So Begins Steelhead Fever

So Begins Steelhead Fever

Fresh Steelie
Steelhead Trout an Object of Extreme Fever

 

The experience of bringing an adult steelie to hand with my fly rod was so overwheming it was as if I was caught in the throes of an extreme ailment not unlike a fever. In order to quench the malaise, an angler just has to go fishing, right? Otherwise how could I shake the sleepless nights, or the constant thinking of when and where to go next? How could I find the money for more gear. and when will I stop getting the sweats? Almost as bad as the beginning of a love affair!

Too hot to register
Phew !!

Well I did all of those things and more trying to recapture the euphoria of hooking another steelie on my fly rod. But do you know what? I wouldn’t bring another steelhead to hand by fly casting for a very long time. I did manage to catch plenty of other smaller trout, and some of them were quite lovely, but the raw thrill of a steelhead would elude me.

What to Do?

 I did catch more steelhead, and began to be pretty knowledgeable about how and where they would be, but hooked by a fly just couldn’t make it. I would bait cast when the frustration set in. I always had two outfits with me and resorted to the spin reel set up. I found worms, sand shrimp, and roe would always get results. Then my dad sent me these thingys made by a friend of his at work called Glo Bugs.

The Glo Bugs worked great with pretty much any color in the assortment dad sent. I even tried to use them with the fly casting outfit, but the darn little yarn thingys wouldn’t get down deep enough. As a matter of fact the thingys actually floated on the top. I was pretty certain the Glo Bugs needed to get down, so I just drifted them with lead. I tried putting shot on my fly leader too, but only succeeded in bonking myself in the back of the head with it! “*$@*” was a topic of foul air when this happened!

At least my steelhead fever was quieted down from using other angling techniques, and I really began studying the fish I was pursuing. This course of study lead me back to the salmon fishing I did with my dad earlier in life. The rivers I was fishing has a run of salmonid called a Silver. In some other areas these same salmon are called Coho. These salmon were much different than the Chinook salmon I had caught on the Sacramento, and Trinity rivers. These fish traveled in a large school that was in one spot one day, and then gone a couple days after. I learned to chase them up river.

Difference between steelhead trout and Coho salmon.

Identification points for this fish
How to tell a Coho from a steelhead

The first year I tried to follow the silvers up the Sandy river in Oregon, I lost them after about a week. No matter where I went on the Sandy could I find them, and none of the other guys would say anything. They had major lockjaw. The second year was different, because I spent the time to study the watershed, and found a tributary to the Sandy. The salmon went up that creek to the hatchery they were spawned in.

That is all for now, but I will follow this with a little more of the Silvers, and an introduction of the Deschutes River Redsides trout in a few days. Stay tuned for more whopper stories here at Ketchinnee.

Mr Hook

 

3 thoughts on “So Begins Steelhead Fever

  1. ooohhh, pictures and motocons, will we be able to upload our own shots of fish and what not, that would be cool need a photo gallery or something like that where we can share pics and vids, cameras loaded with shots of little portagee with giant salmonoids, heheehehee

  2. blackend steelie tacos :
    Frist thing is you have to catch a steelie, this dish cannot be properly enjoyed with anything less than still wiggling trout, I enjoy the half-pounder variety for this dish. Fillet, debone and skin (if you dont like to eat this part of the fish ) liberally coat fillet with your favorite concoction of blackening seasoning mix, there are serveral premixed or mix your own variations out there. experiment with the seasoning till you get it the way you like it, then its as easy as biulding a fire and chopping some fresh cabbage, cilantro, onions, grate some cheese and open some fresh made salsa, now the fire should be just about right to cook on so take your favorite camp skilletand get it smoken hot on that bed of coals add a little oil (grape seed takes the most heat without smoking) throw the fish in and let it go till the seasoning forms a blackend crust, two to three mins. on each side, warm some tortillas melt a little butter over the freshly cooked fish and build a taco, mmmmm. Now if your pan is’nt hot enough you wont get the full flavor profile of a truely delicous blackend fish, so dont be afraid to burn that fish a little around the edges, thats where the flavor is. A squeeze of lime or lemon will also go nicely here. I tend to do all my preping at home and just take everything with me on my favorite steelie runs, seems like no matter how good the fishing is theres always time and oppertunity for some really tasty tacos ….. Quit wishen go fishen

    1. Just thought I’d put the ingredients for my blackening seasoning mix: this is a 3to1 ratio blend
      3 parts paparika
      1 part each: cyanne, oregeno, thyme, galic powder, black pepper
      and salt to taste
      this blend is good for all kinds blackening preperations, and these tacos could be made with a multitude of fish spieces… enjoy
      This is a blend we used on burgers in baja last year and it was really good too!!!
      1 tbs paparika
      1 tbs garlic powder
      2 tsp crushed dry tyhme
      1 tsp oregeno
      1-2 tsp lemon pepper
      1 tsp salt
      1/2 to 1 tsp cyanne
      1/2 to 1 tsp pepper

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