I had my best steelheading day this last fall on a BC tributary---10 landed with 2 over twenty pounds. I was wondering what kind of numbers the overall majority put up.

Two trips come to mind. One on the Nisqually where I made three cast for three Steelhead. One chrome, one with a strip and one spawner. The fishing use to be soooo good on that river! Second trip was up this way where in about two hours I hooked up with eighteen wild summer run steelhead and landed thirteen of them. Fresh beautiful fish up to fourteen pounds. Unfortunately this area is now closed to all fishing but I'm sure the fishing is still red hot at the right time of the year.

Last year on Thanksgiving morning me and two buds were on a northern OP river. The day was UNBELIEVABLE!!
With a float and bait or jig the three of us along with the other 4 guys on the gravel bar hooked chomers 1 out of every 4-5 casts. We did this for Hours. I've never in ten years had a stealhed day like that, not even close.
The river last year was low for a couple weeks and that night a huge rainstorm hit. I think the fish possibly schooled up because of the oncoming storm to make a run for the hatchery. ANY THOUGHTS on mine?

For me it's not about the numbers. There have been trips where I have hooked 30+ steelhead in a day, but for me it is the quality of the river and the overall fishing experience.

One of my best days ever was about 15 years ago on a Snohomish trib where I hooked 6 steelhead in about three hours, just after a heavy snowfall the night before. It was so silent out and I was all alone on a perfect piece of water. What an incredible day!

A close second was taking my wife on her first salmon trip and watching her land a chrome bright Hoh king. Her smile was priceless, and she never again questioned why I am so drawn to the sport. Thanks again to Bob for his expert service on that trip!

[img]http://groups.msn.com/_Secure/0SQDjAtQVM...466744945701434[/img]

Cheers!
SA

Had one three years back on the Lyre that is probably the best yet, for steelhead anyway. It was after a big rain and all the other rivers were puking mud so I thought maybe the Lyre would still be in. Got there at light and the river was so brown that it looked as if someone had taken a dump in it. There wasnt another soul around, it was obvious why. After about two hours of nothing I found a quiet piece of water that wasnt moving, maybe eight feet long by five feet wide, I threw my eggs, or should I say put my pole straight out and let line out, it wasnt but five seconds and I felt a fish nibbling down on my bait, set the hook and bammo a nice chromer comes flying out of the water. I ended up losing that fish but hooking ten other chrome bright fish and getting my two for the day in a matter of about an hour. All were caught like two feet from the bank. It is really true, when it is brown, just find a quiet piece of water and fish it at your feet.

Its not the number of fish you bring to the boat but spending time with my boys now 21 and 16 doing what we love to do., fish and being together. They grow up so fast, only a dad can know what I'm talking about.

For me it was 4 years ago a buddy took me to a secret creek , and told me to expect a couple fish. On this particular ditch we fished all day hiking about 7 miles and fishing are way to the mouth. First cast i hook and land a 12lb nate, and it just got better and better!! We were hooking fish all (steel) day it was unblievable, like no other trip in the boonies. I think for the day I banked 18 and lost ? I dont know how many. My buddy landed a bunch too. The fish wernt huge, but it was awasome.. We got some beautiful pics too. Of course now its closed.

Not the biggest numbers for steelhead, but maybe the most memorable day. A buddy and I were fishing by his house on the north fork in late winter. He hooked and landed about a 15lb native, then two casts later, I landed one that was probably about 17.
Early last month I went out for silvers one morning before work. In 45 minutes I landed 5 silvers from 7-12lbs and one 5lb wild steelhead. Went home, took a nap, and went to work.

fishbreath,

Unless I'm mistaken, I used to fish that same now "closed" water...WWU, Class of '93.

Summer runs, springers, the occasional humpy or sockeye, lots of dollies...and very few fishermen.

The gamie up there told me they had to close it above S-Creek because the loggers up there were poaching the springers out of the falls hole, where they really got kegged up when the water dropped.

Major bummer.

Fish on...

Todd

Mine was last year. RAIN RAIN. Good company, caught a few fish, just a nice day on the river.

