Giant Westport Steelhead

[RC]

Just saw this.  Awesome looking fish!

https://www.facebook.com/people/Westport-Weighmaster/100063458083682/

[Crunchy]

I saw that. Insane, once in a life time catch.  Insane odds to not only catch a steelhead in the ocean, but one of that size are way up there.

[7mmfan]

Wow what a platinum beauty. And hatchery to boot. I've only heard of a handful of steelhead caught on open ocean, and they were all big. Wonder what the deal is with that.

[Angus]

I (my guests) caught 4 in 22 years of guiding on the salt in S.E. AK, all on herring, all released and none close to that size.
This past Saturday we caught 1 on a spinner at B-10, released it, back at the dock the fish checker said she see's a few steelhead everyday and numerous tickets have been written.

[LDennis24]

Can someone post the fish on here. I don't use that stupid website but I wanna see the fish! Lol

[Sneaky Squirrel]

That is an awesome fish! Would love to tangle with a fish of that caliber on a small river or creek using light tackle.

[BigCutty3]

Snake River B-run most likely, dandy fish

[metlhead]

Over 40 years on the water, countless fish  and my wife hooks the only saltwater steelhead I've ever seen, at Sekiu.

[C-Money]

Its a dandy!!

[carlyoungs]

Got one in the sound and 1 in sekiu

[Skillet]

I've caught 2 in 9 years of dragging a lot of hooks for a lot of hours/miles.  Both came on coho spoons.

[jeffro]

Used to fish Bush point and Ft. Casey areas from the beach, saw some dandy’s caught!
Spin & Glo with a mini squid with basic steelhead drift rigging. Mostly pink and pearl.

[PolarBear]

I’ve caught a few in Totten Inlet back in the 70’s - 80’s when we still had a small steelhead run in Skookum Creek but they were never bigger than about 6 or so pounds.

[Jake Dogfish]

I caught one once fishing for salmon off the beach in area 13.  Back when all the creeks had fish in them.

[GASoline71]

Used to fish Bush point and Ft. Casey areas from the beach, saw some dandy’s caught!
Spin & Glo with a mini squid with basic steelhead drift rigging. Mostly pink and pearl.

Caught numerous Steelhead off the same beaches.  Haven't fished for them in the salt off the bank of Whidbey in a long time.  Used the same patterns... Except once for the heck of it I put a green squid and a blue and chrome Spin-n-glo on there and landed 2 that day on that rig at Ft. Casey.  Might have to go try it again this winter.

Gary

[jeffro]

Used to fish Bush point and Ft. Casey areas from the beach, saw some dandy’s caught!
Spin & Glo with a mini squid with basic steelhead drift rigging. Mostly pink and pearl.

Caught numerous Steelhead off the same beaches.  Haven't fished for them in the salt off the bank of Whidbey in a long time.  Used the same patterns... Except once for the heck of it I put a green squid and a blue and chrome Spin-n-glo on there and landed 2 that day on that rig at Ft. Casey.  Might have to go try it again this winter.

Gary

[SeaRun1]

Can someone post the fish on here. I don't use that stupid website but I wanna see the fish! Lol

X2 please.  Would love to see it.

I caught hundreds of them in the salt up in SE Alaska.  Unfortunately I was on a seiner.  I threw as many as I could overboard as soon as I was able but many didn’t make it.  Never liked that much.

SR1

[LongBomb]

21.90 lbs

[SeaRun1]

Thanks!  Nice steelie!

SR1

[jackelope]

I’ve never caught a 20+ pound steelhead but I think it’s fair to say that the fact that the fish was caught in the ocean is way more a shocker than the size of the fish. I texted my stepdad just for the sake of conversation. He’s caught 4 over 20# on a fly rod in his life but he’s fishing some of the best steelhead water in the world I guess too.

[bradslam]

Can someone post the fish on here. I don't use that stupid website but I wanna see the fish! Lol

X2 please.  Would love to see it.

I caught hundreds of them in the salt up in SE Alaska.  Unfortunately I was on a seiner.  I threw as many as I could overboard as soon as I was able but many didn’t make it.  Never liked that much.

