I f you had to part with some advice for the new to seasoned around here what would it be?

I would say "Plan to not catch anything while out fishing, but be prepared and ready to catch the biggest fish you will ever encounter"!

Plant your corn in the spring
keep your tip up
never stop reeling
support our troops
have fun

Grandpa, make sure you are sitting down, I agree with each and every suggestion you made. OMG!

For the new angler I would say, don't chase the fish, learn a river that is near your home and fish it under all different conditions.

What eddie said.

If it's fish for the bbq that you're looking for, it's cheaper to buy it than to fish for it. Gotta go, the Sky is calling.

I can relate to that "be prepared to catch the biggest fish of your life" - I was trolling with relatively light gear off of Sekiu for Coho and got spooled by something big! Never even slowed down!

Go with what you know

Gutz, maybe you should keep your line out of other peoples trolling motors.

Ouch! Is it cold in here?

If you're not catching, try changing something. Different lure, location, depth, whatever. I spent many a day my first season out here trolling the same squid nonstop for hours.

Watch the other boats. They will more often tell you where the fish are not than where they are. If you watch 100 boats troll an area for 15 minutes and don't see anyone grab a net, chances are you're not gonna do so hot at that spot either.

If the salmon action is dead slow, ya can always go C&R dogfish.

Dan

I f you really want to cut the learning curve down, 1. pick a river with fish in it that you can get to on a regular basis.
2. Hire a guide to get you pointed in the right dierection.

There is alot more to steelhead fishing than the gear.One of the most important things you can know is the run timing of the system.

Always leave the toilet seat down which makes the wife happy and her happiness provides you with more fishing time.

One more piece of advise is to hire a guide to take you fishing on your favorite stretch of water. You get to sit back and fish and learn alot. There are some good ones out there and I'm sure no shortage of recommendations here.

If you are new to fishing, do not attempt to stand shoulder to shoulder with other fishers in combat situations. Instead, find a stretch of river where no one else is and hone your casting skills there. You may not find fish, but at least you'll be able to get the technique down before going head to head with more accomplished fishers. Besides, you might get lucky and hook up, without having to worry about learning to play a fish amongst a crowd. There is no shame in being a rookie. Everyone was a "cracker" at one time in their lives. Don't sweat the petty stuff, and don't pet the sweaty stuff!

I agree with the above comment about keeping your wife happy.