# Steelhead Stories and Pictures



## Chrominator (Oct 11, 2007)

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa


----------



## Walleye Mafia (Jul 16, 2007)

My first steelie Ive ever caught was out on the lake, trolling for walleyes. We hooked it on a dipsey and spoon. We saw the rod start going absoutly crazy and the drag start stripping while it was still in the holder and we realized it probably wasnt a walleye. We had a battle on our hands and finally got it up close to the boat and the dipsey was flying around like a rocket while we were netting it! That would have knocked us out if it would have hit us in the head.  

We also had one, one day completly explode the inside of a trolling reel and we had to drag it in about 50 ft. by hand. That was interesting to say the least. I love hooking into steelies trolling. Now this year I am going to try to get my first *River * fish! Ive been out once, but the conditions werent ideal. My day will come soon I hope!


----------



## jlamson (Oct 18, 2006)

hey fellas hows it going? going good here just glad we got some rain to push some more steelies up the creeks. heres one i thought was a good pic. hope to see others nice catch's, good fishin


----------



## steelheadBob (Jul 6, 2004)

I got this hen out of arcola creek. She smacked a minnow as i was reeling in my float. I had hooked her way up by the house and she just took off like a bat out of hell,,,,,, down creek that is, and if n e of you ever fished arcola, u know its not a fun thing to do to chae a fish. well needless to say after a brutal 45 min., about 6 smokes, waders filling up with water, scratches all over me from the bushes, stuck in mud about a half dozen times, she finaly gave up. i would never of chased her like that but she poped out of the water just once and she she looked at me and gave me the middle fin, so i said oooohhhhhh its on now [email protected]*ch.


----------



## jlamson (Oct 18, 2006)

ive fished that creek, and i know what ya mean thats a small creek to be chasing that pig, nice fish steelheadbob


----------



## JohnnyN (Oct 9, 2008)

That is a whopper of a hen, steelheadBob!

I don't have a picture, but my best steelhead story is of a time when I was 13, fishing with my dad. My whole life I had just tailed along behind him, doing exactly what he told me, casting where he told me, etc. This is the story of the first time we got to the river and he went one way while I went the other.

To cut straight to the good part (I typed this up as a college application essay once, it was 6 pages long ), I walked around a bend and saw a beautiful little hole, about the size of a VW, behind a big rock in some fast water. I looked into it with the polarized glasses, and I could see a big buck holding behind the rock, all alone. I cast a few times and managed to hook up! Inexperience won the day as he ripped me into the fast water and ended my fight on his first run.

Now I find it hard to express the emotions of the time. It was frustration mixed with the fear of looking like I failed in my Father's eyes (perceived by me of course, my dad wasn't like that). I fished that same hole for a half hour, and threw every bait I had in my bag at this fish. I had to catch it. I lost track of time, fished on my knees in the river crouched down like an animal, but nothing was working. Finally an idea, a memory of my father's voice telling me that the best bait is whatever the fish naturally see in the creek around them every day.

I sneaked up on the bank and flipped over a few rocks until I found this bug. I don't remember what kind of creepy-crawly it was, but I managed to get it on my hook. I tipped it with a maggot, and took off my float. Slowly, I crept about 10 yards out into the river on my knees. I bounced my bait off the rock at the head of the hole, and with rod held high I watched its tip with unblinking eyes.

I hooked the Steelhead on that first cast. After running the river for about 10 minutes I landed him. The size was unimpressive; he was maybe 8 pounds but as colorful as any Ive seen. The important thing though, was that Id gone out alone and come back with a fish. I think back on how proud I was of myself, and how proud my dad was, and I can pinpoint that moment in time as the reason I am still addicted to steelhead fishing today.

In summation, all of you out there with kids, thank you for teaching them and taking them with you to the river. I hope some day I can do the same with my future children.

Not quite 6 pages, but still a long read! Sorry!


----------



## scodoubletizzle (Sep 11, 2008)

Steelheadbob, 
Any measurements? poundage?


----------



## Addiction (Apr 18, 2008)

well this was not my first encounter with a steelhead but was funny as hell how it happened. we were perch fishing out of geneva a couple summers ago and the perch were on fire so anyways i missed a perch so i started reeling as fast as i could get re-bait and get back down there cause i thought i have lost my last minnow on the hit before but i was wrong so i was reeling up as fast as i can and whammm a fish its my hook it was a steelhead about 10 ft down in the water all of a sudden it goes airborn. now picture this i was fishing in the front of the boat and all of a sudden it jumped out of the water and smacked my buddy i was fishing with in the back of the head in the back of the boat! he turned around and had a few choice words for me lol he thought i was messing around and i said i didnt do anything look down in the boat and there was the steelhead flopping around. we laughed the whole rest of the day about it. haha


----------



## jojopro (Oct 9, 2007)

(Reposted from a thread earlier this year)

The '07-'08 steelie season was a great one for me. It was the first season that I fished the run hard, and the first season that I was able to catch steelies with some regularity. Mid season I started fishing with a centerpin and towards the end of the season I started tying some flies. Needless to say I caught the steelie fever bad this season, and I can't wait until Fall to start it all over again.

