch]

Absolutey!

Lower Deschutes River on a warm and windy September day. Just got into rattlesnake rapids, threw out my first cast with a spinner. As soon as it hit the water it was absolutely slammed!!! Fish ran up and down the river and jumped half a dozen times before coming to the bank. Man was I hooked!

[TillamookChinook]

December 16, 1984

I was designing a new building for the Chiropractic College. After one of the design committee meetings I heard someone at the other end of the room say, "when the fish came to the fly". He was a student from California who was a member of the design committee. I said, "It's the middle of December, where are you catching a fish on a fly?" He said he was catching steelhead on the Salmon River on Mt. Hood. He said it like there was nothing to it. I said I had grown up in Oregon and knew that catching steelhead was hard, in fact I had never done it. He said, "Let's go to the river on Saturday and I'll show you how easy it is."

We stopped at the Flyfishing Shop in Welches and Mark Bachmann sold me another spool for my fly reel, a Teeny sinktip line and full backing, along with a couple of Polar Shrimp flies, and off we went.

There was about 18" of snow on the ground. We hiked into the "flyfishing only" section of the river and I caught a nice 6 lb. summer run fish in about 30 minutes! We moved to another section of river and I caught another, and so did my student "guide".

I didn't catch another steelhead until two years ago when I took "Steelhead School" from Mark Bachmann on the Deschutes.

Now I need to catch a true winter steelhead.

TC

[stlhd_dreaming]

My first steelehad is probably my greatest steelie to this day. Moved up to Washington in the Winter of 99 and I have never fished for steelhead nevermind salmon in a river before. ( except atlantics back home ) and it was in Feb and I went out with my wife ( girlfriend at the time ) and went to the local tackle shop and asked the guy to hook me up with what works he gives me a #4 Blue Fox spinner with blue body and chrome blades. So me and my wife go down to the Sauk river and are casting and casting and casting away by this point my wife has already caught 3 dollies over 5 lbs and is bragging and I am getting frustrated and about 30 minutes later I have this hit I swear it was a freight train it is screaming up river and I am just bewildered at the power of this fish. He is jumping out of the water and causing a big ruccuss and this guy that is upstream about 100 yards saw me with this fish and ran down the river to see if I needed any help. Well after about 15 minutes of fighting this fish I finally got close to the bank and seeing it was a nate I knew I couldnt keep it. The guy tells me that is the biggest steelie he has ever seen and and insist on telling me that it was well over 25 lbs.

To this day I am upset I didnt get a picture or measurements because when I tell people this story they think I am kidding til they meet my wife and she says he only caught 1 I caught 3. I love my wife but what she doesnt understand is she cvaught 3 dollies I caught 1 steelhead and I would take the steelhead over any dollie any day but I just shut up and let get her say in since it makes her happy knowing she outfished me.

[rola76]

Probably around 8 years old, on the Yakima River near Union Gap, on eggs. Back then you could keep natives!!

[JPSFISHY]

1970. San Luis Creek. San Luis Obispo. I just entered College, and had a girlfriend that told me about steelhead.ha Darn if I didn't catch one on a superduper, and lost one. I put that fish in the trunk of my "57" Chev. and drove 32mi. to the Car Dealership my Dad worked at, and we all went nuts.haha I caught more over my college career, mostly throwing superdupers in the surf... Little did I know what an impact steelies would have on my life. Caught alot in the Klamath & Trinity also, driftfishing nightcrawlers. Haven't thought of that in years. THX

[Fish Slayer]

I remember my first steelhead like it was yesterday. It practically was yesterday to most of you steelhead veterans out there. :grin: It was March of 2004. I was 14 at the time. I had some time off from baseball practice so I wanted to go fishing. It was the second time I had gone steelhead fishing. I had started to tie my own jigs and the first time I went was a month or so before and I hooked one, which really made me want to go again. But anywho, back to the story. My dad, mom, and best friend Jake and I all went in our drift boat on the Alsea. I think it was the Mill Creek down to Cambell drift or maybe the other way around. I cant remember which was first. Any way, we had been fishing for a couple hours or so and caught a couple trout on plugs. I was fishing with a bobber and jig that I tied my self. It was pink, purple, white and had some pink krystal flash in it too. I had a couple bobber downs earlier but I couldnt tell if they were fish or not. We were drifting through this fairly deep slow section of water, when I turned my head to look at something. I turn back and the next thing I know my bobbers gone and something is tugging on the end of my line. So I hollar, "Fish on!" and the battle begins. This fish just started screaming off down the river. I have never caught a fish that fought that hard before. I was soooo happy! :grin: So I fight this thing for a couple minutes and Dad drops the anchor so we dont go into a rapid or something and I get it to the boat after a couple more jumps and runs and the @$%* thing runs under the boat! Dad's telling me to bring it in to the net while Im trying to tell him I cant! Id get it up to net and back under the boat it would go. I finally got this thing in the net and in the boat. I was on cloud 9. It was hatchery too. Little did I know that we didnt have the fish whacker. :whazzup: So my dad took an empty rod holder and beat her head in with that. I was happy I got my first steelhead in the boat and it was a hatchery to boot. Well I wanted a picture with it. Well dad goes to wash it off a little in the water and wouldnt ya know it it regains life for half a second and flops out of his hand into the river. :shocked: Like a bolt of lightning my dad grabbed the net, didnt get it hooked on anything and netted it. Again! Then he washes it off in the net this time and I get my steelhead in the boat dead. And later that day my dad hooked 4 other steelies. The hook on his jig straightened out 3 times! Each time he would get it with in net range the fish would do a little head shake and out came the hook! But he was still proud that I got to catch one. And that very, very long and descriptive story is how I hooked, fought and landed my very first and only steelhead to this day! :grin: