This morning, I walked into the perfect steelhead run. It wasn’t the type of run with lots of slow frog water or raging torrents. It was a run with the perfect mix of fast and slow water with a gradual drop off and a nice slow inside seam. Exactly the type of run that hot November steel would be holding in. Having a good system is key to the steelhead game. We typically don’t just show up to a spot and start pounding water. There is a pecking order and a sort of unsaid rotation process. In this instance, Jeremy was first, I was second and Boz was the last. This run had produced chrome on the days before but something about today was different. After losing two fly rigs, I watched as a drift boat came down river and through our run back trolling plugs through our honey holes. If chrome was in the run, they would of hooked it. Or, so I thought. The drift boat worked its way down the run, didn’t hook up at all and disappeared down through the white water. Knowing that they were fishing a deadly method in all the right places, it was not a good chance that there was chrome in the run, but we continued to fish it anyway. Jeremy had fished the run top to bottom and moved back up to the top of the run and I was in tail of the run. The chrome I thought would be in the deeper water on the very edge of the seam. I put on a couple more tin split shot, checked my leader for good knots and stripped off line. I threw a long cast upstream, mended once, and controlled my drift until it swung into the tail out. As it was swinging, a beautiful chromer slashed at the surface of the water. I set the hook and the hot steelhead did not like it. It felt like I was hooked up to an Albie after the first run and the second run was even more impressive. After a few more runs and memorable jumps, Jeremy tailed my best steelhead ever.
hey fisherboy,
Congrats on th fish dude!!! I have found that drifters pulling plugs get the fish all hopped up if they don’t hook up and the next lucky guy through usually gets the prize. What a perfect bullet and speciman of STEELHEAD That’s why we go and endure. That is what it’s all about!!! Wow!
Austin Powers Nice Chrome. Right out of the lake that thing must have been real hot. The fins are translucent. Great fish.
Austin,
That is one of the best looking fish I have ever seen.
congradulations on that fish. You should be proud to not only hook but land such a beauty in this high water. A well earned fish. I’m sure you are wondering when your getting back up there to do it again.
Beautiful fish Austin! That fish is so chrome it blinds you!!!
I think I see my reflection! Nice fish Austin.
Bright Chrome! its a beauty! congrats on your abillity to score those great fish.
very well done and very impressive.