The Travel Thread

[ousdahl]

better!

Well, sorta.

She was a female fish, or a “hen” in steelheader slang. Specifically, a “batshit crazy hen,” as the guide put it, after she took off with my reel screaming and made us chase her a quarter mile downriver.

Steelheading is so tough though. They’re known as the “fish of 10000 casts,” especially on a fly rod (and on a fly I personally tied nbd).

The guide said it was the first fish he’s had a client land so far this season out of 5 trips so far (still the front end of winter steelhead season, but still, 5 trips?!).

My fishing buddy’s who lives in Seattle has still never landed one, he’s kinda butthurt lol sorry not sorry. FWIW I put in several fruitless days with when I lived in Oregon. This is my redemption trip....ta da!

Also we need to break down why the guide actually kinda sucked, but I might take that to the professionalism thread.

In the meantime, I’m starving. Celebratory pizza and beers!

[Deleted User 89]

no pic?

smh

[NewtonHawk11]

Pic or it didn’t happen

[jhawks99]

better!

Well, sorta.

She was a female fish, or a “hen” in steelheader slang. Specifically, a “batshit crazy hen,” as the guide put it, after she took off with my reel screaming and made us chase her a quarter mile downriver.

Steelheading is so tough though. They’re known as the “fish of 10000 casts,” especially on a fly rod (and on a fly I personally tied nbd).

The guide said it was the first fish he’s had a client land so far this season out of 5 trips so far (still the front end of winter steelhead season, but still, 5 trips?!).

My fishing buddy’s who lives in Seattle has still never landed one, he’s kinda butthurt lol sorry not sorry. FWIW I put in several fruitless days with when I lived in Oregon. This is my redemption trip....ta da!

Also we need to break down why the guide actually kinda sucked, but I might take that to the professionalism thread.

In the meantime, I’m starving. Celebratory pizza and beers!

You caught a steelhead and you're eating pizza? Get some alder and smoke that sucker.

[Deleted User 89]

ousie's monster steelhead...

[ousdahl]

Um excuse me?!

I caught a wild steelhead you guys!

You know, that same wild steelhead whose numbers have been steadily declining for decades, that in the state of Washington you can’t keep and aren’t even supposed to remove from the water for so much as a trophy photo.

If it was a hatchery fish (you can tell cuz the adipose fin is removed), I would have totally kept it. You’re encouraged to keep it, even by hardcore conservationists and anglers.

Hatchery fish don’t get as big, don’t fight as strong, are much more prone to disease, some other stuff I can’t even think of right now, and generally muck up the gene pool of an otherwise badass wild fish population. Most everyone wants to get them the eff out of the rivers...except for maybe like if you’re the kind of looser who fishes with bait.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m gonna have a slice of leftover pizza for breakfast, and try to catch another wild steelhead today.

[Deleted User 89]

excuses, excuses...

[ousdahl]

http://wildfishconservancy.org/what-we- ... tchery-faq

[Deleted User 89]

in all seriousness, that must’ve been pretty exhilarating...particularly on your own fly

[TDub]

Natives are a fun fight. Hatcherys are still pretty fiesty sometimes. Never caught one on a fly though.

[ousdahl]

The fedex package got me thinking about my trip again. So many things I wanna discuss!

like how the pnw is the coolest, right? I might legit have to move back.

Also, I don’t mean to pimp the Hoh rainforest, but if you haven’t been, you should put it on your bucket list ASAP.

[MICHHAWK]

I spent the last week in Arizona. Flew in to Phoenix. We stayed in Sedona. Went to Flagstaff. The Grand Canyon. First time in Arizona. It is a magical land. So beautiful.

[jfish26]

Like anywhere else I guess, Arizona has some absolutely amazing things, and some real awful things. I am far from a environmental nut (and am an avid, if bad, golfer), but flying into PHX in the dead of summer and seeing the sprawl dotted with emerald green golf courses makes me uncomfortable.

[ousdahl]

you smashed that post straight down the fairway bro.

crazy to think those golf courses are green cuz of water from the little mountain stream flowing past my house.

[CrimsonNBlue]

Not that you can lump Phoenicians together, which kind of feeds into this, but kind of an odd bunch.

[pdub]

I love the PNW.
Beautiful, green.
Just a lot of misty rain - and Seattle's traffic is a bitch.

[jfish26]

Not that you can lump Phoenicians together, which kind of feeds into this, but kind of an odd bunch.

Yes. The people that are actually from there wish they were really from LA, and of course there's also giant swaths of people who live there who are not from there. It's a weird, impermanent and transient place, and not in the energetic and fun way of NYC or San Francisco.

[TDub]

I love the PNW.
Beautiful, green.
Just a lot of misty rain - and Seattle's traffic is a bitch.

Seattle, tacoma, everett, portland and eugene are awful places. Most of the rest of the pnw is terrific

[Deleted User 89]

ever been to Ashland?

[jfish26]

Anyone have good Hawaii advice?

Specifically, Mrs. Fish and I are locked into arriving in Honolulu on a Friday night and leaving on a Wednesday. Can't change either of those things. No set plans otherwise.