The Troutist Steelhead
Steelhead guide Zach Larsen heads up the Chehalis River in search of the first fish of the day.
appy New Year! It's now 2014 and every-
one gets a chance to start fresh. I usually
have my schedule set a year in advance,
but this year I am going to shoot from the hip
and let the chips fall where they may. I do know
that I will be at the Puyallup Sportsman Show
working the Mack's Lure Booth at least one day,
the Portland Show I believe I will be working
the Izorline booth for a day. I always enjoy these
events mainly because it gives me an opportunity
to visit with old friends in the industry and see
some folks I haven't seen for years. Combine that
with making some
new friends makes
these events even
better. I will also be
having some of my
work in the Salmon
Trout Steelheader
magazine; it is al-
e ways a pleasure to
work with Nick Am-
ato. I am working on
the rough draft that
will be coming out
in the April edition.
STS has been in
the newsstands for
many years and is
considered to be the
cream of the crop
when it comes to
angling magazines
plus they have an
excellent reputation
for taking care of
By Uncle Wes : their writers, which
makes it even more
1 b g
Ma m er . exciting.
Winter steelhead
are showing up in
our Northwest riv-
ers. Even though
the water is low and clear there are some nice
catches being reported. Winter steelhead are the
most sought-after fish in the Northwest, so folks
travel from around the country just for the op-
portunity to hook up with one. The sheer majes-
tic beauty, their acrobatics, and the battle that
ensues after you hook-up is epic. Bringing one of
these beauty's to hand is definitely a photo op-
portunity, with many of them
weighing up into the upper
teens and larger. These fish
are legendary for throwing the
hook and swimming off. You
will probably hear more stories
of the one that got away than
any other species here in the
Northwest. Every year I hear
the same question "Where do I
learn how to angle for them?"
It can be very confusing with so
many different set-ups, lures,
bait, rods, reels and methods to
catch them.
My first suggestion is to at-
tend seminars, book guided
trips with reputable guides,
watch DVDs on the methods
you are interested in, Amato
Publications has several that
are top -notch, or read up on
the subject and go with the
trial-and-error program. If you
choose the latter, this method
can become quite expensive and
time consuming. Save yourself
some money and book a guide,
then you will have a clue about
which method you want to ex-
plore and learn about. I have
found one site online that is
very informative and covers A
to Z in the basics, and that is
the Steelhead University page
..eehe.ad_u_aiy_e.ai.t.c..a it is
worth checking out. I plan on
making several outings this
year as soon as I can shake this
cold that just keeps hanging
on. Take my word for it, once
you hook-up and land your first steelhead, you
will get the dreaded steelhead virus. The only
cure is to catch more of them. So until next time
may your next "trout be your trophy mount.
Steelhead anglers will be on the prowl for chrome fish
like the one Zach Larsen caught.
Mason County Journal - Thursday, Jan. 2, 2014 - Page C-7
I
