Salmon River Steelhead

With Salmon River steelheading just two hours away who knows why I don't fish steelhead more often but I don't. Without a doubt one reason is of the few times I've tried steelhead for me have been few and way far between...like I don't know diddly. So when Terry called the other day it didn't take much arm twisting to get me packin.

We arrived in Salmon,ID late afternoon so I decided to start my 3-day license next day. Too late to even consider launching the boat Terry headed upstream toward Challis to bank fish a few familiar runs.

Rigging up his gear rod (a typical bait/plug casting outfit)unbelievably (to me) he hooked up first cast. And I might add much to the dismay of a nearby angler who voiced a string of expletives the gist of which being he had been fishing up and down the run all afternoon with nary a bite. Anyway the steelhead turned out to be a wild hen, and as turns out the only "wild" fish we would catch of 20 something in the net over the next two days.

Later back at camp with daylight fast disappearing he again hooked up but this one slipped the hook before we could get it in the net...Not a bad start considering we talked to several anglers and the consensus was the recent fishing pretty much sucked.

Not for us. Over the next two days we floated two different sections of the Salmon and our catch rate was an astounding (to me) one hook up about every 30 minutes! And on fly gear no less. In two days we saw only four others casting fly rods, all the rest were using gear rods one way or the other. If any of the many anglers we ran into (Terry not only "KNOWS" steelhead he seems to know just about everyone on the river)were having similiar luck they sure weren't bragging...We of course didn't either, replying "doin ok" to any inquiries.

Anyway when day three dawned nasty we agreed it couldn't get much better and decided to bag it. Thanks to a great coach who shared more tricks than I might have learned on my own in several seasons now that I think I can I no doubt will more often...And with a little luck who knows I might just put a few in the net left to my own devices.