Here are some of my favorites from this past season.









This was my first steelhead caught on a centerpin.









This was the first steelie I caught on a streamer that I tied. Definitely all the more rewarding to catch a fish on any kind of lure that you make yourself.



























A few nice looking bucks.

Of course, I didn't have my camera with me the day that I caught the coolest looking steelhead. He was about a 26" buck that was black, not just dark grey, but actually black with blood red cheeks and side streaks. That was the only time I ever caught a black and red one like that. 

John


----------



## peple of the perch (Sep 13, 2004)

I caught a steely on my fisrt cast on the first day of the year. It was on a daredevil spoon. I just thought that was pretty near. This occured at thmouth of neff creek.


----------



## steelheadBob (Jul 6, 2004)

scodoubletizzle said:


> Steelheadbob,
> Any measurements? poundage?


34 3/4" and a bit over 14 or 16, i will have to find my jornal from that year. thats the pic i had at the seminar.


----------



## TRIPLE-J (Sep 18, 2006)

my wife and I went out to the lond wall at fairport. We were casting spoons as we always do and I was knelt over retieing my rig after just landing a fish when I here this loud splash. I look out and there's this nice hen busting water every few seconds. I look over and my wifes rod is doubled over and she's looking up at it and bouncing it up and down yelling she has a snag. I laughed and hollered over that her snag was heading for ontario as fast as it can and to get her rod tip up. 10 minutes later her first fish a beautiful 30+ incher was being released. We still laugh about that snag every now and then. Triple-j


----------



## MuskieJim (Apr 11, 2007)

It just so happens that my PB steelhead is probably the best story I have. I took my girlfriend out for the first time steelheading and she was having a ball. The flow was perfect and she landed about 10 fish by noon, so needless to say I was happy. Last year was my first year with a center pin, and I let my float drift aimlessly down the river as I was helping her with a little tangle. By the time I was finished helping her, I had a fish on about 50 yards downstream, and it felt BIG. Took me about 10 minutes to land her on my centerpin, measured 34 inches, a little over 13 pounds! PB chromer to date....


----------



## jlamson (Oct 18, 2006)

nice fish muskie, gotta love fishin in the cold


----------



## dcfisherman (Jul 25, 2008)

ryosapien said:


> caught this beauty saturday morning fishing with buckeye brewer (nice camera) I seriously love this fish more than i could ever love a human baby.


where did you catch it?


----------



## Yanky (May 7, 2008)

i caught my first steelhead tonight at about 3:30am off an unnamed spot on erie. I was usin a rapala x-rap and 6lb mono. Needless to say, while I was targeting walleye, the steel was a pleasant surprise. I actually thought it WAS a walleye till I got it close because it didnt give that huge fight that everyone seems to rant and rave about. Biggest fish I have ever caught  I wish I could have gotten a more proper measurement but I had already had it out of the water for longer than I like and I just wanted to get it back in.


The picture kinda sucks but it was pretty windy tonight and I had a hard time staying still while takin it.


----------



## fishing pole (May 2, 2004)

ryosapien said:


> caught this beauty saturday morning fishing with buckeye brewer (nice camera) I seriously love this fish more than i could ever love a human baby.


 ???????????


----------



## Fishaholic69 (Apr 6, 2007)

my most memerable steelhead catch was prolly my 1st. I went with my cousin and met flytyer at the river. up to this point I had been skunked... I used eggs and indicators always and all day that day and flytyer calls me over and says see this pod of steel. try tying a bugger on and swinging it to um instead of egging it. so I tie on a olive bugger and swing it. no response. so I keep his idea of swinging it in mind and switch to a red/white clouser minnow. I swing it and watch the steel chase it but no bite. cast again and steel chases and ignores. 3rd casts a charm! I get him to chase it a few feet and kill it! I set the hook and the fight is on! I wear him out pretty good and he gives me some runs and a jump and then i ask flytyer to use my net to scoop him up. he tries and the steel does a sneak move and jumps out of it and swims around his leg and takes off. breaks my leader and the steel and clouser are gone like a flash! lol .... I wasn't even mad cause I was hooked from that point on but flytyter felt bad. I say if it wasn't for him I never would of hooked up in the 1st place! after that I went on to catch lots of steelies! I will always thank flytyer for putting me on the right path!


----------

