Creating an Addict...

I'm not going to lie, I miss having a nice pool of friends to fish with. I had that in Spokane, though in truth they were also mentors to me on the water (and in life). I've since become somewhat competent on the water (when chasing trout) and I've begun to share my passion for fly fishing with others.

I've taken my Dad out a few times and though we never put up big numbers of fish, we've had a great time on the water. Aside from my Dad I have a few good friends who I fish with now and recently I've gotten my brother back on the water.

This past week, it was his first fly fishing experience.

A sixty degree day in Central Oregon greeted us, as did about a hundred other anglers on a six mile stretch of the Crooked River...

Needless to say, my brother caught his first fish on the fly (a camera shy Whitefish) and he managed to drink all the bourbon. I was particularly impressed with his methodical approach to nymphing runs. The kid just might be a natural once he gets his casting down pat.

After many hours on the water, we packed up and hit the road bound for Bend, hungry and thirsty. IPAs and a warm meal?! Yes please!

I hope this trip is the first of many. I may have gotten my brother hooked. Pun intended.

Take Your Brother Fishing Day...

Okay. So lately, life has been crazy.

I think I've traveled more for work in the past month than I did all summer while exploring western Montana.

I needed a break. And so did my brother.

We used to fish together as kids and teenagers. Canyon Creek trout, Battle Ground lake exploration, and even some random trips up the the North Fork Lewis River to attempt to catch steelhead from shore.

Today, we floated a local river instead... my brother held a fishing rod for the first time in nearly a decade. I prospected with nymphs, the spey rod, and even had some fun with a spinning rod again. The fishing was good early, but the catching was poor...

And then this happened.

My brother hooked his first steelhead. And right from the start, we could tell that it was special.

The fish took run after run. My brother took his time though, listened to the sound advice of our fishing partner, and after nearly ten minutes we had the fish to shore.

Well into the teens as far as weight goes, this native Winter Steelhead is the fish of a lifetime for many. But for my brother, it's just his first. We told him that this fish is as good as it gets. After taking a few respectful pictures, the fish was ready to go. Fully recovered from the long fight, it darted back to its holding spot, hopefully destined to spawn another generation of impressive native Steelhead.

That same day, I hooked and lost a nice chromer, but I left the river full of joy. Seeing him fight and land, then release such a special fish means more than catching my own. At least that's how I see it.

Now to get him tuned to fishing on the fly...

First Fish on the Spey...

You read it right. I hooked up with fish (read multiple!) on the spey rod for the first time.

In fact, I did the old "hook to mouth" move two times this morning on the 'lama. Heck, the first take on the swung Silvey's Extractor pattern was vicious. Head shakes, a nice flash in the water, line flying off the reel across the river, then nothing. Of course!

Working down the run, I hooked up again. This time, I saw the culprit and he was not exactly pretty. One of those "swimming dead" Chinooks decided to take my fly and he made his presence known with a jump, and several rolls as I landed him. Not yet a moldy mess, but darker than my black SUV, the morbid fish actually "ate" my fly. I figured foul hooked, but I guessed wrong.

After unhooking the nearly dead, and shockingly unclipped (read wild) Chinook, I watched him swim away. First landed fish on the swing/spey. First Chinook (ever), and first salmon on the fly. It wasn't exactly what I was looking for, but I cannot complain.

The rest of my day was spent moving from hole to hole (Red Barn, Weber's, Beginners, The S-Curves, etc) with only practice casting gained. But hey, I can now Perry Poke decently well, and my Double Spey continues to develop. Good stuff out on the 'lama.

Here's to hoping that some Steel will greet me on my next day spent swinging.

First Steel... Uh Oh!

I've long joked that should I get into the Steelhead fishing game, my life would be effectively over. My wife would probably leave me, my dog would disown me, I'd be unemployed, etc.

Well, I've jumped into the game and only the last of my concerns is true (though I'm hoping to hear back about that situation in the very near future).

Let's preface this whole experience.

One. I've never caught a Steelhead. The guy who's spent nearly 75+ days on the water fishing for them as a kid (terminal tackle) never friggin' caught Steelhead. A jack salmon... yes. A crazy Steelhead... no.

