My thoughts and prayers go out Steve's family and closest friends in this their time of sorrow. I was fortunate to have fished in Steve's camp on the Kenai, what a great fisherman and gentleman. I have never witnessed anyone work harder and enjoy it is as much as Steve because he was doing exactly what he wanted to do with his life. We enjoyed some great meals in his camp and even some better stories all to the backdrop of the sockeye salmon so thick you could hear them hitting the parked boats on their journey up stream. He must have worked at least 20 hour days when the camp was full with all the cooking, cleaning, guiding and all the behind the sceens work that goes with it. I never heard him complain once. I also fished in Tillamook with him, his ability to always put you on a fish and remain calm when there were 200 other boats in the Ghost Hole during a major bite was very impressive. He was always very friendly and helpful, and if you wanted to know Steve would tell you exactly when and where the hot bites had been, not that he could not stretch the truth as much as all good fisherman, but with him you got more information than you needed, none of that zipperlip stuff. When I seen him at shows we talked of those large Coho that are just waiting to be caught every year, on almost every cast in some of the most pristine streams in southeast Alaska that we both love to fish. Steve was the owner of my 20ft. Willie Predator before I purchased it, and his luck has still not rubbed off of it. Its 12 years old, still on the original 200 Yamaha, and is a fish catching machine. Thanks Steve, for all those great adventures and memories, my largest Salmon ever and the only boat I will ever need. I'm sure if there are streams in heaven Steve is already putting on a clinic, be sure and save a few for the rest of us, we will be along all too soon.
---Ralph Snook
