Steelhead and Something Else . . .

[-Marc V-]

Was up on a south shore river of northern Wisconsin for a couple days earlier this week. Was decent weather depending on how you look at it. Half the time it was sunny, and the other half was overcast and a bit chilly, but good for fishing. There definitely are some fish in though.

Last half of sunday when I got there I didn't hook into anything. Sunny and warm. Talked to a few fly anglers that were willing to provide insight to a new steelheader. I give thanks and appreciation to all that helped with pointers. Anyway, I tried stone flies, yarn, and swinging streamers with no results.

The next morning I got out on the river early. Not early enough to beat another angler down to the river. He went down, and I went up river. Used a small beadheaded black stone fly, and had one resident brown on about 7"-8". I half heartely played this fish without care for the catch, and it got off.

Later I went down stream to a nice deep section with a spruce laying in the water parallel to the river on the far bank. I liked how this spot looked. Deep and slow. Started slowly working upstream with a gold beadheaded brown wooly bugger, and felt a thump on the line, lifted the rod, and instinaneously a fish rose from the depths swimming straight towards me. I knew how fast this fish was moving it was not small, and it definitely was not happy! It saw me, turned in mid stream, when I got a nice look at the side of it with it's pink and purple sheen on the top of it's back, Steelhead!! I have not doubt it went better than 26", and probably approached 28" or better. It ran straight toward the other bank, and broke my 8lbs tippet off in short order. I was aghast! Adrenaline running for the next few minutes swearing to myself and everthing in amazement for at least the next 5 minutes. I fumbled through tying on another gold beadheaded brown wooly bugger and continued fishing. Not 10 minutes later I feel another thump. Set the hook, and a fish with girth and thickness I rarely see in a fish appears from the depths. I don't think he knew he was hooked right away and repositioned himself in center stream. I pull up on him, and he makes a lightning fast dash upstream and breaks me off in less than a second of his run! The power that were in these simply blew me away! Later that morning twitching the brown bugger on the botoom produced a 18.5" resident brown. I felt the thud, set the hook, and thought, "Ok, now hang on for the ride", but it didn't do anything. I don't know if it was because I was playing it on an 8wt. but it felt like I was pulling in a log. Don't get me wrong, that's a nice brown by any standards, but after feeling the raw power of the other two fish, this was unimpressive and boring.

Talked with a guy after the two break-off's and asked what pound tippet he uses, which he replied was 12 lbs. Told him I was using 8lbs, and he chuckled and told me it'd be better to go heavier. Made a stop at a Fly Shoppe, and the tippet issue solved with 14.5lbs tippet. Made some adjustments to beef up my leader to handle the new 14lbs tippet, and back to the river I went.

That afternoon I hooked into a rainbow/steelie that went probably around 20". Fought him for quite a while with areial jumps, and all. It was a blast! Tried to work him into shallower water to beach him, but ended up wrapping himself around a stick and made short order of my tippet.

Last morning was pretty brutal. No fish seen, hooked or anything. Was feeling pretty tired from tent sleeping in the colder weather and not sleeping very well. Was feeling a little beat and considered just packing up and going home without fishing the last afternoon. I took a nap in the car, took some gingsen, and forced myself to head out at least the afternoon/dusk before heading home to avoid the coming rain/snow coming that night and next morning. Luckily some clouds moved in, and it seemed primed for fish to be moving.

Stopped down in an area that was recommended, and there were a few other anglers there already. Played hop the pools with them, started to get discouraged, then came to a nice tail out water area that looked good. Still using the bead-headed bugger wobbled through the water, leech-like tinking the bottom, and thunk, set the hook. Steelie! She made a quick run down stream into a tree, and threw the hook. Once again disappointment at what I thought was my last opportunity to land a fish.

Left that area to another I've seen cars at all weekend, except for this time when heading by there was only one car instead of 5, so decided to give it a shot. Went upstream, and saw a spin-fisherman take a fish from a nice pool/tail-out area.

Worked downstream until I found another deep tail-out section and decided this was probably the last area I was going to be able to fish before closing time. Started to work my way up. Got to the head of it without anything. Still some day light so was going to find another spot downstream. Walking down stream along with my fly in the water all of a sudden my fly line gave a jump. Set the hook, nothing there. Thought what was that!? Maybe just a rock, but should cast there again anyway. Drift, drift, thunk, set the hook. Felt something there for a split second, then nothing. Thought "what the %#$%!!!", then I noticed my leader slicing through the water straight towards me, but felt nothing on the rod. Pulled in the slack, closed my legs, and fish on!! I knew this was not a small fish! It had amazing power! Noticed my line wrapped around the bottom of my reel, quickly worked that out while keeping the fish on, then it took line like nothing else straight to the bottom of the pool where it took a jump out of the water. It was a dark colored fish, and it was big! Ran down the riffle/run into the next small pool where I ran downstream after it. Pulling on the fish with good force, but it just would not move! Thought it had snagged me up on something. Gave it another good pull, and it bottled out of the pool, down the next riffle and into some slack water on the side where I ran after it. It was less than 10 feet away, just sitting there. All I could see was it's black silloutte as it was starting to get dark. It was big! A second later it darted to the center of the riffle. I crossed the stream to get a better downstream running lane should it run again. It sat right in the middle of the riffle with me pulling on it with no effect on it whatsoever. Then, pop, the line jumped out of the water, then slack. The hook had popped out! I involuntarily yelled "No!!!!" and was left again with nothing but a straight rod.

What an absolute blast! The absolute raw power these lake-run fish had was mind-blowing! I felt undergunned using an 8wt rod! I hope to make it back soon!

All in all it was a great time. Saw more grouse than I've seen in quite a while, and got to see a couple of them chasing eachother around. Had a deer walk by the opposite bank right in front of me chewing on grass as it went without care or concern of me being there, or casting in front of it.

It was a good time. There are fish in the rivers and streams, and they are strong!

My apologizes for the wordiness, but to explain the sheer excitment that runs through you when hooked into one of these fish is something everyone should experience.

Crawman

[thistlekicker]

nice , man. Great story.

I've had a few of those "NOOOOOO!!!" moments in the south shore twilight myself. If you're anything like me it leaves you a little weak in the knees, but it's those moments that keep me going back.

just curious, how were you fishing those buggers? Were you drifting or swinging 'em? Maybe both?

good on ya!

[DEADhead]

great story Marc! Glad to hear that you got out and had a great time steelheading. I just wish I had the time to do that in the fall....

[-Marc V-]

Quote:

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just curious, how were you fishing those buggers? Were you drifting or swinging 'em? Maybe both?

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Both! Kind of . . . It was kind of a nymph drift while twitching, then end in a swing. I'd quarter cast up, wait til I thought the fly was on the bottom or close, then wabble my rod so the tip would shake about 4" to make the bugger look leech-like. When the fly line quartered on the downstream side, or a little further, I'd let the fly swing. One of the old gents up there gave me a piece of advice to let the flies always swing whether nymphing, or whatever, as sometimes that's when they steelies would take . None did for me, but I did it anyway.

I can't wait to make it back up there. Probably not until spring though.