Well, here's one for you Steelhead Bums:

1. Do your waders sometimes not dry out for months?

2. Does your vehicle often smell like something died in it from the mildewy waders?

3. Does your truck/car have a stash of flies under the seat and glove box, embedded in the headliner?

4. Do you always have a rod and a laundry basket containing your waders, boots and other fishing gear, in your rig?

5. Is the floor of your vehicle usually covered with gravel, pop bottles and dirt from when you drove between rivers with your waders on?

6. Do you have more then one piece of carpet on the floor boards?

7. Have you ever called in sick to go Steelhead fishing?

8. Do you base your vacation plans on whether there is a good Steelhead River nearby?

9. Have you ever been late for a social engagement because the river came into shape?

10. Do you avoid making time commitments in the future for fear that the river is going to be good?

11. Do you have a fly-tying table or desk permanently set up at your house, and is it covered with scraps of feathers, fur and pieces of thread?

12. Does your garage look like a used Fly Fishing Shop?

13. Do you fish more than 175 days a year?

14. If you fish less than 100 days a year. Subtact 5 points!


Scoring: Give yourself 5 points for every yes, 0 for every no.

50-65 points: Yes, you are a Steelhead Bum — and a miserable excuse for a human being. This should come as no surprise to you, since you have heard this from every responsible person you know for some time now. There's no hope for rehabilitation; there are no 12-step programs for Steelhead Bums. It is the sad truth that your highest aspiration is to be a Steelhead Bum.

30-45 points: There is some small hope for you, but you are probably doomed to follow the dark path you have chosen all the way to the bottom. Your career and relationships probably have already suffered from the neglect necessary to support this lifestyle.

10-25 points: You have Steelhead Bum tendencies. You may dream of one day becoming a Steelhead Bum, but you aren't quite worthless enough to make it over the hump.

5 points or less: Congratulations, you are not a Steelhead Bum. You are probably a respected member of the community. You may enjoy fishing, but your sense of responsibility prevents you from neglecting your obligations. While you take pride in doing the right thing, you know that at the end of life, no one has ever said he or she wished to have worked more and fished less.

Good one Dude

I'm one of them!

I scored a 45. I have very scant chance for salvation but I don't want it!

(wow, four times of me posting the same thing on different threads )

I hadn't really thought about it until my wife refused to ride in my truck last Winter because of the smell of eggs and shrimp!

Perfect score ... 65! I think for tie breakers we should be able to add .5 point for every day over 175 that we are on the water

Truly a hopeless case if I ever saw one!
:p

Bob

I even added 75 days to it!

I figure I'm on the river over 200 days a year, so I gave everyone a brake.

Perfect score then some, I figure I might deserve some points for being on the water more than 200 days a year and for roe juice stains on most everything that I own. Cannot forget about all the patches that are in the waders that have been sent back numerous times in a year.

I've added one (#14)
For you hard core guys, nothing change

how about-
if you and your wife are coming up with baby names and all of your sugestions are also the names of rivers(sky, dean, bella, bogey)..... you know you are a steelheadbum

Great post.

I'm a lifelong steelhead maggot. I usually stand all day in the rain, wind, snow, sun, neglecting the basic functions of life like eating, sleeping, work, relationships, and anything else normal people do, just to have a shot at "the grey ghost"

These fish have made me think outside the box, and apreciate how in-depth this sport of ours is. No matter how good you think you are and how many fish you catch there are always ones you didnt and could have.. and for all the fish you wish you could catch, they are out there too...

45 points---no apologies!

AuntyM

Biased and Unfair?
Maybe you should fish with a two-hander and some T-14. That way you wounded find swivels, corkiess and small tackle in your purse?

50, but thats a little biased because I don't fish for steelhead with a fly (which IMHO is not a requirement to be a steelhead bum)

There are a few questions missing,

Have you ever looked at your bank account and figured that you really don't need to pay the power bill because the bogie is in shape? And come back to find the power is out?

Or..........

Has the trade in value of your truck been deminished because of the empty sand shrimp containers, egg goo on the steering wheel and a stuck tape in the radio of the Charley Daniels band?

{ Yes both have happened to me}

Excellent Post, but I want some more points for the following:

1. Wife wanted divorce because I loved fishing more then her;
2. Marriage counselor explained to me that fishing as much as I do was the same as having a mistress;
3. After divorce I have one chair in the house, but have all of my rods, gear, and drift boat.
4 Bought house back from wife because I have a large outbuilding to store the above.
5. and to be socially responsible I mentor kids in jail and explain that fighting a fish is much more fun then doing a drive by shooting.

The girlfriend always says if i ever return after my death to vist as a ghost . There will be a fish egg smell in the house