STEELIES (accept great lakes steelies)

Josh -

Welcome! Which Great Lakes & tribs do you fish?

I've fished the Salmon River, Pulaski (kai not kee) landed a 16 pound 3 oz buck on a nameless branch of the main river downstream from the mouth of Orwell Crk. almost 20 yrs ago. Then a 12# hen at the Trestle, same day.

I moved out to Seattle a couple years later and chased them in their native waters for 12 years. Some of them came from Skamania County Washington, where the great lakes summer runs get their name. Rivers like the Wind and Washougal should be getting some chromers entering from the Columbia every day now out there.

I've also been to Muskegon on business, didn't get to fish but I was impressed with Lake Michigan and the rivers in the area. I'd like to get to Huron someday as well.

Were you nymphing or swinging a wet fly over them?

i was actually not using either i was using streamers pissin the monsters off to get them to bite. i got 2 bucks and a hen i was kind of sad cause the hen i got was the 28" and it completely swallowed the fly. I tried to release it i didnt even take it out of the water i feel soo bad when a fish dies because of me but i took it home and gave it to my friend who smoked it up. it was almost done didnt have much eggs left in her but still. i should have hit it faster i saw her hit it when i let it swing in front of her face but i hesitated and she got it right in the gill.
josh

Sounds like you have some great home waters there, Josh.

You can't let 'em all go, sensible harvest is part of fishing. It's better to fully utilize a fish that is hurt than to pretend it's going to survive, glad you put the hen in the smoker.

I have heard that the Erie fishery has exploded over the last several years, both in the lake (walleye, etc) and in the tribs.

I'm glad the Great Lakes are on a road to recovery, what a natural resource they are.

I know you have to keep some but i still hate to kill such a beutiful animal. it is quite humorous in that i hunt and fish and yet i dont like to kill animals. lol. About the lakes being better i dont know at least in this stream i was talking to a really old TU guy that day who said that about 10 years ago you had to just about walk over steelies to get across the stream but this is quite all right for me as it is now!

Josh

PS if you have any tips on how else to get a steelie to take a fly and what flies to use i would be very much obliged. Those are the first steelies ive ever gotten on a fly i always resort to a noodle rod when i cant get a fish to bite at least i used to not any more. but at 16 i have to keep my interest some how. lol.

just an update i got 2 more steelies and had 4 others on the got off. one got off because i was on the opposite side of a huge log jam and the roots of a tree where down there and i was sitting on a log surrounded by 6 feet of water so i couldnt just jump in the water a fight the fish so he got in the branches i let all tension off but he still broke it. =( the fish where loving the rainbow pattern streamer i was tossing to them i couldnt beleive it i was having 4 or 5 fish follow it up constantly. in the one hole i was fishing in i have never seen anything like it i saw 22 steelies all over 18 inches. i think that some of the fish are just rainbows because of the coloration and size ther are a lot of 14 to 16 inchers that look completely different i got one that was 23 that didnt look like a steelie.

Josh

They could be lake-run rainbows, in any case it sure sounds like you are having some fun! For a 16yr old you seem to have it figured out pretty good. Keep at it, I enjoy reading the reports.

Well i didnt go but my brother went out and got 2 more steelies same place. But he cheats he uses spinners. He said he thinks he had a big brown on but ive never seen a brown in that stream.