First Steelhead When and Where

[One More Cast]

Over the weekend Justin and I were talking about about the good old times and trying to remember our first winter and summer run steelhead.  My first winter run probably came on the Puyallup somewere around 1982 to 1983 plunkin eggs with my grandpa but here are some years and rivers that i remember.

First summer run 1991 drifting corkies on the cowlitz
First winter run 1990 again cowlitz.  I also picked up one on the deschutes in olympia that winter.  My grandpa filled his punch card on the deschutes that year too.
First winter run on a jig december 2003 SW Washington river to remain nameless
First summer run on a jig June 2004, SW Washington river to remain nameless

[brewer]

1st winter run. dec. 79 barrier dam cowlitz river.  corky yarn. 13 yrs old.

1st summer run. 80 kalama river, mahaphy drift. corky yarn.

been buzzed ever since.

[rvrfshr]

"been buzzed ever since"... I will back you up on that one brewer. I'm still blown in the mind by the couple phone messages you left while we were away, that are not even close to being understandable.

[Smokey River]

Well first was when I was 16 in 2007..
Vedder River in March on a jensen egg and wool combo.
Was a wild, and even though me and my grandpa (who doesnt even fish yet he was there for my first) had a camera, the batteries were dead 
Only made 3 trips out that year (first year Steelheading, 2nd year fishing) and ended up being 2 for 3.

My second year however was the most memorable.
I finally had to work hard for my fish, realizing that the first year was a complete utter fluke.
Got my first ever hatch March 2nd, 2008. Nice size hatchery doe after countless hours of pounding the water that season.
Finished that season off at 15 landed, 31 hooked (not bad for my first "real" effort).

First summer run was also in the Vedder (may have been a very late winter since the river is not suppose to get summers).
Was fishing dry flies in the river in July and had a 7 or so pound chromer suck down my stimulator just before dark.
Gave me an ass kicking on the 4 wt fly rod, but got her in and released her. She was also wild. Only disappointing thing was no camera was on me that night because I was only fishing trout  Won't forget that one though as it will probably be one in a lifetime, especially on a river without a run of summers (rumors of a very small run less than 50 fish going to one feeder creek).

Ever since then I have never looked back...
Awesome hobby and addiction, and despite only getting out 10 times this year, I'm still always thinking about it.

[cuttstosteelies]

Winter run....  Deshutes in Olympia sometime in the mid late 80's early 90's. 

Summer run - Green river 2001.

Been "buzzed" ever since the first "summer run"......  You folks can have your winters (yeah, wild ones too).

[Big Buck]

winter fish----- 1973......hoh river, hardware.
....             summer fish---- 1974----- kalama river, eggs, yarn............................se arun cutthroat----- 1964---- north bay, red and white dick nite.......      salmon---- 1965---- westport, herring....

[Bren]

First ever and biggest to date Winter steelhead- December 26th, 2006 on a blue fox

[Chum Man]

first steelhead -- sometime around february or march '92, down at the point on the cowlitz, corky and sand shrimp tail.

[BigCohoTom]

A long time ago....  On a crick far, far, away.....

[Koka]

June 2009 North Fork Lewis drifting a corky and piece of pink prawn tail-7 lb chrome hen. Pinching my sphincter the whole time until I landed it.....maybe tmi, but the truth. 

[jerevicious]

I learned the hard way....my Dad would take me steelhead fishing but he had never caught one....we would arrive at a river, I would ask him what to use and where to fish and then he would disappear saying just throw something in the river, who knows what you might catch....he always hated crowds so he'd hike up or down the river and find a private spot and then plunk a big gob of eggs. One day I decided I was going to go right in the middle of the one of the most crowded fishing spots in the state....I wanted to see what they were doing and then try it for myself.

It was really intimtidating and the hundreds of fishermen around me were for the most part grumpy old men. The fishing was so tight that guys were getting there lines tangled with each other and that would make some of them even grumpier. After about an hour I tied on a little spin n glo with some yarn on my hook....then I squirted a little juice for flavor. Every one around me back then was drift fishing. I had some experience doing this but never in such a crowded situation.

So, I just did what everyone else was doing.....casting long, letting it drft and then reeling in. A few casts later I became tangled up with another fishermen down stream. I decide to let him unhook the line so I gave him a lot of slack. As he was unhooking his hook from my line I noticed my line appeared itght and figured it was probably snagged. The line quickly tightened up and I pulled back hard to unsnag it and then it happened. A beautiful steelhead jumped out of the water and the fight was on. As I brought her in I became nervous because I had to land her. Know one around me seem to be willing to help so I just pulled her up on a small area of sand. My first steelhead had been landed. A 9 pound buck.

Two days later I went back to that same spot and caught my limit of 2 within a few hours and I was officially hooked as a steelhead fisherman.

The dates....December 22nd and 24th, 1989....the place....the dreaded Reiter Ponds.

[rvrfshr]

Summer 1988 or 1989 on the Hump. Just moved to WA from CA, during the height of the "Californians go home!" era. (Think I had just flipped off a Washingtonian in a two wheel drive POS Ford pickup while driving through Copalis or Pacific Beach on the way there...)
I parked at the big pullout on the right side of the highway just past the bridge. Walked accross the highway to the Hump store, bought some black yarn, half black half white size #10 corkies and a pack of 15#,20" pre tied Eagle Claw leaders with 2/0 hooks... Walked back accross the highway and proceeded to cast my 8-1/2', 10#-20# rated Lami with 6000 Abu loaded with 20# main into a bucket formed by a rusty culvert pipe... 4#'er on.

I've learned a little bit since then, but still manage to catch an occasional 4# summerrun... And still flip off Washintonians on a regular basis!

[Grizz]

First winter run in 1986 on the little North River plunking with my dad. He used to pack me into the fishing hole on his shoulders when the beaver ponds became a little too much for me to cross. Grandpa used to join us later in the day and I was always excited to see him because he brought extra firewood and those little mandarin oranges.

I remember when the fish hit I yelled at my dad that something big was eating my bait. He was so excited I think he covered 20yds in 2 steps, set the hook, and handed the rod to me. Over the years we caught 1 or 2 out of that hole every year while plunking for blue back. It wasn't until December of 2009 that I tied into my first gargantuan winter run native (my avatar pic),.......location undisclosed 

[Todd]

First winter run...1977, casting a chrome with flame orange billed #30 HotShot on a 6'6" trout rod, a Garcia combo with a Mitchell 300 Spinning reel and 6 pound test line...Sammamish River...my old man was there, took me 40 minutes to land.  A tad over 40 inches.  I was 7 years old, and pretty much done at that point.  That was the first and last wild fish I ever killed on purpose...though there were a few hatchery fish around at the time, and they were not clipped, I sincerely doubt that fish was one of 'em.

First summer run was the following June on the Skykomish, a little 5 pounder, same rod and reel, with a SteeLee spoon...that's the day my bias for big winter runs was fully formed!

Fish on...

Todd

[Todd is our False Prophet]

First summer run was the following June on the Skykomish, a little 5 pounder, same rod and reel, with a SteeLee spoon...that's the day my bias for big winter runs was fully formed!

Fish on...

Todd

We just got chills.