TR: Monster Steelhead

My son Andy always seems to catch the biggest fish. He's also a
fearless wader. Imagine someone who wades like Warren, but is 6 foot 3
inches tall.

Thursday on the Hoh had been going my way nicely. I hooked 5
steelhead, landed 3 of them clean, kept one hatchery fish, and had a 15
pound fish on long enough to get him up to the rocks twice, but I just
couldn't get a grip on him. He threw the hook after the tecond attempt
to land him. All this while, Andy had a few strikes, but hadn't hooked
up with any, but then it all changed.

We were at the last good hole above the takeout, and I'd worked through
it without a strike. Andy moved in for a few casts, and hooked a beast.
The fish took off down stream past a log jam, so he handed the rod up
to me on the log jam and ran around to take it from me on the other
side. In the process the fish managed to catch the line on a big
spruce tree that was lying in the water. The fish was still on, so
Andy waded out with the rod to pull the line off. The water was deeper
than the top of his waders, so he shipped some water, but floated a bit
and managed to get the line loose. The fish moved downstream, Andy
managed to stay upright and swim back to shore with the rod up and the
fish ripping line out downstream. Once on shore he took off after the
fish and had to cross to an island to get around another log jam.
About 15 minutes later and 300 yards downstream he got the fish onto
the rocks and held it up for me to photograph. I've posted the picture
to ABPF. It's not one of my clearer pictures, but I was across the
river, unwilling to attempt the crossing, so I used the 200mm zoom and
had to shoot at 1/40 second. This is the best shot of 10.

Chas
remove fly fish to reply
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San Juan Pictures at:
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I can have a good day fishing just watching something like that happen......

doggies, I bet he had fun....

john

"Chas Wade" wrote in message
news:qM1Vb.196025$nt4.872805@attbi_s51...
My son Andy always seems to catch the biggest fish. He's also a
fearless wader. Imagine someone who wades like Warren, but is 6 foot 3
inches tall.

Thursday on the Hoh had been going my way nicely. I hooked 5
steelhead, landed 3 of them clean, kept one hatchery fish, and had a 15
pound fish on long enough to get him up to the rocks twice, but I just
couldn't get a grip on him. He threw the hook after the tecond attempt
to land him. All this while, Andy had a few strikes, but hadn't hooked
up with any, but then it all changed.

We were at the last good hole above the takeout, and I'd worked through
it without a strike. Andy moved in for a few casts, and hooked a beast.
The fish took off down stream past a log jam, so he handed the rod up
to me on the log jam and ran around to take it from me on the other
side. In the process the fish managed to catch the line on a big
spruce tree that was lying in the water. The fish was still on, so
Andy waded out with the rod to pull the line off. The water was deeper
than the top of his waders, so he shipped some water, but floated a bit
and managed to get the line loose. The fish moved downstream, Andy
managed to stay upright and swim back to shore with the rod up and the
fish ripping line out downstream. Once on shore he took off after the
fish and had to cross to an island to get around another log jam.
About 15 minutes later and 300 yards downstream he got the fish onto
the rocks and held it up for me to photograph. I've posted the picture
to ABPF. It's not one of my clearer pictures, but I was across the
river, unwilling to attempt the crossing, so I used the 200mm zoom and
had to shoot at 1/40 second. This is the best shot of 10.

Chas
remove fly fish to reply
http://home.comcast.net/~chas.wade/w...ome.html-.html
San Juan Pictures at:
http://home.comcast.net/~chasepike/wsb/index.html

Charles,



The following is a question, not a criticism, about steelhead. I have no
objection at all to killing and eating hatchery fish released into a put and
take fishery or to killing and eating wild fish that are deemed (hopefully
by science-based regulations) to be abundant. Presumably, hatchery fish are
being released into west coast rivers in an attempt to restore or increase
runs that are considered to be in decline. If hatchery fish reproduce in
the wild after their release, as I believe they do, it seems to me to make
just as much sense to release hatchery steelhead as it does to release wild
steelhead. I repeat, this is not a criticism - I am curious as to the
rationale for releasing wild fish but not hatchery fish.



Best regards,



Yuji Sakuma



================================================== ================

"Chas Wade" wrote in message
news:qM1Vb.196025$nt4.872805@attbi_s51...

I've posted the picture
to ABPF.
Its gonna take a big brick to knock that smile off his face. Great report
and awesome picture.
Frank Reid

"Chas Wade" wrote...
snipped nice TR
I've posted the picture
to ABPF. It's not one of my clearer pictures, but I was across the
river, unwilling to attempt the crossing, so I used the 200mm zoom and
had to shoot at 1/40 second. This is the best shot of 10.

There's nothing to apologize for in that shot! What a monster. Thanks, Chas.
--
TL,
Tim
http://css.sbcma.com/timj

Yuji Sakuma wrote:

Presumably, hatchery fish are
being released into west coast rivers in an attempt to restore or increase
runs that are considered to be in decline.

That is the "rationale" advanced by some--mostly by those with a vested
interest in the hatchery business or in the industries destroying
habitats necessary for wild fish--but it's a ruse. The preponderance of
evidence now is that the hatchery fish are just one more threat to the
survival (much less the recovery) of wild fish stocks.

http://www.nativefishsociety.org/docs/Biblio/bib.htm

The real reason hatchery fish are being released into west coast
fisheries is to keep fishermen lulled and happy while the wild fish
disappear. Natural resource management by fait accompli.

If hatchery fish reproduce in
the wild after their release, as I believe they do,

They will, which is why they should be killed before they can.

it seems to me to make
just as much sense to release hatchery steelhead as it does to release wild
steelhead. I repeat, this is not a criticism - I am curious as to the
rationale for releasing wild fish but not hatchery fish.

Wild steelhead (and salmon) are an integral part of what makes the PNW
unique. Hatchery fish are cheap toys that (if they must exist at all)
should be played with, then broken.

JR

Great stuff Chas. Maybe you could post a pic to your site for those of us
who are "abpf challenged".

bruce h

Hello JR,

I am not sure that I understand the reasons for your opposition to trying to
restore disappearing natural runs with hatchery fish. These days, I
understand that hatchery stock, in order to maintain the purity of the gene
pool for a given river, is produced using eggs and milt from wild fish
returning to that river . From what I hear, hatchery fish do have a higher
early mortality than stream bred fish because despite having the same genes,
they will be less well adapted to wild conditions initially. However, if
they do manage to survive say, a year, it seems to me that they should be
the same in every way as stream-bred fish of the same age. Am I missing
something here? Sure, I too would like to see steelhead runs restored by
returning the environment to what it was a couple of centuries ago but let's
face it, that's not going to happen.



Best regards,



Yuji Sakuma



================================================== ===

"JR" wrote in message ...

On Sat, 07 Feb 2004 08:57:58 GMT, Chas Wade
wrote:

so I used the 200mm zoom and
had to shoot at 1/40 second.

That's a steady hand, Chas. Great shot. What kind of lens is it?
--
Charlie...

"bruiser" wrote:
Great stuff Chas. Maybe you could post a pic to your site for those
of us
who are "abpf challenged".


I've posted it on PhotoSig, try this:
http://www.photosig.com/go/photos/view?id=1148371

Let me know if there's any trouble with that, I'll put it on my sight
too later.

Thanks,

Chas
remove fly fish to reply
http://home.comcast.net/~chas.wade/w...ome.html-.html
San Juan Pictures at:
http://home.comcast.net/~chasepike/wsb/index.html