Caught my first steelhead!

[shadowless_nite]

Sort of a late post but I finally found some time post up. For almost a year now Ive been trying to get into salmon and steelhead fishing. I got my first taste during last year's pink season and it was a blast and now I'm anxiously waiting for next year's run. But then I wanted to get a REAL salmon and a steelhead, something to make those pinks look more like dinks. I tried a little for some fall chinook run but with archery season I didn't make it out much and had no success.  Tried my luck at winter steelhead but also no luck, meanwhile my buddy next to me was able to land one. No time for springers this year.

      I was able to make it out for some summer run steelhead on the columbia. First time out 2 weekends ago fishing on the bank plunking I had one bell ringer but it was a swing and a miss. Went out the next day and I missed another one but my buddy was able to connect and landed a nice one.



Last weekend after waiting all week to get back out there saturday. We catch the tide at 4am ish and get the kayak out with the lines. After a few hours of fishing I get a good hit and connect. I get it halfway to shore and it jumps out of the water and with a good shake of its head it pops the hook. Felt like that kid in P.E. who never hits the baseball but then  one day gets a solid hit only to get thrown out on 1st base. Same day my buddy gets a swing and a miss.

Next day I got both my kids out of bed and nestled into the rig at 345am.



 After a slow morning. It's a decent day out, my son and daughter are playing with my friends son in the sand, rig parked with the tailgate down and music playing....



  We reel the lines back to shore for fresh bait. We get strung up and he runs my line out. I told him just to drop it where it feels good.  So he does, and as he makes it back to shore for his line and starts running it out the bell goes off on the other rod. I  throw the pole in the holder as fast as possible and nail the other rod. Felt like a solid hit. As the kids notice the action I tell my daughter to grab my cellphone out of my jacket and make a video. She did manage to get a pretty good picture too....



With some coaching from my good friend on the right I was able to land my very first steelhead of my life! After a lot of swings and misses I felt very accomplished and the best part is it was a hatchery fish so it's a keeper! And even better than anything was the fact that my good friend and kids were there to share the experience!

The obligatory long arm. Sorry I'm not very good at it, I guess it's due to lack of practice holding these things up.

 

Me and the youngest. He absolutely just had to touch the fish as soon as it was out of the water. I told him to let his mom sniff his fingers when we get home





All in all after gutting it weighed 7.7lbs on the scale. Good enough for me! Sorry for the long winded story! Hope you enjoyed!

[Taco280AI]

Good job 

What kind of setup do you use from the shore?

[Lucky1]

  good job man. Way to stick with it.

[Mfowl]

Nice work! Nothing wrong with a day on the beach plunking! Congrats! 

[Oldguy]

Congratulations on a nice fish! Not only was the steelhead hooked, but I would guess that you are hooked on steelheading now. Not really a bad thing. 

[WAcoueshunter]

So many great things about this post.  Nice work!  Plunking in the summer with the kids playing on the beach, pretty great right there, but then to get your first steelhead too!  I fish for everything we have, but to me steelhead have always been tops.   

[shadowless_nite]

Good job 

What kind of setup do you use from the shore?

Plunking 3 spin n glo with coon shrimp and dropping with a kayak

Congratulations on a nice fish! Not only was the steelhead hooked, but I would guess that you are hooked on steelheading now. Not really a bad thing. 

Yes hooked now, it's definitely a different feel than having small trout/bass/catfish on the end of your line that's for sure! Hoping for another fish soon!

So many great things about this post.  Nice work!  Plunking in the summer with the kids playing on the beach, pretty great right there, but then to get your first steelhead too!  I fish for everything we have, but to me steelhead have always been tops.   

Yeah its definitely a lot more enjoyable to just have the kids playing while we fish. Keeps everyone entertained. When my daughter is there she gets a pole in the water as well and sits to read a book while waiting for that bell to ring!

[huntnphool]

 Congrats, that's awesome. I'm betting you've been bit with the bug now!

[bowhunterforever]

Congrats

[nwwanderer]

Great illustrated story, nice fish

[Wingin it]

Congrats. That first metalhead usually proves to be a tough one to catch. They usually come easier once that first one is out of the way.

[ELKBURGER]

Congrats on your first! Where have been fishing? I've been trying around woodland with only 1 caught so far this summer. Lots of hits though. Keep it up!

[shadowless_nite]

Congrats on your first! Where have been fishing? I've been trying around woodland with only 1 caught so far this summer. Lots of hits though. Keep it up!

We've been over in austins point fishing on the bank

[HUNTINCOUPLE]

 

[724wd]

AWESOME!  nice fish, too!