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BC Steelhead Video Hi Speed Only

Extra bag fees, airport BS, some gate cowboy harassing me about my rods, cold rain, wet snow, busted boats, white water, bears, high water, and low water and on and on, the list of obstacle to catching steelhead is endless. One of my buddies missed the eddy above a class 4 rapid and ran it in his pontoon boat (water about 10 times bigger than the rapid in the video). I ripped my boat wide open portaging around that same rapid. We were in the middle of a 30 mile float. So I had to finish with 3 out of 4 inflated. However, none of it matters once you hook into your first BC steelhead. One tug and you forget all of it. That tug is sometimes hard to come by. After 2 days without a fish I was at my end. I was not the only one but I expect more from the river. I felt I had paid my dues. I was a man stuck in the steelhead doldrums.

I broke free of my buddies and paddled down stream alone. I could not take seeing another fish landed by someone other than me. I found some great looking water about a half mile down stream from the rest of the group. It was not until my third time working the run that I actually hooked a fish. By that time I had been there by myself for over 2 hours.

I was at the frustration point and while my fly was swinging across the bucket my thoughts drifted. Why did I come here? Maybe I am not that good? Maybe I am not swinging the fly right? Maybe I am not deep enough? Then I looked up at mountains that were just breaking free of the clouds, snow capped and beautiful. I was trying to appreciate the moment. My line came tight at the end of my drift and my thoughts snapped back. “Damn it snagged again”, I thought. I gave it a couple of swift pulls and it pulled back, hard. Line poured off my reel and I was into my first BC fish. It turned out to be a gigantic hen. I held her up to my out stretched arm. She measured from sternum to fingertips, about 34 inches I would later find out. By that time one of my buddies had passed but was too far down river for a picture. It did not matter life was good again. The steelhead funk was not uncommon on this trip. When you travel thousands of

miles and you go a day or so without landing a fish you start to get funkafide. You can see it in your friends too. You hook a fish and they are excited for you but their excitement is mitigated by the amount time between their last fish. You can’t help it. The steelhead are in your brain and you need more.