Steelhead Pics

[gatortransplant]

A thread devoted to fall chrome! Let's kick this thing off with a monster, aka my first steelhead caught on a fly rod, a little guy who decided to turn casting practice into landing practice (and also informed me I need to learn how to take my own fish photos...)


This is as far out of the water as I let the fish get, and I still feel bad! Also, a better shot of the giant obnoxious streamer the fish decided to gobble up.

[mcnerney]

AJ: Congrats on the great looking steelie! We now have a sticky for forum members to post steelie photos! Thanks again for the great idea!

Larry

[gt05254]

Good for you, A.J.!
Gary

[Vans]

The higher powers requested i repost this here....


Went to the Clackamas river late yesterday morning hoping to catch a steelhead. I was swinging a purple leach and hooked this big boy....




17.5" and a fat 5.5" deep. Really gave my Cabelas 7wt a workout.

General consensus on local forums has it as a big Rainbow trout, from a river that according to info my other half has access to, shouldnt have a resident population of.

It seems that Mrs. Van has other ideas about it. See, she is a fisheries biologist by training and before she moved up into corporate financials she was a senior fisheries person doing salmon, steelhead and trout work that included surveys and habitat restoration. According to her the main stem of the Clackamas river does not have a resident Rainbow population. The feeder streams do however. She thinks that it is a small steelhead. So, tomorrow she is emailing the pic up to a coworker in Seattle who is a trout guy for his input. lol.

It seems my wife is coming to the rescue of my lost first steelhead. lol

I would prefer it a steelhead, but happy that it is a big fish from where it came from. Funny thing is, if i had caught this on one of the coastal rivers it would be a steelhead.

[gatortransplant]

I'll settle this once and for all: steelhead or no, that's a great fish in the net! Quite the shade of purple on the leech its glaring at as well! Nice catch, vans!

[gt05254]

Yikes! Married to a fisheries biologist! Hard to tell tall tales when ya get home or the buddies are over, eh? Nice fish, AND great net for keeping harm to the soon-to-be-released fish down to less than a dull roar.
Gary

[mcnerney]

Vans: I'm no expert at telling the two apart, but as the others have said, either way that is a great catch, Congrats!

Larry

[nockhunter]

I knew it wouldn't be long before we started to see some Steel. We should be seeing a lot more soon. I hope to post some this week. Or some Browns or whatever.

Mike

---------- Post added at 02:09 AM ---------- Previous post was at 02:03 AM ----------



Here is a little guy from this spring.

Mike

[Vans]

Originally Posted by mcnerney

Vans: I'm no expert at telling the two apart, but as the others have said, either way that is a great catch, Congrats!

Larry

Well, surprisingly enough, it is actually a steelhead.

At least according to the people who the state pays to tell them what fish are where. Two Senior level fisheries biologists and one Principal level fisheries biologist from a large international consulting firm say that is definitely a steelhead. There are a number of factors that give them that determination. Also, ODFW claims( through surveys and the like from people the like these) there is not a resident Rainbow population in the main stem of the Clackamas. In its tributaries, yes, but not the main stem.

It is kinda a blessing and a curse at the same time. I would almost it rather be a great big Rainbow than a little bitty Steelhead. lol



BTW, nice fish nockhunter.

[gatortransplant]

Hey, nothing wrong with bitty steelies, that's what I caught too Gotta love the idea of your fishing stories getting vetoed by the mrs., however.