First Steelhead

[snocohunter]

So i've recently been introduced to steelhead fishin' by a buddy of mine who I salmon fish with. He let me borrow one of his rods and we started fishing the Cascade and the Fortson. My first 3-4 trips were unsuccessful, but i was undeterred. We headed down to the Cowlitz on Monday and fished for two days. First day I hooked a fish up near Blue Creek but lost it. After that, I was more focused and anxious than ever. Temps were bitter cold, and we rolled into the hatchery parking lot at about 6:30 with the temperature reading a balmy 9 degrees. I must admit my fingers ended up being colder than they have ever been in my whole life. Joe hooked a fish at about 8 o'clock and landed a pretty nice looking late summer run. My turn came at about 10:30 and boy did he take off! Peelin line like a SOB. I managed to get him turned and eventually had him close. He decided to make a run under a snag near the bank and I thought he was gone for sure. But I was able to give him enough slack to steer him outta there and into the net. Needless to say i was pumped! He was hooked beautifully deep in his mouth. Now I gotta get my own rod and reel and start gearin up for steelhead. It's actually cutitng into my duck hunting a little, i never thought that could happen.

CNL Caught my first steelhead on the Cowlitz. I'm hooked.

A quick photo:

[Blacklab]

Right on! congrats 

[axelfisher]

Great Job Man...I love the charge of a Steelhead....They seem to be far and few but when you hook one, it is all worth it! Congrats!

[Shootmoore]

very nice fish, those steelies are fun to catch for sure.  My new 8 wt just finally arrived yesterday (broke my old rod fishing silvers).  Now have my fingers crossed that it warms up a bit this weekend.  I'm getting soft in my old age.

Just be carefull steelie fishing can be addddictive!

Shootmoore

[tomy salami]

Unless you got more money than Davey Crockett, quit now, while you are ahead. If you really are addicted, this hobby is gonna cost ya.

Once you get serious, keep track of what you spend on chasin em for the year.

I still aint found a way to deduct it on my taxes............yet.

Congrats, you are already leaps and bounds over any high flutin stink/crum fisherman.
 Nice to see pics of real fish.

[snocohunter]

I'm definitely addicted. I've been shopping around a little for some gear of my own. There are so many choices and opinions it's insane. Not sure if i wanna buy new or used. Definitely gonna buy nice stuff though. Can't wait to get back on the water and do it again.

[tomy salami]

It will take years to procure all the gear needed to have the right tools for any situation.

I can only recommend to do tons of homework. Take your time and.......buy once cry once.

Don't go thinkin you need some spendy Loomis gear, either. Plenty of quality for fraction of the price.

Consider ebay......I patrol it daily. Once you know EXACTLY what you are lookin for there, start sniping. If I had to start over, that is how I would go about it. I see exemplary deals there weekly.

Over that years, every steelheader has bought things they thought they needed. Then, we are not so happy with the goods after a few outings. Confer with guys who been doin it a LONG time. Take salesmens advice with a grain of salt. If you do the research, and buy great gear the first time, you will save tons in the long run, by not having to upgrade.

I personally dig vintage gear........it works, can be affordable, and I git attached to me tools. Rod of the year does nothing for me. To each his own....

PM me if you have any Q's. I am not a rocket scientist, but I do know fishin gear.......especially old stuff.

[MtnMuley]

Congrats on your first metalhead!  You think you're addicted now, wait til after a few more

[Dmanmastertracker]

So i've recently been introduced to steelhead fishin' by a buddy of mine who I salmon fish with. He let me borrow one of his rods and we started fishing the Cascade and the Fortson. My first 3-4 trips were unsuccessful, but i was undeterred. We headed down to the Cowlitz on Monday and fished for two days. First day I hooked a fish up near Blue Creek but lost it. After that, I was more focused and anxious than ever. Temps were bitter cold, and we rolled into the hatchery parking lot at about 6:30 with the temperature reading a balmy 9 degrees. I must admit my fingers ended up being colder than they have ever been in my whole life. Joe hooked a fish at about 8 o'clock and landed a pretty nice looking late summer run. My turn came at about 10:30 and boy did he take off! Peelin line like a SOB. I managed to get him turned and eventually had him close. He decided to make a run under a snag near the bank and I thought he was gone for sure. But I was able to give him enough slack to steer him outta there and into the net. Needless to say i was pumped! He was hooked beautifully deep in his mouth. Now I gotta get my own rod and reel and start gearin up for steelhead. It's actually cutitng into my duck hunting a little, i never thought that could happen.

CNL Caught my first steelhead on the Cowlitz. I'm hooked.


 You won't believe this, I caught my first steelhead right at Blue Creek on the Cow myself. Nice metalhead!

A quick photo:

[snocohunter]

Thanks for all the kind words fellas. Hopefully my next fish is a bright chrome winter run! LOL.

Tony, i'm definitely as green as it gets when it comes to gear. I don't mind paying more for quality gear. I've learned that duck hunting and salmon fishing. But I definitely won't be spending $500 on a sage rod anytime soon. I'll most likely be looking used, and now that you've mentioned vintage stuff I might have to shoot you a pm and get some info.

Here's one more pic of me and my buddy/mentor joe and our Tuesday morning catch....

[jordano]

way to go all!!! very nice looking fish!!!

[Thefisherman83]

Good job on the first steelie.  It will now be a life long addiction!!  A suggestion for a good rod for the area if you have the $ is the G. Loomis steelhead series STR 1165c.  Locally made with a lifetime warranty cant go wrong. 

[huntnphool]

Congrats on the nice steel, you are ruined for life now so get ready for it.

[7mmfan]

Good work man, thats a monumental step in the right direction! I don't know how you were fishing but i'm assuming you were drift fishing. Corky and yarn? If you're looking for a new set up look into the Berkley Air IM-7 Rods. get a 9'6" Medium Action spinning or baitcasting model (depending on your preference) and you will have a rod that is capable of handling just about anything you need. PM me if you want to chat about it, i've been a guide for almost 10 years now and might be able to give you some advice.

[BigGoonTuna]

steelhead rods are like shotguns.  they all do the same thing, some of them just look or feel better.

the recommendation for the berkleys is a good one.  they've got all the sensitivity you'd ever need, but they're pretty affordable.  once you get a feel for what you really like, you can buy an expensive rod, as they ARE more satisfying to fish with, but a cheaper one will catch fish every bit as well.