Your First Tailwalk

[ROCK FISH]

Can you remember your first Tailwalk?

This was something that I will never forget!!!! I don't know if I even landed the fish but I do know for the first one it was just an awesome site to see.Then same trip I get a second one and with that I was hooked on steelhead fishing.

I did go 2-5 that day on steel and I did it in front of someone I call one of the best steelheader's I know. Right Cutty 

[meanpressure]

i cant remember my first steelhead tailwalk it was too long ago. But two weeks ago i had an approx 150lb tarpon do a tailwalk for me. now that was an awesome sight.

[Ironhead]

In high school I used to walk miles for tail  .

My first steelhead ever was a super fresh tail walking 12 lb doe. I was already addicted to steelheading from watching others by then, but this certainly sealed my fate as a "steelhead bum".

[Todd]

My first steelhead was a 20#'er, plus a bit  , caught on a small Puget Sound stream in 1977...not only did it do some great jumps, but it ran nearly six feet right up the other bank at the end of a spectacular tailwalk all the way across the stream...it was 30 years ago, but I still see it just like it was yesterday...the initial tailwalk right up the bank was followed by numerous other jumps, and about 20 minutes of fighting, 'til it was in the net.

Fish on...

Todd

[Fast- eddy]

Early 80's, on the Puyallup river above Anton's restaurant,a Fresh 12 to 13 lb February Hen on a 6 wt fly rod with an old Mitchell 3oo reel that my grandfather had passed on down to me with six pound test line.I had been fishing a spot that we had found full of very large suckers,when all of a sudden the formentioned hen grabbed my small pink cheater and whole night crawler, andTook off for the far side cartweeling and tail dancing all the way down to the extreme tailout.What a rush.Talk about being happily surprised!I was able to land it even with my legs shaking uncontrollably.

[trackerpt175]

mid 90's on the hoh by cottonwood big 15+ nate.  my parents were cooking dinner and i went fishing.  caught on a huge red spin n glow ( what i was a kid and they look cool  ) anyway this old guy wanted to gaff it for me and i told him no.  fish was beached and released unharmed.  probably my most vivid fishing memory.  speaking of gaffing who carries these things? another guy on the carbon of all rivers wanted to gaff a nate for me, this was a few years ago, but what an idiot. 

[PHISHISGROOVIN]

then i got robbed hooking all those steelies in front of cutts, they all stayed down grabbing branches or something so they could keep my Jiggs.
Maybe when i get my new Rainshadow next week i will be better setup for a tailwalk.

[camo drifter]

walk for tail i run for tail, but it usually runs to me. jk   

[Fishseeker]

My first tail walker was 1974, Pilcuck river, at Dock and anns. Had been trying to catch one for 2yrs. was on a spit above try store went to cast and screwed it up, ploped about mid stream, untangling ,thought was hooked on bottom, gave a jerk all heck broke loose, that hen was all over the river! finaly was able to land my first 12#hen chrome bright with sea lice been at it ever since. some of ya know me from the other site I'm Phishes Unkle He just turned me on to here. Was looking for some advice about float fishing, Hands ice up faster than the guides do can feel crap but gonna fish this winter!

[cuttstosteelies]

Yeah, you boys were definitely on fire that day in the "toilet bowl" hole......  By the way, that hole has changed majorily this year....   Anyhow, mine occurred on the Cowlitz.  In fact, it was the first ever summer fish I hooked and from that point on I was thoroughly addicted to summer run fishing.  Several cartwheels later, the chrome brat was on the beach.  My favorite tailwalk though occurred last year on the Hoh.  It was late March and I hooked what I thought to be a REALLY early chinook or something due to the fact that the fish was bulldogging me in a current seam for what seemed like an eternity.  Typically, steelhead are fairly easy to turn once you get position on them, even the large 15 pounders.  HOwever, this fish would budge for a moment, and then nestle his way back into the seam until all heck broke loose and his belly felt the gravel.  It was then that I saw the largest steelhead of my life cartwheel four feet out of the water (easy 25 pounds) with a 6" pink worm hanging from his chin.  I couldn't believe it and when I finally got him up close, the worm came catapulting right back over my head.  Heartbreak but an amazing tailwalk nonetheless....