First Steelhead When and Where

[chumdog]

I don't understand how something that doesn't endanger your life can cause so much heart pounding excitement.

Eric, we need to give you some lessons from the Bmac school of wading. 

[RB]

I was just going thru some old threads and came across this one.  I started salmon fishing in august and after the runs were over my friend told me about steelhead. I had heard of them but never sought them out. So in January the wife and I booked a guided trip and headed to the Wynoochee River.  On the way to the river, my wife, a super green fisher, said I hope it rains so that I can get the real experience of the outdoors. Hmm We all know how that works in this great state.  As we waited for daylight to break, we went over actions on hook up and what we will be doing, and then the sun came up and down the river we went. We were the first boat out and were fishing clean water. An hour or so into the drift it started to rain and the river was starting to get blown. Our guide  new a couple spots where he hit fish the previous day and we worked those areas really good with plugs and BAM. My rod is bent and I grab it and do my best bassmasters hook set. The fish jumped at least 3 times and made some decent runs. It was a cold and wet morning but with that fish on the other end of my line, adrenaline had me feeling like it was 90 degrees outside.  Our guide got us to a gravel bar where he netted and bashed the fish which freaked my wife out as for the next couple hours she swore it was staring at her. That was the moment I was hooked on steelhead and subsequently brought me to this forum to lurk and to start posting.  My wife also caught her first steelhead on that trip and I also hook my first wild coho later that day. It was an amazing experience that we will not soon forget.

[Supertrout]

I don't understand how something that doesn't endanger your life can cause so much heart pounding excitement.

Eric, we need to give you some lessons from the Bmac school of wading. 

Chumdog, I meant the fish fighting part. You saw me do a little wading out on your river. I actually had someone tell me and my brother, "Don't cross there! You'll die!"  My brother caught his first steelhead that day! And I'm still here.... As for my brother...

[wild rivers]

my first steelhead was in so cal in the book store with a hustler in hand     j/k cowlitz

[Jimmy]

First winter 1989 on the Green at Palmer at what we called "the meat hole." First summer on the Green in 1989 at flaming geyser on the horshoe with a jig n shrimp. It was about a 2-3 lb fish that was as hot as any 10-15 I've ever caught.

It's funny looking back. I used to stand on that horseshoe for about 10 hours straight drifting through the same hole wondering why one of the many fish I could see wouldn't bite! hahahaha.... Looking back at how dumb I was then makes me wonder how dumb I still am, even though I tend to catch a lot more fish. 

[Rip_Lipper]

1973
The run by the hatchery on the North Fork of the Nehalem river

[NWRetics]

my first was on a Puget sound river fishing for a winter-run and it was a 5-6# summer run spawnout took a firstbite jig  tipped w/ a PW tail was all smiles that day over a skinny turd

[Supertrout]

Those pictures from the Nehalem are funny. Old dudes with funky spinning rods in a blown out river. I think I was there once with my father before I cared to fish.

[wild willy]

First summer run June 2006, Green River on a nightmare jig.
First winter run February 2007, Wynoochee River on a corkie w/ eggs.
It took me over a year to catch my first steelhead once I started to target them, I still remember seeing that silver flash right before my bobber went down.

[xlurker]

First winter-run was on the Puyallup near Alderton in December 1979.  Corkie and yarn.

First summer-run was on the Green upstream of Palmer in June 1983.  Flyfishing skating a muddler minnow.

[DanS]

First winter steelhead, 1973, in Mill Creek near Shelton on a red/white Dardevle spoon.

First summer came later that year on the Hoh on a Jensen Anise egg.