No other fresh water fish pulls at my core like Oncorhynchus mykiss. My quest has been years in the making. Thousands of fishless hours, perusing endless volumes of books on the subject, straining my eyes at the vise, frequenting fly shops, covering hundreds of miles of rivers and streams and absorbing every bit of information like a sponge. This is a brief synopsis of where it all began.The first string of experiences began like many other kids who grew up in the Great Lakes region. My friend’s father owned a piece of property among the drumlins and apple orchards of rural Wayne County. A small tributary tumbled through the ravine as it made its way north to Lake Ontario. We had fished for King Salmon there for a few years with spinning gear and egg sacs with good success. Being young and naive the dark black toothy salmon were the end all, be all, of our entire universe. Then it happened. It was in a small plunge pool at the base of a decent size waterfall. My rod bucked wildly and the drag screamed as was typical when hooked up with a giant King. The only difference was when the fish cart-wheeled out of the water it wasn’t black. This was a red hot steelhead of at least 30 inches. After a long battle the fish was exhausted. As I beached the silver giant and held it in my hands, something about that moment was magical. I still can’t describe it in the written word but ever since that transpired I’m not the same. I obsess about these fish every day and usually dream about them at night. Many of you can certainly relate. I have seen this in the eyes of anglers who grasp the tail of that first steelhead. It is good medicine for whatever ails. Fifteen years later the game has come full circle. No longer do I go weeks or months without spending a little time with this outstanding quarry. Rarely do I leave a Steelhead river without basking in that special moment. Perseverance, determination and sacrifice are the key components to understanding this truly magnificent game fish.
whip – great fish tale .. enjoyed the read, as it made me think of how every fisherman has his own “beginnings”. i can remember, as a child, exploring for trout in streams that i have not been back to since ..i can remember sitting on ocean jetties and breakwalls from sun up until sundown and sometimes into the night waiting for the stripers and bluefish … and the cool thing is that there is always a “new” or “newer” beginning .. in the sense that we can always “start again” and learn about a new species or come to more deeply understand a species anytime we want .. so, though we grow older in years, the opportunityto “begin again” always remains …. but, your fishtale inspired me to reflect on the core of my roots .. .and i thought of many places and people that i haven’t seen in years and some that i will never see again.
I enjoyed your read, and as Jeremy just stated, it made me think about my beginnings in fishing in general. Three years ago in March I was given my first fly rod, and can’t believe how much flyfishing has changed me. Way more so than spin fishing did when I was young. It seems like my life revolves around my fly rod, and I wouldn’t want it any other way. Thanks for keepin it “reel”.
Whippa, great fishtale as others have said it really brings me back to my roots in this case to my first steelhead trip. For me I went with a buddy that I guided with who fished steel in the midwest and we hit BC for a week. He averaged about a fish a day and it took me three days to finally hook up. I hooked 2 fish in 3 casts that day and like many others it all changed with that first fish. The first one that I hooked broke me off after charging straight upriver through some very heavy water. The power of that fish awed me and pulled like nothing I have ever hooked before. I later fished the SR in the late 80’s but given the long drive it wasn;t for me and now I am soooooo into it. The most important thing that I learned on that first trip was how mental steelheading is. It’s fishing on faith. One must beleive that they are out there and if one persists one will be rewarded. Watching my buddy stay at it each day hour after hour when my mind was not in it and suddenly he would hook up. That was the best lesson I ever got for steelies, and I occasionally need reminding of that. That first hook up was a moment of enlightenment as suddenly all the things that he had been telling me made perfect sense. There is something very medatative about steelheading when one gets in the zone and all time and everything else falls away and one becomes the drift or swing. Then out of nowhere all h*ll breaks loose. Now I can’t wait to get back at them!
Whippa,
Thanks for the tale. I wish my first steelie story was one of enlightenment, but it happened to be in the Cemetery Pool on the SR during the salmon run and my first steelie was about 5 lbs. that was probably hooked and landed 4 times before I did and I kind of dragged it in like an old boot. Thankfully, my experiences since then have been nothing short of exhilirating and their pictures adorn my trophy room. One that stands out is a trip 2 years ago when I was fishing with Shaq in Ellis Cove and it was the first time I was using my Spey. I was swinging a streamer, not really sure what to believe about the new system, when the rod bucked and the line started shooting upstream. It was completely unlike deep nymphing, as there is no dink.. dink.. oh is that a fish or a rock? No doubt, pure steel, pure adrenalin, pure memory.
Nice story Whip. You certainly put your time in learning and chasing steelhead. I appreciate all the knowledge that you have shared with me. Great fish.
Glad to meet you whip. I look forward to forging the river with you again sometime. Nice fish. Great writeup too keep on crushing.