The "big fish" thread I just glanced at got me thinking about a thread I started a few years back soliciting "memorable steelhead" stories. I realize that "big" and "memorable" tend to go hand-in-hand when talking about fish (and some other things), but there's not necessarily a perfect mass-to-memorability correspondence. In fact I've caught some triple-striped sharks I'd sooner forget.
In addition to enjoying reading stories about fish others have encountered, I'm fascinated by the way fishing tales are woven. Meeting certain online personalities over the years has convinced me that passion for steelhead imbues an ability for storytelling... and in some cases, even lying.
I was able to spend a few hours last weekend on a piece of water that Bill Herzog has written about many times over the years. It seems like the tone of each piece is more mystic than the last, to the point that I'm not sure this place actually exists, even though I've been there.
I think what I've concluded is that most of us have some perception of "the ultimate" steelhead experience, but it's a completely individual thing, and probably related to our "most memorable" fish. What makes particular fish more memorable to us than others is harder to get at.
So what's your most memorable steelhead?
