Unfortunately, my steelhead pursuits on the Methow River are dwindling. I've made a handful of trips in the past six weeks but more and more I will be replacing the seat in my truck for the seat in my backhoe. A guy has gotta make a living...
Fortunately, this morning, I was up at 4:00am to chase steelhead. I quickly wiped the sleep out of my eyes, brewed a strong cup of coffee, grabbed some jerky, and was off to Pateras.
In years past, I found myself cursing the heavens at the sight of another person working through one of my favorite pools or riffles. But with time came the understanding that few people know what to do with a fly rod on a river (or lake for that matter). So instead of being angry on this morning, I took a big swig of coffee, and stepped into the river behind the crowd. At the end of the day, the few fisherman I encountered had little effect on my success, and weren't bad for a good laugh either.
A few Methow Steelhead from February:
Steelhead may look more fondly upon your fly if it is tied in the cab of a truck:
After years of trying every technique described in magazines and wispered in fly shops, I have concluded that there is no more effective way to catch steelhead than with a dead drift, jig style, wooley bugger, under a large strike indicator. All though looked down upon by the "purist", those concered with catching large native steelhead, should consider this method.
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