I have had a lot of great days on a lot of great rivers... however, the best would have to be the first time I got my wife to go with me and she caught 3 steelhead in two hours. Its been easyier to get those kitchen passes ever since

My day was on a certain river in Idaho. Won't bore you with detail, but countless steel and plenty in the teens. I've had great days on the OP and east-sound rivers, but NOTHING comes close to comparing to that day, in numbers AND size.

My best day fishing was 2 years ago. I dumped the boat in about 300 yards above my house, my buddy hooks a fish within about 3 minutes of throwing the plugs out. We end up with four chrome brats in 45 minutes. Then pull the boat up on the bank behind the house and the wife has bicuits and gravy all ready for us at 9:30 am. This wasn't the most fish I have ever caught but being on the home river and so close to the house makes it memorable.

My best day steelheading was march of "02".The place was Elk river in southern Oregon.I hooked 14 landed 13 and the 14th was a 15lber.Most fish ran in that 10 to 12 pound range.The only thing I didn't try was bobber jig.Like said above I don't beleive it's how many you hook or land but the over all experience is what makes it right.I've had day's of hooking 6 landing 5 last year that were just as memorable.Good luck,
STRIKE ZONE

I would have to say the day of fishing that I have ecver done wasnt up here. It was in New Hampshire fishing with my dad of the Isla Of Shoals catching stripers that wouldnt stop bititng all in all we caught about 60 stripers between the 2 of us. Most of them where to big to keep ( size regs like sturgeon ) but we found a couple that we kill and eat but it was great nothing like spending a day fishing with your dad.
Also I would have to say Ice Fishing the Winnipasaukee lake in New Hampshire for lake trout caught one that was 28 lbs and that let me get first place in the derby. Gave me a life long admission to the derby and $2,000 for spending cahs that I shortly blew on my first car that was really a bad mistake

I have two.
1) Last year I took my dad (78 years young) to the NF Nehlam hatchery where he can fish off the Handicapped Ramp. I got him a spinning rod with some tuffline on it fixed a bobber and jig about 4 feet below. He had not fished for Steelhead in 25 years. We stood there with him casting up stream for about 20 minutes watching the float go buy time after time than all of a sudden it WAS GONE I yelled fish and instead of setting the hook he looked around to see who had the fish on litte did he know it was him I grabed the pole to set the hook but we missed the fish We sat down had some coffee and BS'ed for a while and got back at it I told him if it goes down again I will grab the pole and set the hook. 5 min. later BOBBER DOWN I grabbed the pole (Still don't remember doing it) set the hook and the fight was on a couple minutes later on the bank is the first steelhead that my dad has caught in 25 years I asked him what he wanted to do now he said he wanted to go home and Grill up some fresh Steelhead so we went home. That is one of those days that I will allways remember still laugh about it with him. When he look around for someone else to have a fish on but it was him

2) fished the siletz last year boondoggeling eggs in tide water I hooked and released 6 chinook My fishing partners none. Good eggs is all I can say.

This summer...Seiku...12 kings 20 to maybe 40 in a morning. Drop down fish on...land him...drop down fish on....all morning deliriously tiring.

Yeah, I definitly agree the best day is rarely the one with the most fish.

For me it was a couple years ago when me and my fishing buddy each landed a steelhead on the same day.

We'd been steelhead fishing together almost two years before this finally happened, pretty maddening. Plenty of days when I'd catch two, he"d lose one or three and vice versa.

From our experiences we'd never pulled a fish out of that hole so it's now aptly named the "double" hole. Yeah, it wasn't a true double, but after two years, who cares.

Any trip down new water...I like learning new spots.

In particular though my favorite trips are for the Nates when you get a nice sunny day.

With that said one day on the Sky, all by myself, 10 hen that went buck wild and easily was doing 30 mph across the river and tried to make it back to the salt. No such luck for him, WHACK!

Several years ago a friend and I fished early one morning during an August heat wave. The water was extremely low and clear and we didn't touch a thing. Back at camp we grabbed the trout rods and hiked into an Alpine lake. That afternoon we fled the mountians in a monsoon and lightning storm. Around six we where back at the same spot we where skunked at that morning. Every cast brought another extremely PO'd and acrobatic Nate to the spinner. I remember looking at a gin clear hole thinking there is no way a steelhead is in this pool. Casted the spinner and watched a whole school of Nates racing each other to the spinner. I lost more than I landed but have forever since laughed at the notion that steelhead are not aggresive fish!