I'll start this little epic, with this caveat: I know I don't put up the #'s of fish some of you guys do, but this is mine. The set-up on my #1 day was pretty simiple. A sweet old-style G.Loomis IMX 1082s with a Shimano stradic 2000 on for the ride, my 2000 was loaded with 10 lb. maxima ultragreen I slipped on a red friction plastic bobber and tied on a #1 maraboo pink/white jig. So far so good... its about 10:30 am so the morning rush is over and my fav. hole is all mine, save for 1 clueless cracker, I spot him(with my own eyes) with a steelhead on and as he lands his chrome 8 lb winter-run. I look over his rig, its pretty lame, but hey, he has 1 more fish than me so I go to work. About cast #2 down she goes and I'm into a 10 lb'er, the chromers keep coming #2, #3 and #4 come in bang bang and bang....by now even the cracker knows he has been had and is threatening to toss me in, but wait. I offered #3 to him to reel in and he passed, so what can he do but watch and worship me (plus I out-weigh him by 50 lbs.)......? Look up there, the peanut gallery on the bank are all loading up with #1 pink/white jigs (stripping off the 12lb. ultragreen and spooling 10 lb. as they all have 12X bino's up on the hill & that WILL make all the difference) and pulling up thier waders for a shot at the hot fish. But the show is over, save for a 15 lb. semi-chrome chum I nail as a coup de grace I have cleaned all the biters out of the hole. I have had the day of days and walk off the river like Brad Pitt in "A river runs thru it" ....Your story??

Well this isn't a steelhead story but my best day (similar to your story) was fishing the Oyster Hole at Tillamook. I had anchored my 9 ft inflatable raft (with 5 HP motor) along the shoreline to try some float fishing. If you know this spot, you know that there are hundreds of boats that troll up and down using spinners mostly. A few of us use floats and eggs/shrimp. I hooked into my first fish within minutes and brought in a nice 25 pounder. Baited up and within 10 minutes was in to fish number 2. The fish ran out and got tangled in a boats anchor line. As luck have it, I pulled up to the boat and they were able to net it for me. The guy looks at the hookset and says "sorry, the hook is on the outside of the mouth. So he releases it. So I go back to my spot and rig up - within 10 minutes I hook my third fish and land a 30 pounder. By now everone trolling by has seen this incredible good luck. The guys in the boat across from me that released my second fish just look disgusted. My wife and kids are pulled off on the side of the road with lunch so I am done fishing and get to have a nice hot meal and then it's time to clean the fish and go back to the ramp. My best day at Tillamokk and one I've never come close to repeating. Just love having guys stare in envy as you're the hot rod for the day!

Limit on the snoopy rod...fun and frivolity with friends...and beer to boot.

Several years ago, one of my fishing partners and I had a 18 fish day including two bright fall chinook fishing the pond and below.

It wasnt in December it was in Feb but me and a buddy fished the Pilchuk river up at Granite falls using corkies and jigs and we nailed between us 17 steelhead it was a really good day to this day it is still one of my most memorable fihsing experiences

Best day was getting off work early on Dec 20, my B-day and smacking some steelies on the Green for a limit in less than an hour

Got the first one in 3 casts and second about 40 minutes later with one extented release in between.

And it's almost B-day again!

2 yrs ago dec, i landed 12 steelies 4chrome winters and 8 SR. with 3 silvers as a kicker. on six consecutive casts i hooked 4 steelies and 2 of the silvers. i was at a hatchery hole but what a blast. FISHON

The first day I ever caught a steelhead. I had tried a few times for both summers and winters before with one of my friends who fished a lot, but I seemed to be a bad luck charm as we never even saw a fish together. My parents, being the generous people that they are, surprised me with a guided trip with Letty Potter for christmas last year, since I had been stuck in prison, er, I mean the AF Academy all year...wow. My brother and I, both completely green, went 7/10 with a bunch of others Letty hooked for us. Woo!

Everyday on the river in December or any month, is my best Steelhead day......in my book.

