First on a dry

**phearless** · June 9th, 2007, 04:26 PM

I still remember the first summer steelhead I hooked on a dry fly.
It was the summer of '85.
Coquihalla River.
Harry Lemire's Greased Liner.
This fish took my fly in a viscious boil and I did the normal newbie thing and pulled the fly out of it's mouth. All it got was a mouth full of deer hair.
This was back when I still smoked and I figured that was a good time to have a butt. So I tie on a new fly, with the whole wing, grease it up and continue fishing hoping I hadn't stung the fish and that it was still aggressive. A couple of casts later I had a fry come up and try to eat my fly. It was very funny as the fly was bigger than the fish and he actually landed on top of it and had to flip back in the river.
One last drag on the smoke and holy crap a steelhead is charging after my fly at the end of the swing in 8 inches of water. About the time he turned and I set the hook, I also sucked my smoke into my mouth. Ouch, nice blister on my lips. Well two runs and three jumps later that steelhead and I parted company.
That was the start of a lifelong appreciation and somewhat of an obbsession with steelhead.
Now That I own way too many books on steelhead.
I have built rods for them.
Bought trucks to drive to their rivers.
Guided for them for a season.
Tied flies for them.
I still can't get them out of my head.
Better than meth. ( No, really )
Anybody else like summer steelies?

**younggun** · June 22nd, 2007, 01:58 AM

Fist encounter with a steely was on the capilano, of all rivers!

I've fished for them on the thompson a few times, and tried the Chehalis but nothing fought with intesity of that fish, i was using a 6wt and i was fishing a favourite canyon pool of mine for coho, i had just tied on a fresh rolled muddler and it was really making a wake becuase the fly hadn't drowned yet and it was just in the surface film. I had just finished my drift and was stripping it in from the tail out. I see a shadow following the fly so i let it fall back and give it a twitch. Waam! This fish hammers the fly and i have it do 2 jumps and then back to the tug of war battle. He takes off down the river down the rapids and into the next run so had to wade down the rapids to the head of the 8ft deep run, standing on a rock i had no more room to go, i was in my old pair of Nike Airs so i didn't have alot of foot hold either. I managed to reel in all the backin and fly line and i get this fish next to me, and time froze it was literally the best moment of my life. I couldn't believe that i had just landed this fish. To make it even better when u think about it, my first steelhead was a summer run, hooked on a dry fly and landed on a 6wt and caught in a river that has mabey 10 summer run fish returning every year. what are the odds, that first fish had me hooked, and i still am just as addicted as i was the very day. i remember it like it was just yesterday. It wasn't a big fish 8lbs but by far the best fighting fish that i have every hooked, Its undescribable. I wish i could relive the moment over and over.

**phearless** · June 24th, 2007, 11:04 PM

Nobody else remember their first time?

**patches** · July 14th, 2007, 11:20 AM

my first west coast summer run on a dry was bear fall -marble river after 2 weeks of missed takes and fish on the wet fly, i was very frustrated. as the last few casts of the trip war on i slammed my steelhead bee down on the surface at my feet and swore a few times ,only to look up and were my fly had been now was only a boil .......fish on and a very nice end to a summer run camp for another year.