SR1

Same here when I was seining back in the 80's and 90's. I tried to toss the steelies overboard, but it was inevitable that some would end up in the hold.
We smoked the ones that did. One of our buddy's (the Dreamland) caught a massive steelhead one opener. I can't remember if it was 44 or 45 lbs when they delivered to the tender in Craig, but I remember it being a couple of pounds bigger than the recognized world record sport caught fish at that time. Just a huge, beautiful fish.

[Pete112288]

Heck of a dandy there, especially being a hatchery fish. I have seen 2 personally that are in that size class. 1 summer run hatchery in the Columbia and I caught a native that was a few ounces shy of 20lbs in a winter run a decade ago or so. Was a heck of a fight being on 10lbs test in a creek that was only 10-15 feet across. Haha. At the time never thought a fight of a fish in that small of water could last as long as it did.

[C-Money]

Once again that is a great fish! Glad the fellow got such a dandy. I truly believe if a guy wants world class Steelhead fishing, the Great Lakes is the place to go! Of course Lake Michigan gets a lot of attention. The real gem is probably Lake Erie. Erie has a huge steelhead population. Weather targeting them in the summer out in the lake or in the fall/winter in the tributaries, Steelhead fishers do excellent!

[pd]

Nobody is going to believe me, but.....

When I was first learning how to fly fish (I was in college, and nobody around me had ever fished with that method), my wife and I waded into the broad Columbia in what is now northwest Pasco, across from Richland.  September, probably.  I caught a steelhead about that size.  I was so shocked, I immediately took off my sweater, wrapped the fish, and hightailed it back to my parents' house, and immediately cooked it on the BBQ.  No cameras in that day.

I have no idea of the weight.  It was every bit as long as that, but not as thick.

Best fish that I have ever caught.

[plugger]

I'm thinking Quinault hatchery fish.

[Crunchy]

I'm thinking Quinault hatchery fish.

Bingo. That’s where my money is also.

[Onewhohikes]

I caught one once fishing for salmon off the beach in area 13.  Back when all the creeks had fish in them.

When was that?

[jackelope]

I caught one once fishing for salmon off the beach in area 13.  Back when all the creeks had fish in them.

When was that?

Right after the Big Bang. Refer to the other thread.

[Jake Dogfish]

I caught one once fishing for salmon off the beach in area 13.  Back when all the creeks had fish in them.

When was that?

Right after the Big Bang. Refer to the other thread.

 

[dilleytech]

That’s such a huge steelhead. Maybe when they get that big they are actually fun to catch lol. I have probably caught around 500 steelhead and the biggest ones were all that 12-14# class, maybe about 8 fish that size. Never seen one larger in person. I know a guy locally who caught one that was 32# back in the day. I couldn’t even imagine..

[metlhead]

Were they built like this?

[PolarBear]

I'm thinking Quinault hatchery fish.

I was thinking the same. We use to catch winter runs in the 20’s on the hump. There are still a few that size that run up the nooch. Those get recycled several times.

[Alchase]

In 1988, just out of the Navy, the wife and I went to Moscow, ID for their homecoming weekend. My Brother in law was in Mechanical Engineering at U of I.
His girlfriends dad lived in Troy, ID, was retired, and an avid fisherman. When he was in Washington over the summer, I took them to Sekiu and took him salmon fishing.
He wanted to return the favor and fish the Snake for B run Clearwater Steelhead.
I grew up fishing steelhead on the Skoke, the Sky, and Snoqualmie. A two fish day was lights out, and any fish over 10 lbs, was great fish.
We hit the Snake between Asotin and Lewiston. The two of us we caught 23 fish, the smallest was around 8 lbs. All bigger then any Steelhead I had ever caught. The biggest
Was a 21.3 lb Steelie with a tag on it. I was freaking out.
I took home that and another 13 pounder.
I sent the tag in, and actually got a response from the WDFW.
My fish was from the Clearwater, was a rare four salt fish.
It had been recorded up at the Lewis River hatchery then made its way back down, and up the Snake where I caught him.

I was blown away at how many Steelhead were there. They were finning everywhere!
I could not help think, if this many Steelhead could make it up to the Clearwater past all those dams, why can’t the salmon.