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I was doing some organizing and I ran across some photographs from out west so I thought I would post a few. Ya know, kind of get a vicarious fix.... I am sure you are as anxious as I am to get out and chase some of the sleek sided beauties. The photos bring back some great memories of some great people and some really great fish....
This first shot is my first fly caught Steelhead over 20 pounds. A nice buck from the Solduc River, on the Olympic Peninsula in Washington. Actually all the shots, except one, are from the Olympic Peninsula Rivers. The day I got this one, I was fishing with friends Bob Pigott and Marty Sherman. It was hooked in the right water, a long flat about 400 yards so I had plenty of room to play him. He only got into the backing once.
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24 1/2 lb Solduc River Buck...
The next shot is also from the Solduc River. Julie got this one on a Tadpolly. It was a real dandy, 41 plus inches and over 25 pounds. Julie was mentioning that she would get a replica made but I do not know if she did. Last time I talked with her, she said she had this picture on the table next to her bed.....
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Julie and her 41 inch plus Steelhead....
This is a 38 inch Buck from the Hoh River. It was one of those great Winter Steelhead days, wind, mixed rain and snow, and a few Steelhead willing to take a fly.... This one was kind of unique in that he wrapped up in the leader and I was able lot beach him in a hurry. Otherwise, he would have taken off down the rapids and we would have had to chase him a ways.
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38 inch Hoh River Buck....
Quite often in late October in Eastern Washington you get some really great days where you can get by with just a t-shirt. Of course in the morning you need a coat. This Steelhead came to a Purple Muddler Minnow fished on the surface. A great take and tremendous fight. The surface just explodes when you can get one of these babies to come up to a fly. The hardest part is waiting til you feel the weight of the fish when they take. If you don't you will pull the fly out of their mouth.....
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Grand Ronde River Dry Fly Steelhead
The Solduc River was one of the rivers I fished a lot when I lived out West. It is a class 3 river so it has a mix of different water types. In places it is pretty steep and rocky, other places, somewhat placid. The river eats a lot of boats every year as people get on it thinking they can handle the water and find out too late that they can't. The steepness of the river and its heavy current plus its headwaters in Olympic National Park, makes for some pretty healthy fish......
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Aother Solduc beauty...
The last shot is from the Hoh River. The Hoh is a classic Fly Fisherman's Steelhead river. Lots of long gravel bars and soft edges and seams. I fished it more than any other river when it was fishable. Trouble is it has so many claybanks and sidestreams that more often than not, it is too dirty to fish. When it is in shape it can be great. Like a lot of the other rivers in the area it can be empty of fish at times......
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John and Krista with her fly caught steelhead...
Hope you enjoyed the pictures. I enjoy looking at them and thinking about some of the days out West. It helps to get me in the mood for the fishing around here. At least here you don't have to worry about nets, or seals and sea lions at the river mouths and storms washing the rivers out. Sometimes we think it is crowded on the rivers here but I remember one weekend when there were 127 drift boats on one stretch of the Bogachiel River...... About a 7 mile stretch.
Well, that's about all I have for now. I am going to be out for the next few days so I will post something in the near future. If you are looking for a trip for Spring Steelhead, Steve and I still have a few open dates. Call the shop and check the calendar.
Regards,
Herb
This first shot is my first fly caught Steelhead over 20 pounds. A nice buck from the Solduc River, on the Olympic Peninsula in Washington. Actually all the shots, except one, are from the Olympic Peninsula Rivers. The day I got this one, I was fishing with friends Bob Pigott and Marty Sherman. It was hooked in the right water, a long flat about 400 yards so I had plenty of room to play him. He only got into the backing once.
24 1/2 lb Solduc River Buck...
The next shot is also from the Solduc River. Julie got this one on a Tadpolly. It was a real dandy, 41 plus inches and over 25 pounds. Julie was mentioning that she would get a replica made but I do not know if she did. Last time I talked with her, she said she had this picture on the table next to her bed.....
This is a 38 inch Buck from the Hoh River. It was one of those great Winter Steelhead days, wind, mixed rain and snow, and a few Steelhead willing to take a fly.... This one was kind of unique in that he wrapped up in the leader and I was able lot beach him in a hurry. Otherwise, he would have taken off down the rapids and we would have had to chase him a ways.
Quite often in late October in Eastern Washington you get some really great days where you can get by with just a t-shirt. Of course in the morning you need a coat. This Steelhead came to a Purple Muddler Minnow fished on the surface. A great take and tremendous fight. The surface just explodes when you can get one of these babies to come up to a fly. The hardest part is waiting til you feel the weight of the fish when they take. If you don't you will pull the fly out of their mouth.....
The Solduc River was one of the rivers I fished a lot when I lived out West. It is a class 3 river so it has a mix of different water types. In places it is pretty steep and rocky, other places, somewhat placid. The river eats a lot of boats every year as people get on it thinking they can handle the water and find out too late that they can't. The steepness of the river and its heavy current plus its headwaters in Olympic National Park, makes for some pretty healthy fish......
The last shot is from the Hoh River. The Hoh is a classic Fly Fisherman's Steelhead river. Lots of long gravel bars and soft edges and seams. I fished it more than any other river when it was fishable. Trouble is it has so many claybanks and sidestreams that more often than not, it is too dirty to fish. When it is in shape it can be great. Like a lot of the other rivers in the area it can be empty of fish at times......
Hope you enjoyed the pictures. I enjoy looking at them and thinking about some of the days out West. It helps to get me in the mood for the fishing around here. At least here you don't have to worry about nets, or seals and sea lions at the river mouths and storms washing the rivers out. Sometimes we think it is crowded on the rivers here but I remember one weekend when there were 127 drift boats on one stretch of the Bogachiel River...... About a 7 mile stretch.
Well, that's about all I have for now. I am going to be out for the next few days so I will post something in the near future. If you are looking for a trip for Spring Steelhead, Steve and I still have a few open dates. Call the shop and check the calendar.
Regards,
Herb
