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I made the trip up to the Sky today. Let me first mention that I had never caught a steelhead before this, and had only ever seen one landed. That was with yellowfever about a month ago.
I started out fishing reiter on the hatchery side and was pleasantly suprised with a quick hookup about two hundred yards upstream of the creek. I was just as quickly dissapointed by what followed; a suddenly slack line. This gave me some confidence, however, and I started to head down river. I fished my way past the three other anglers that were there, and kept moving downriver and casting. I was searching for the better holes, stopping breifly to cover smaller pockets and camping a bit at decent ones.
I got to a good looking hole and made a few casts. It was possibly the fifth drift that I saw a large steelie roll. I threw my bright orange jig in the fishes direction. Nothing. About five casts later I was contemplating moving on. Bobber down! Fish on! I knew instantly that it was not the fish I had seen prior to the hookup, but it was a good one and I obviously didn't want to lose it. A five minute battle brought this nice hatchery hen:
5 lbs 11 ounces
After taking the picture, I started to fish the hole again. Twenty minutes hadn't passed when I hooked this beast native:
Picture Deleted by author due to anger amongst the locals. For a mental image, take above picture and amplify the magnitude of the fish I am holding by seventeen. If you do not have a weak stomach, PM me and I will send it to you.
I lost my jig about thrity minutes after releasing the native, and the satisfaction and excitment of my first two steelhead compelled me to go home and share. The water was low and very clear, it probably had a good eight feet of visibility. Although it was in the low fourties, I was hot, for I had worn too much cloths. I know that the native pic is a bit convroversial, but lifting the fish from the water was the only way I could get a picture of it by myself. Sorry in advance.
James
I started out fishing reiter on the hatchery side and was pleasantly suprised with a quick hookup about two hundred yards upstream of the creek. I was just as quickly dissapointed by what followed; a suddenly slack line. This gave me some confidence, however, and I started to head down river. I fished my way past the three other anglers that were there, and kept moving downriver and casting. I was searching for the better holes, stopping breifly to cover smaller pockets and camping a bit at decent ones.
I got to a good looking hole and made a few casts. It was possibly the fifth drift that I saw a large steelie roll. I threw my bright orange jig in the fishes direction. Nothing. About five casts later I was contemplating moving on. Bobber down! Fish on! I knew instantly that it was not the fish I had seen prior to the hookup, but it was a good one and I obviously didn't want to lose it. A five minute battle brought this nice hatchery hen:
5 lbs 11 ounces
After taking the picture, I started to fish the hole again. Twenty minutes hadn't passed when I hooked this beast native:
Picture Deleted by author due to anger amongst the locals. For a mental image, take above picture and amplify the magnitude of the fish I am holding by seventeen. If you do not have a weak stomach, PM me and I will send it to you.
I lost my jig about thrity minutes after releasing the native, and the satisfaction and excitment of my first two steelhead compelled me to go home and share. The water was low and very clear, it probably had a good eight feet of visibility. Although it was in the low fourties, I was hot, for I had worn too much cloths. I know that the native pic is a bit convroversial, but lifting the fish from the water was the only way I could get a picture of it by myself. Sorry in advance.
James
