My First Steelhead

Being an angler in the Northwest it's hard to ignore the buzz around Steelhead fishing. For months, since I moved to the State of Washington, I day dreamed about catching a Steelhead. Steelhead fishing was a complete mystery to me. I'm not sure why, but for years I felt that Steelhead fishing was a sport for the elite anglers only. I finally decided to embark on a learning experience to satisfy my curiosity and to broaden my fishing abilities. It was time to go Steelhead fishing.

My first step was to obtain some literature. I needed to know exactly what a Steelhead was and how they can be caught. I read Bill Herzog's book on Steelhead Drift Fishing, which gave me a clue as to how to catch a Steelhead using a specific method. Being a beginner, I realized that I needed to learn the technique of drift fishing. It seems to me that from reading various personal accounts this technique has been tried and true. I read each chapter carefully and slowly started to round up some Steelhead gear. My next step was to find a mentor.

I went on one guided drift trip for summer Steelies. Although, we didn't catch a Steelhead, the trip was packed with practical information that I was willing to soak up. I listened to our guide intently as he explained to me how to read Steelhead lies, how to select Steelhead gear, and how to use different Steelhead fishing techniques. That was also the first time I saw a Steelhead in a river. All I could think at that time was "Impressive!"

You can't beat learning from a guy who has been fishing for Steelhead for years. I'm fortunate enough to have a friend who is just that…a Steelhead fisherman. We set out on my very first outing on the Cowlitz looking for summer run Steelies. Before we walked the banks, I watched, listened, and asked questions as we tied our gear. We were finally fishing and in a few hours I started to get in to the rhythm with the river. I could feel my lead tick along the rocky bottom as I held my rod tip high to follow the drift. I made methodical casts as I worked the different sections of my stretch of the river. John and I crossed each other several times during that morning in a game of leapfrog to fish our parts of the river. We stood in one section where we discussed a specific slot that had a good chance of holding fish. I made my cast at the likely run and felt a mushy feeling at the end of my line. I set the hook and it was none other than a Steelhead. As quickly as it flashed me with its chrome sides, it was gone. I gave John a puzzled look and all he could do was smile and a quip, "that's Steelhead fishing." I had one more hook up that day with the same results. It only lasted a few mere seconds and the fish was able to escape. We could see other fishermen who were successful. All I could do was to stare with envy.

We came back a week later. I was even more determined and in no time fishing a stretch that I was familiar with. A few hours have gone by and I finally see John heading my way and he was carrying a bright Steelhead. He's had three hook-ups already and landing one fish. How about that sight for motivation? I fished below where John was fishing and finally I felt that mushy feeling at the end of my line again. I made a sweeping hook set and almost instantly a Steelhead leaps out of the water. Two more leaps and it was heading downstream. My reel was screaming and I prayed that I would be able to stop the freight train. The fish screams towards my side of the bank right towards the overhanging trees. All I could think at this point was "What a nightmare!"

Miraculously, the fish managed to avoid the obvious tangles. I applied pressure to swing the fish into clean water and after a few more minutes of playing the fish, I was able to beach it. It trashed around covering me with mud and water. I was too excited to care and just grabbed the fish and trampled my way back to John. John later tells me he wasn't sure what was brighter, the fish or my teeth as I was all smiles coming out of the river bend. Two more times that day I hooked into fish and both getting the best of my tackle. I also witnessed John play two more fish with the same results. He just smiled and kept on fishing.