Pacific Northwest rivers do not give up there precious wild steelhead easily. Beautiful rain forest like scenery and majestic mountain peaks inspire the imagination and occupy your mind in between takes. Those takes can be few and far between. Some anglers spend weeks on these rivers without a single pull.
Rivers that top the 10,000 CFS mark make finding the fish the most difficult part. Spey rods helps eliminate fatigue and cover massive amounts of water. On this trip clear and low conditions compounded the difficulty. However, Kory, PJ and I were lucky we had many pulls in the three days we fished. Kory landed 2 nice fish including a super bright hen.
I had several pulls and hooked into the steelhead of a lifetime estimated at pushing 40 inches and likely close to 20 pounds. After a short but aggressive fight including several nice jumps the big buck steelhead threw my barbless hooks. So it goes with steelheading in the Pacific Northwest. If you are considering a wild steelhead fly fishing trip to Washington state and you are looking to share or acquire some technical fly fishing knowledge you can find plenty of quality content, information and west coast steelhead addicts on Flies And Fins West.
Great video. The scenery is awesome and the fish are nice too! 🙂
Great Job. Wild steelhead are the stuff that haunts my dreams!!!
excellent video, I haven’t fished WA but have fished BC once and the waters are huge by eastern standards. It’s like searching for a needle in a haystack, talk about having to believe that they are there. keep teh stories and video coming!
Jason, just a fantastic experience I’m sure. Those are the types of places that make you feel so small and insignificant. Just imagine how many steelhead have migrated through those mountain passes throughout history. What a privilege. Well done bro.
sweet stuff — i kinda view all my great lakes fly fishing adventures as practice for the real deal … certainly not to diminish the great lakes fly fishery that i love soooo much … just making a point that .. wild steelhead in those waters that are true steelhead and OCEAN run steelhead are certainly an entirely different ball game… i feel that all the knowledge that i have personally acquired on the great lakes river and tributary systems will help me when i try my luck out west in washington, idaho, alaska etc… but more than the techniques the biggest thing that will help me is knowing you – because you will know where the fish are:) – thanks bro. great fish-tale – i loved the shot of the sign “spring means warmer rain.” —- you know you are in steelhead country when weather is measured in different flavors of rain and different shades of grey.