I finally got to make the trek to the highly touted Salmon River for the chance at one of the steelhead beauties that I have been admiring over the past year. Jeremy and I are cousins. He is always talking about steelhead and we have been planning this trip for a few months. Being from Tennessee, I rarely get a chance at trout this size. We arrived in New York Sunday afternoon and immediately geared up for the first of a number of days hitting these water with all that I have. There was some frustration at first. I have never fly fishing this way before, so it took some getting used to. After getting comfortable with this nymphing style, I felt more confident. Was it a false sense of confidence though? Was I doing it wrong or were the fish just not ready to come out and play with this foreigner? Other than a few small rainbows, I had a pretty slow first afternoon on the water. Obviously, there was more to this than initially meets the eye. If I was going to be successful, I would need to learn to read the water and the drifts a little better. I also had something to learn about wading. At home it is a fairly nonchalant activity to cross a river. The Salmon River is a different story though. I had heard from guys around the river that it was high. I guarantee you I would not want to cross it if it was any higher. Day two was definitely a welcomed turn-around from the previous. We awoke to more rain. “Perfect steelhead weather,” I heard repeatedly. I was excited and nervous to begin my quest for the steelhead of lore and legend. The day started off with a few “good browns”. For someone who had never been here, these good browns were even bigger than the infamous “one good one I lost” heard about so often at home. If these fish were not even the object of everyone’s affection here, then what else was lurking in these waters? While I did not find out today, I feel like the river and the fish are giving me the introduction that I deserve. You can’t just give it up on the first date. There has to be some suspense built in to make the first time that much more enjoyable. If the progression follows in the path of the last two, tomorrow will be even better. Thank God I have two more tomorrows. I shudder to think of the elation that I hope to feel from my first tangle with one of these crafty steelhead. Until then, I guess the “few good browns” will tide me over.