First Steelhead

[JIvers]

I grew up in SE Minnesota, and caught some rainbow back in the day when I still used live bait, but it has been over a decade since I caught a rainbow. The biggest went about 17".

This past week, I was working in southern Michigan. Saturday night and Sunday I was in Lansing, Michigan. I just bought my 2009 Michigan license, and wanted to go out on the Grand River in Lansing Saturday evening, but got rained out.

I got up this AM and fished the Grand. I was thinking more about post-spawn walleye, although I heard people were catching a few steelhead making their run up from Lake Michigan.

I was fishing a crawler in a long eddy below a dam in Lansing, and something hit my bait and ran with it. I set the hook, thinking it was a carp. When I set the hook the fish rolled, and I saw enough to think "that is one strange-looking carp". The fish surfaced a couple more times and I realized I had a steelhead--I had never seen one in the flesh before.

I was using medium-light tackle with 6 lb. test (remember, I was fishing for walleye), and had no net, so getting the fish in took a little bit of finesse. At one point I said out loud "if I lose this fish I might just cry". (I wasn't totally kidding.)

I ended up grabbing it by the lower jaw (and have the gashes on my thumb to show for it ). My first steelhead measured 28". I've heard steelheading is addictive--after this morning, I can see why.

[Scudly]

Congratulations! At 28" that is one heck of a fish, especially only 6lb test. Take any photos?

[JIvers]

Got six or seven photos. I left my digital camera in Iowa, so I had to stop at a convenience store and buy a disposable. It may be a while before I have the roll full, but I'll post some when I have them developed.