Two. I've never truly fly fished for Steelhead and I have a 7 WT custom rod built on a Winston BIIX blank that needed to get some work in.

Enter Sean Visintainer of Silver Bow Fly Shop in Spokane. Sean, knowing that I moved back to the Portland area last week, told me that he may be down in the Gorge fishing the Klickitat for the first time. We kept in touch and when he asked if I wanted to fish with him this week, I jumped on the opportunity.

Meeting this Tuesday on the Klickitat, Sean and I had a quick rendezvous with Tom Larimer of Larimer Outfitters (the fishiest Steelhead dude this side of anywhere) who gave us a rundown of where to fish, what to fish, and how to do it.

It was nice having both Sean and Tom by my side as I hooked my first Steelhead from the bank early Tuesday afternoon. The fish put some real work into my Winston flying across the river doing several acrobatics. Tom calmed me down (I've never been more excited...) and helped me tail and land the native Steelhead which was estimated at 8-9 lbs. After thanking the fish, and Tom for his advice and help, Sean and I fished through the evening before setting up camp.

Tom Larimer helping me land my first Steelhead.

The next day, we floated the Canyon stretch of the Klickitat. I got an impromptu Spey lesson from Sean and nymphed from the boat with my Winston and from the shore with an Echo Switch setup. It definitely took some getting used to but I can see myself rocking a two-hander soon. Sean was experimenting with centerpins and swinging some tasty runs in what is one of the more beautiful river canyons that I've ever seen.

Gorgeous scenery. 

Nearing the final third of the float with no solid takes, we worked some very small buckets and pockets out of the boat. Bingo... I hooked up with a very hot hatchery fish that took us downriver, and did some acrobatics before coming to the net. A sweet little buck (7 lbs) was the reward of the day.

First Hatchery Steelhead. 

My final day on the Klick was bittersweet. Potential work opportunities and the need to still get my stuff in order after moving kept me from staying an extra day out on the water.

Sean and I hit the canyon again and it was wonderful. While fishing was slow to start, we saw a Black bear busting it up a hill side, and despite more fishing pressure (3 boats in front of us), we hooked two fish.

The first was a PIG native Steelhead. The fish jumped out of the air higher than I ever thought possible and Sean estimated the fish as 15 lbs. The fight was tense as we beached the boat and worked down the shoreline. I wanted this fish. It didn't want to cooperate... after a good fight, the line went slack and the fish got away. My 7 wt singlehander got worked. It was like bringing a knife to a gun fight.

I was bummed... really bummed. I've never hooked a fish like that, and to lose it after seeing it... well, it sucked. It's part of the game though, and I play it knowing the consequences.

But redemption was a few bends away. Once again, a tiny pocket proved fortuitous for us. I hooked up another hot fish. Unlike the other Steelhead we hooked, this guy ran upstream on us through heavy water. Next thing you know, I'm halfway through my backing thinking "here we go again."

But the fish was turned just in time, Sean expertly guided me through the fight, and we landed a gorgeous, colored up Native buck Steelhead. I've never been more excited about a fish. The first was great, but this fish was something special.

Admiring the catch of the trip. 

After removing our hook (and someone else's that this guy had lodged into his craw) and taking a few respectful photos we released him to swim away and hopefully fulfill his purpose.

Native Summer Steelhead. 

Despite Sean being a rookie on the Klick (though a Steelhead master in his own right!) we got the job done. Larimer's knowledge that he imparted on us certainly helped, and it was a weekend that I'll never forget.

I know that Steelheading is typically about putting in long hours, many casts, and getting a few, very significant rewards. I suppose that in a sense, I've put in my hours (albeit on gear), and this week was meant to happen. And with Steelhead now on my brain, all I can say is watch out. This guy is now officially in the game.

Small endorsement here... fish with Sean Visintainer. Great guy, great shop owner, and a ton of fun to fish with. www.silverbowflyshop.com (Spokane River, Grande Ronde, N. Idaho Cutthroat Rivers, etc)

Also... Tom Larimer of Larimer Outfitters. www.larimeroutfitters.com (Deschutes, Clackamas, and Hood River)