A few years ago a couple of us fished opening day for steelhead on the upper Wilson River in Northwest Oregon. We came upon a hole that was about six feet deep but the water clarity was such that you couldn't see bottom. We were using jigs with small baits and right off the bat we had a double. Within the next couple hours we had hooked close to thirty fish and lost count of the number of fish landed and released. The fish would hit practically every color jig we tossed at them. At noon I had to quit and go work the swing shift.

This was a once in a lifetime morning of fishing that will probably never be duplicated as the river is now open year-round and this particular hole is very well known today.

Mark

Too many good days to recall, but fortunately (maybe not fory ou), I did take some photos.

Here comes your Kill Shots!

My wife with her first easy limits of steelhead. We let her hook, fight, and land her own fish the entire day. The only thing I did was to hand her a new baited rod after she hooked a fish.


This particular summer day on the NFL was insane. I think each person on the boat that day hooked well over double digit fish. We easily hooked over 50 that day. Ok, so it's not December, but was still a good day.




Another 40+ fish day on the Lewis last summer. Still not December, though.



Unfortunately, I don't have a photo from my all around best day.

Was with my wife, Robbin, and Joe on both the Salmon River and Cook Creek. All said and done, we easily landed well over 50 steelhead.

So when are we floating the Lewis?

Oh yeah, I forgot about this day in late December. Not a 30 fish day, but well in to the double digits.

All at the Meat Hole with 15 other sleds. I don't know why, but success rates were not that high for the other boats!

They must have been using Sol's egg cure.

Back in the mid-80's, some punks opened the gate at the hatchery on the Cascade. The WDFW said the mortality rate would be close to 100%.

The following Dec. Dad, myself, and our fishing partner were standing there in a hole that I couldn't tell you where it is now. Dad and I went 7 fish each. Our friend even stole my hat and made me wear his cause he couldn't buy a bite. Being a young teenager, I of course thought this was fantastic.

It is one of my best memories because there were a bunch of guys standing on the rip-rap on the far bank and I kept throwing right up against the rocks. The guy was yelling at me for throwing at his feet. About the third cast, the sinker never hit the bottom, the fish exploded out of the water and absolutely soaked him. I thought my old man was gonna pee his waders laughing at the guy, who was not very happy.

Other than that, any day in December that I can be on the river with Dad is my best day.

Thanks for teaching me how to fish Dad!

I'm not proud. I'm switchin' to UEC. The eggs you gave me are about as close to perfect as any I've ever seen. We're still on for March. I'll wip ya with you're own ammo, instead.

BTW: Where's that patented parker smile? With the exeption of the guy on the far left, you guys look like you just dumped a body.

Parker,
I'm pretty sure i was there that day you and your wife were,you folks with RR , on the S river correct? was it 99' or 00' can't remember, you folks were float fishing eggs very rainy miserable day, if i recall there was not anyone else around that afternoon, that was a double digit day for me as i was there since daybreak working that first hole all the way to the bridge and back, fish were moving all day, but what was most memorable that day was just as you folks had left i made a cast in that hole you folks popped those fish and hooked the top of barrel swivel w/a leader and a fish attached to it, what are the chances of that! i released that dude

Today, December 12, 2004 - (35 years after the last time I caught a steelhead) a friend and I were fishing the Bogachiel just below the hatchery. After almost 6 hours of nothing, I beached two hatchery bucks (6# and 8#) in 15 minutes.

Best day on the Tolt R. about 30 years ago. Caught a picture perfect 19 lb. hen. Brought fishermen from up and down the river to see it and they couldn't believe it, probably due to the continuing decline of big natives. Sadly, I killed it, but I was also an overly excited 16 yr. old then. But what a fish, as long as my leg.

Runner- up was a day at Reiter with a delayed Nov 15 opener. Got there expecting mobs, but nobody there. Thought I screwed up reading the regs, but there was a game official on the hatchery side leaning next to his truck with a bull horn (ready to yell at anyone who put their line in before 8:00am). At 8:00, wetted my line and had 3 fish in 15 min. Took my brat limit and went home, but think I could have kept catching fish until my arm fell off. Can you believe a winter morning opener at Reiter, river in prime shape with no one there! Twilight Zone.