1956....that's going back a spell.

1972 Gobar Creek behind the Ranger Station (Great Grandparents house) Would love to say the first one a a Chrome beauty but it was a Nasty dark buck that we released. Was tough for Dad to convince a 5 year old he needed to let the biggest fish he had ever caught go but he did. Had been catching trout all morning casting a spoon and hooked into that dark ol 10 lb fish. What a blast that was. First of many fish I caught out of that creek over the years. Sure do miss the days that the Gobar was full of fish.

The Stilly below Arlington near the Highway 99 bridge (pre I-5) in early January about 1956. I don't remember the size but we were plunking with okie drifters & yarn with pencil lead. I was using my new Mitchell 300 and pole and had on my brand new hip boots. I'd received the gear from my Dad for Christmas. I almost got a ticket because we got checked by a game agent and I'd left my license home.
Dad knew the agent and he let me slide with a stern warning.

Upper Hump, don't know what fork, about 1976. All I remember is I was using a spin glow. My favorite guide (grandpa) put me on a lot of fish when I was a kid.

Mouth of the Touchet throwing copper vibrax into the Walla Walla.

16lb nate.

Cowlitz at Blue Creek. 1996. Nice 8lb chrome Brat

used to only fish salmon growing up...

after hearing about my buddies rave about winter steel i went out with them one day 4 years ago.
took the drive from sequim to forks, questioning the cold the whole time.
did the boggy the first day with no luck. second day first steelhead on and landed on a jig and a float. was a hard figting fish i remember being surprised.not sold on the cold yet. followed by the next day my buddy told me we were hitting the queets. i was excited to see this river as i had'nt seen the queets this time of year.three boats and a good day. fished most the day with no takers. set the tad pollys out. mabee 2 minuets in the work down the left rod goes ape sh&*.that was my 1st queets steelhead thumb burner that came unbotton after running 100-200 yards down river with no changing its mind. rowed back up re-plugged the hole in my buddies woody another visious take down battle that ended with a land and release.
after that weekend i felt bummbed i had let all that time slip by not taking advantage of these fish. ever since, salmon season is just a warm up to the best time of year winter steel.

winter 1971 nisqually riv 1000 line rd. by the mouth of the mashel riv wright Mcgill steelie Granger rod and a orange and brass spoon I was a junior in high school. funny thing I still have that rod and half a card of those old spoons.

Willapa river, car body hole 1984. Then the Elwah in 1990. Took 9 years off living and fishing in Florida. Moved back in 1999 and a buddy took me to Blue Creek to get familiar with steelhead fishing again. It worked.-TBJ

About 1992 on the Sky on the gravel bar above the bridge in Sultan. Winter time and that was back in the day that all I did was flyfish. Fished for a couple of hours when the guy below me went to take a piss I caught a 7 lber right where he was standing.

Lots of young'ens here. Move from Eastern Wa to Seattle in 89 and caught my first winter run at the mouth of the tolt on the snocrummy with store bought eggs. like that? ->Store bought eggs

i don't believe that's the whole story, wasn't that the first time you met a game warden also ? you guy's had to hide the killer green ?

It was in the Mid-90's on a trip to the Grande Ronde, we stopped at the Tucannon river and hooked one of those snakey eastern WA fish drfit fishing. I was very excited, because I had about 60-70 hrs in without a bite and when the fish picked it up it felt like a small trout. I remember being told it may feel like that so I set hard and the river exploded, Awesome. I had a later start Steelheading than most of you and I was in my late twenties and I was already hooked before I hit that fish.

Aptos creek ( Central California , south of Santa Cruz) back in 1972, Caught my first 14 lb. Steelhead there, I don't think they even get a run of fish there anymore due to growth and lack of habitat, poor fish management.What a Shame it use to be a beautiful creek to fish. One of the reasons I got out of there.

I caught my first steelhead in 1985 when I was 11. It was a Skykomish buck 15-17 # native. I got it on a 6 weight flyrod with an orange GP. The thing was chrome, and I can remember it like it was yesterday!
Neal

Ketchikan Alaska, June 1980.

First Salmon out in the saltchuck with my dad. I was 11. Still have a picture holding the little coho while I was wearing a greenbay packers sockhat and a smile ear to ear.

Fishing and Hunting News got me pumped up to try and hook a steelhead so on Saturday mornings my mom used to drive me and my buddy down to the Nisqually early in the morning and leave us there all day to hike up and down the river from the old bridge. In 1979 I was fourteen, clear sunny day March'ish if I remember. I was throwing a metallic red corkie with pink yarn and I kept getting a weird rap at the end of the swing against some rip-rap. Third swing in a row I decided that must be a fish- I set the hook and the rod almost leapt from my hand. I had tightened the drag to break off a snag earlier and forgot to loosen it back up. A little fire drill and I got lucky. I have been hooked ever since.

Great thread! The side channel above Blue Creek 1992 and it was snowing hard. It was my first time steelheading. I had borrowed my friends Kunan and we were throwing carpet pad and corkies. I really had no clue how to fish. The guy across the channel from me was yelling that I was standing on the fish, I ignored him and next cast...fish on 8lb chromer. We went back a few times that winter and back then it was fish on almost every time. I was hooked deep. Next summer I financed an older Wooldridge that I couldn't afford and started boondoggin. My buds loved it as they caught fish right and left but it took me a full year to land a steelhead from the boat. I thought I was hexed. But I figured it out and now I look back and think how much that first day in the snow changed my life.

1977 on the Cowlitz. Stonedfish, I have a full card of Sammy Specials that I got from my dad. They were deadly.

Nisqually, June 1st 1988. Tossing Mepps spinners on the trout opener a couple miles below Ohop creek. Hooked a double stripped winter that tore me up!