Sometimes lady luck shines on you! For 5 years, I've chased steelhead whenever I had the chance, but my wife had never even seen one except for the dead brats I bring home. I'd explain what a great fish they are, how well they fight, and how beautiful they are when they first arrive from the ocean, but she didn't really get it. Once, a few years ago, she went steelheading with me on the North Umpqua, but we both skunked. Today, she finally went with me again. We decided to spend a day at the coast, the first few hours of which would be spent at one of my secret steelhead holes. She didn't want to fish, but wanted to see me fish.
Long story made short: in 3 hours, I caught 3 native steelhead 8 to 10 pounds, the last of which hit my spinner 5 seconds after I said "Last cast", immediately jumped twice, then proceded to scream upstream, wrapping me around a huge boulder and jumped 6 more times right in front of my wife, who was yelling "Git'em honey, git'em!". After a few minutes, it came back downstream and I landed it with my wife taking several photo's. After I released the fish, I said "Do you see why I love these fish?" She responded "Yeah, that was great!" She had the same excited gleam in her eye as she did the first time she ever walked into an old growth forest. For 5 years, I've been trying unsuccessfully to explain my obsesion to her and in 5 minutes, that one fish did it better than I ever could.
After that, we drove to the beach and had a great afternoon, hiking and watching gray whales roll in the sunny surf.

God, I love March in Oregon!

Good times.....Good times......

Wild Chrome, Great Story! I will give you 5$ for the secret hole map, and will bring the wife along for good measure. My wife thought my passion for the sport was a severe genetic defect. A few years ago, after very little participation in my fishing life, I took the wife to Hakai Pass in BC, She had never caught a fish before. First time I took off to fish, she was just gonna bring a book and enjoy the sights. My thoughts! Extra rod in the water for me to increase my odds. While running the boat, I explained to her just set the cut plug in the water and pull out about 25 pulls. This took some serious patience on my part. Honey why is the line all bunched up and knotty??? I was so proud, her first birds nest. Hey, I never told her where the freesool lever was. As I set my rod in the holder to come to where she is sitting, I just was about ready to get the rod from her and KABOOM,BLAM,WHAM, I take a 10.5ft mooching rod with triton reel smack dab in the face. Seems a 15lb silver thought the plug was a good snack, It slammend so hard with no stretch from the birds nest, it just yanked the rod out of her hands in an instant.As I try to regain composure rod #2 KABLAMO, Fish on then oh no Fish Off, Got the nest out in a few seconds and gave her the rod back. About 15 minutes and multiple jumps a chromer is at the boat. She wants to release her first fish. I love that gal. Due to the long fight I did the major reviving thing and it seemend to recover just fine. In 4 days we hooked about 30-40 ocean chrome silvers and I nailed a 46LB nookie that if it wasnt for the wife smacking me with a 8oz lead in the forehead would of been the best time I ever had brawling a king. Moral to the story, Teach your wife to fish, but always wear protective gear. She knew why I was so hooked on fishing after that one silver grabbed the plug. She is a keeper for sure.....