Just curious what river popped your Steelhead cherry and what year?

Mine was 1983 hwy side of Reiter. Something I will never forget, got there early on a December morning snow on the ground. There was only about 2-3 other people fishing on that side. Lost my first hook-up and was sick about it. Then about 15-20 minutes later hooked and landed a Hen around 8 pounds or so( horsed that sob in under 2 minutes lol ) thanks to an older gentleman netting it for me.

Fished for another couple hours until I ran out of gear. I couldn't wipe the smile off my face driving back to West Seattle. I still remember listening to the song " Felize Nava Da" on the radio while driving, XMAS was just days away!

I'm sure the Sky has de-virginized a few...

Lets hear some stories of your first.... ( fish )

My dad threw me right into the bogie brat parade...Dec. 1996, nice hen around 11lbs

Snoqualmie, maybe 1990, boot buck around 10 lbs caught on a jig and float.
That was my first fish landed.

My first fish was caught on a 6.6 trout rod. I turned it upside down and mounted a bait caster on it. Took it to the river with a float and jig. Ended up back lashing almost the entire spool of line. Sat down on a rock and tried to clean it up. Rod almost got yanked out of my hand when the float that was still out in the water went down. It didn't take much for the 8lb leader to bust as no line could go out and the back lash became so tight I had to cut the entire spool of line off.

Green river in Auburn just below the foot bridge by the golf course, 1984.

Out on the Salmon River about 5 or so years back. Real low and clear. Nobody was catching anything but my buddy wouldn't give up and he had the car keys. Decided to practice with a 5wt flyrod I had just received for X-mas. Little bit of yarn tied to a hook. Cast near a log. Fish on. Nice 8-10 pounder. If that fish had headed any other way during the fight I would have lost it in the logs or current, and possibly broken my new rod. It was the only fish I saw or heard of being caught that weekend at the Salmon. Only took three years or so of trying to finally hook and land a steelhead.

cowlitz, 1991. i never understood the whole steelhead obsession, they're easy if you find them. guess most guys never figure that one out.

salmon, on the other hand...kings frustrate the hell out of me.

1978 Tolt River cabin hole. A chrome 12 pound hen.

Like Stam I fished many years before that with my dad on the Quinalt in the early 60's, but we had no idea what we weere doing and caught nothing. Then I took off a few years, while my dad was becoming an excellent steelheader. Got back into it in 70's. BTW my dad becanme quite proficient after he turned 70. He caught his last srteelhead at age 88.

Thanksgining Day 1989 @ the Big Eddy Snoqualime River. Blue Fox spinner, blue body chrome blade, 7 cast 2 fish , took a year of fishing hard to be rewarded.

March 96 on the Nooch. 14# hatchery hen on a #2 spin glo with eggs, drifting it using a bank sinker. It was my 29th time trying to catch a steelhead. I fished almost every other day the rivers were in shape starting in December of 95, I was just determined to get one. I was checking out books from the library and pestering the old timers around town trying to figure out what to do. Man that was a fun time, since I didn't know how easy it could be I never got frustrated, just kept on keepin' on. Minutes later I landed my second one.

2003, Green River, just down from Metzler Park on the right side of the split. 14# summer-run buck took a pink jig under a float.

I was by myself and can clearly remember the exact moment that fish hit the bank... I had fished hard all winter with nothing to show, so that first steelie was a real trophy to me. I think I feel more fondly toward that first steelhead than my first Muley buck... or even the first girl that let me have a go (without paying for it). ~josh

First Washington state Winter run came in December of "88" off the Puyallup river plunking from my buddies "84" jack up 6" lift chev 3/4 ton.I used the front bumper as a rod holder,put a bell on it then proceeded to sit in the truck and smoke my brains out until my rod went off.I think it may have taken all of 3 minutes to land,it was a 10lb chrome bright nate that I bonked.Not sure if it was legal @ the time so we left 10 minutes later.I was the only one plunking in that stretch of river everyone else was drift fishing and hated me for Fuk$%^&* up there water and walking away with a nice one.I was 19 years old.
First Oregon state winter run was in "85" on the Nehalem river by cook creek.It's about all I can remember about that.
Cool thread.Good luck,
STRIKE ZONE

1983 - last day of the winter run season. 16lb. buck on the Skookumchuck.

Sol Duc, 1992, nates 24-32 inches, 3 in one day although two were on plugs (hot shots) and one on a spinner, so I suppose the rower gets credit for hooking two although I reeled them in.

1973, Mill Creek, Shelton, WA.

If you were there that day, you'd have seen the happiest little 7 year old bast@rd you've ever seen.

Went from little peckerhead trout to an 11-12 lb. steelhead in one cast with a red/white Dardevle spoon.

March, 1977, Sammamish River...6 1/2 foot Mitchell Garcia combo...Mitchell 300 with 6 pound test, on a size three spinner.

That fish tagged out at 41 inches, and was as chrome a buck as you'll ever see...one of these days I'll have to dig up a photo and scan it in.

I was seven years old...it was a looonnggg time before I caught another fish like that, but I was lucky enough to get three more steelhead before the end of April that year...got ten the second year, and by the time I was 16 I had bicycled to every river within fifteen miles of my house and caught a fish or three out of all of 'em...when I started to drive it was game over then...been an addict ever since.

Fish on...

Todd

1983 in Issaquah Creek. A 13# dark buck on a yarn fly and a 6' trout rod.
I had a lot of fun days fishing that creek before they finally closed it.

Todd, Ahh, the Sammamish brings back memories. I spent alot of time right above the handi-cap access in Redmond. I always fished a pink corkie with a full night crawler. Caught some nice steelies in there.
We probably crossed paths and didn't even know it.

July 1986, an aerial leaping chrome summer-run at the Cracker bar on the Sky was my first steelhead.
I caught that fish with on a spin-n-glo/sand shrimp drift gear.
I really enjoyed bank fishing the Cracker bar back in those days...
Learned a lot from the old timers fishing the Cracker bar back then.
I remember summer-run fishing use to be good on the Sky in mid to late eighties.
Use to be able to drive my 4WD Toy SR5 pick up to the Cracker bar along the Sky back then and camp out on the bank during summer nights.

1980sih..Skookumchuck. Brothers and I were fishing for trout using cut up sucker meat. I only had one fish and my brothers probably already had more than their limit back then. I get this tug on the pole and this big-ol chromer comes up to the service. I yell, I got a big one, the guy across from us yells, thats a STEELHEAD. I'll never forget it. Hooked at 13yrs. old.

Big White Salmon river, August 1978