Stick To It.

Unfortunately it always takes hooking a steelhead to remind me the most important part of catching steelhead on a surface fly, is to have your fly in the water.  This morning I fished for two hours. One hour I could actually see what I was doing.  In a part of the run where my casts start falling apart and the wading gets tough I managed to push the little run to it's limits and hooked into a nice bright hatchery steelhead on a riffle hitched steelhead cadis hybrid I put together.

I have been starting to doubt my ability to hook fish lately.  There had to be something I was doing wrong.  But no, it was just a matter of sticking to it.  So just remember the cure for going fish less it to keep swinging, or waking that fly.

7-28-18

Fishing During Low Number Years

It has been a couple of tough years for our beloved steelhead. I have mostly been fly fishing for trout, because of the low steelhead counts. I do not think I swung for steel more than once, or twice last year.

I decided to purchase a trout switch rod last year.  This way I can still skate, or swing as if I am steelhead fishing, but still enjoy the fight of any trout I may hook. I have been loving it.

This year the counts are up a little, but still not real reliable numbers. So I still have mostly used the trout switch rod.

The reward of getting out and skating with my four weight finally paid off for a steelhead. I halfheartedly followed in a run behind my friend, Tod Hirano. I figured if there were any steelhead were in the run Todd would have vacuumed them. Todd covers runs with such grace and efficiency, I just could not imagine a steelhead not pouncing on his fly. I did hope to at least raise a trout, or two.
So I was pleased when a nice splashy rise came up on my skating Muddler. And then I was equally pleased when that nice splashy rise belonged to a strong shouldered steelhead hen.

I do not raise lots of steelhead, which helps keep the experience speacial. Once again I was reminded, when I force myself to get out good things may happen. More good things happen than what will happen if I stay home and lament the small run sizes. In this case I added to my list of steelhead firsts. Before this I had never hooked a steelhead behind another angler. This experience will help my confidence in the future when I am the second angler in a run.