A Mid Age Crisis, and a Steelheader's Journey

The first stream was the Alsea. Cold and gray. The trees evergreen towering over mossy green covered riverrock. I endured the rain and my cursed luck. It would be what was an eternity, until I had hooked one myself- and banked it myself. No easy task...

The Snelled Hook: One of the strongest knots known, and easy to tie. Note, the "eye" of the hook is backwards from the standard Octopus style steelheaders use, but it doesn't matter-SAME KNOT. I discovered it in my teens. In my 20's I started researching knots and line. And when I had caught more than a few, then I began to cure roe.

Home cured eggs from a winter steelhead. Rigged with a "Lil Corky" float and yarn w/ 1-0 hook. Notice the yarn, it acts as the loop for the eggs. I rig this way because I cure very rubbery eggs and this method drifts naturally for an extended time, as the eggs are cinched in. Time can bridge gaps in knowledge of steelhead haunts and habits. In the days of growing adultdom, I made observations only a scientist or an obsessed beyond belief fisherman could make. I found fish in the eddies and seams of rivers, in the tailouts and pockets, and mostly I just found them. I studied water and flow, geographical science. The color of the water and the speed. I began to think like a steelhead.

Same rig, with a cured prawn. Observe the snell cinched to the eye of the hook, and the "cut" bait. This set-up can be drift fished old style or under a bobber. Salmon and steelhead love 'em.

The methods I have dialed in over the years(obsessive) have lead me to twelve fish days. Once, on the Alsea just below the town of Alsea, my oldest and I hike a half-mile and then back. Ten fish. She asked "Dad, is this normal?" I said "No, it is special. Like you." The following day I went back- this time with my dog, and had much the same fare. But this time a 17 pound buck, still mint bright, tested the 8 pound test as no other had that winter. Which leads me to some tips:

1) Sharp Hooks. Once, while I was instructing a focused and perceptive group of kids and their parents on the virtues of good steelheading, an 8 year old with a mind far beyond mine asked "What is the most important thing about catching one?"

I knew exactly. I told him "Without any doubt, sharp hooks and strong knots." They go hand in hand, and here is why. The sharp hook, sticky so as you fear it's puncture. Fish tend to "mouth" things, I've seen it on video and even seen it live. The first time, I watched a steelhead rise, take a cheese puff(Yes, we were eating cheese puffs),  and then let it go. The most widely used method is the drift rig, consisting of a sinker and leader drifted with the current periodically bouncing the bottom of the stream. Because of this fact, when a fish takes your lure, sharp hooks increase your chances of a successful hook-up.

2) Knots. Into my 40's and I still "lube" my knots. I fish with 8 pound Maxima Ultragreen in the emerald Oregon rivers, and good, strong, reliable knots are a must. Remember to practice, make good wraps, and learn many knots.

The drift gear is tied with a snap swivel, the mainline to one end of the barrel and the leader to the other end. Attach desired weight to snap. As a note, this part is rigged "backwards", meaning the leader gets tied to the opposite end as the snap. The reason being is it prevents twist in your mainline.




The alternative to sinkers, the bobber rig. Here it is rigged with a jig, but you can tie a bobber with the drift gear as well, just substitute the inline weight in the diagram for the snap swiveled rig for drifting and it works in the same manner.

I prefer longer lighter poles and smooth bait caster reels. Because casting lighter weight is such a task, i recommend something pretty nice. Upwards of $100. Preferreably two hundred. The smoother the better and that means bearings. Some have up to a dozen, and I have a Diawa reel that has 7 bearings with a 7 to 1 retrieve. Quick and silky smooth. But nowhere near the best.

And this suits my mid-life crisis fine, bobber rigs require longer, limber poles. And add the terminal aspect of sinkers and leaders, and the bobber is afloat to be mastered. As I get older I tend to (k)not want to tie the 20 or so leaders I brought...so I drift alot of jigs underneath a bobber.1/8th oz to 3/8th work the best. Remember to study water and adjust depth accordingly. When the float is vertical, assuming the jig is in the strike zone, the rig is running correctly.

The following is a link to Grog's Knots, for a clinch knot that you can use for many fishing applications.

http://www.animatedknots.com/improvedclinch/index.php

Good luck! Thank You For Not Littering!

The following I wrote some time back...
https://docs.google.com/file/d/1AFDkSQ30FzAPmJx02RYYfPMwn8ufzLLZONOdeZPRPh-lNFjHJecmdgJl68DY/edit