Dry Fly Winter Steelhead On The Comeback- AGAIN

I have had the good fortune to become acquainted with Master rod builder Steve Godshall over the past year when I became the unexpected happy owner of the 16' 7" 7wt Quantum. I have since made periodic trips to his shop in Central Point OR where we have become friends as I just can't get enough of his exquisite work and great company.

Knowing of my love of longer rods after my acquisition of the above mentioned Quantum, Steve recently contacted me to field test a prototype of a unique long rod that he had cooked up from a special blend of components he had on hand. Of course, I can't resist offers like this, so a trip to Central Point was made in short order to get my hands on this special rod. Steve suggested that I cast and fish the rod for a bit and then bring the rod back for finishing when I decided on the final details for the rod.

I have been field testing the rod and absolutely love it. I took it out this evening for further testing and to determine things like what I want the final length of the handle to be.

The river I was on has a very small winter steelhead run so I wasn't expecting any other distractions than pesky trout that kept nipping at my #8 Green Butt Skunk bomber.

As I got to the bottom of the run I was fishing, I was getting into a good rhythm with casting the long rod and an old Delta Long that I cut into a head. As my little bivisi-bomber came through a swing, it wasn't visible in the low light of the evening conditions. I was watching for the nipping splashes of trout when there suddenly came a huge explosion followed by a quick pull of line from my new Dingley Perfect. I gazed in amazed disbelief as I allowed the tiny bomber to swing to the dangle.

I made a couple more follow up casts with the tiny bomber to no avail. I then tied on the #4 Grinch that raised a winter steelhead a couple weeks ago. The larger bug was put in the zone, again with no results. I then decided it was time for a comeback attempt with a wet fly. I remembered that I had a single summer wet fly in my box, a #4 "Bennett's Halo" tied by and gifted from my friend Craig Coover.

The summer wetfly went through the lie and was met with a solid yank and a quick strong pull. As I lifted the rod, tension was lost and I feared that my opportunity was toast with the steelhead definitely feeling some unusual resistance coming from small objects. I continued to allow the wetfly to continue it's swing to the dangle when another solid yank came to the fly.

I could hardly believe the aggressiveness of what I assumed had to be a lost and confused steelhead. Of course, another cast with the wetfly was called for so the summer pattern was swung through the hot zone yet again, but no excitement followed. I was struck with a sense of despair and desperation at that point, but I vow to never give up on a player so another cast was made, this time with a slightly broader angle. At the specified location came a solid pull and definitive antics of a hooked steelhead. Some heavy runs followed along with a single leap which allowed me to catch the view of a slightly colored steelhead in the mid teens range.

I was able to get the steelhead close to me and I was walking it towards the bank where I would have more room to tail it. The steelhead then took off on another run and when I was able to draw it back in, the hook pulled out.  I felt a sting of disappointment with the loss of the hefty steelhead,  but it's camera shy release was better.

It would have been nice to get a photo of that beast of a Unicorn, but at least I got Steve Godshall's prototype baptized in a big way. That Dingley Perfect that I got from my friend Jeremiah Bawden was making a sweet sound as it was Christened with Steve's rod as well.

Just can't believe these spring surface steelhead encounters with hookups on the comeback, they are very rare moments  I have been extremely blessed by these encounters with Unicorns.

Dry Fly Winter Steelhead On The Comeback

My winter steelhead season has been rather uneventful aside from getting into a fiery dry line encounter in mid January. I continue pursuing winter steelhead with a cheerful heart despite continued skunkings as the beauty of rivers is always enough to get me off my butt as a regular wellness activity.

Today was one of my casual, easy going days where my fishing schedule would revolve around my wife's entertainment schedule. We slept in, had breakfast, and I took off for the river after Wendi got settled in for her day's activities. This meant just a few hours of low key steelheading so I drove off to a locale just a few miles away on a river better known for hatchery steelhead, the harvest mentality, and parades of side drifters.

I arrived at the river with tempered expectations considering my slow streak of winter steelhead catching and also in light of the less than optimal swing culture on this river.

Picking out gear is always a dilemma as I tend to have hoarding tendencies, but I settled on a cool setup that I have not used in awhile: Winston 13'3" 7wt Biix, Prewar 3 3/4 Perfect loaded with a Beulah 7/8 510gr Aerohead. I also wanted to further test my modified version of Bruce Kruk's leader system.

As I started at the top of the run , I recalled getting a winter steelhead on a Little Wang in this water in late December a few years ago. Figuring it is late in the winter season and that I had nothing to lose, I tied on a #4 Bivisi-bomber that I call the Grinch with it's bright green theme.

As I got midway down the run, I was fishing over a midstream boulder. As one of my casts reached the soft water on the far side of the boulder, the gaudy bomber swung slowly for a moment before the heavier main currents caught the belly of the line and began accelerating the fly downstream. At that moment, a bulging form appeared with a broadside nudge at the fly in two or three successive rises. It suddenly sunk in, "that was a fish"... The purplish hue of the back and shoulders of the fish suggested that it may be a steelhead that had been in the river for awhile.

I followed with a few more swings with the same fly with no results. I then tried a smaller, blonde bivisi-bomber, still with no results . I decided that my next move would be to try a wet fly. Not having my small summer assortment of comeback wets, I figured to try the smallest Winter's Hope I had which was tied on a 1/0 Tiemco 7999.

The next cast went out with the wet fly, with no setup for depth being made since the steelhead rose to the surface to begin with. The tight line, summer like swing went through the lie with out incident. I contemplated changing back the gaudy bivisi-bomber that raised the steelhead in the first place, but decided to make another cast with the miniature Winter's Hope just in case a slightly different swing might make a difference.

The cast went out with a steeper angle, in hopes of slowing the fly on the swing. I guided and lead the fly through the uneven currents and as the wet fly came into the seam on the far side of the midstream boulder, a solid pull drew things tight with the satisfying sensations of a hooked steelhead.

The modestly sized steelhead gave a spirited tug of war, but admittedly absent the line ripping runs of a steelhead fresh from the ocean. Upon landing the steelhead, it was confirmed that it appeared to be a buck who had gotten around.

So after not catching a steelhead in a while, raising winter steelhead to the surface is still fun, that's all...