Hey guys! Yesterday morning I achieved the pinnacle of fly fishing success!! I caught a native winter-run steelie on one of my own creations (barbless, of course)
Ok, maybe not the pinnacle of the sport, but a heck of a lot of fun anyway. The fish ran 10+ pounds, not a record by any means. What a thrill, though. The other good thing is that I caught it in the South Fork of the Toutle, a river that was absolutely wiped out in the 80's when Mt. St. Helens erupted. It's good to see wild steelhead making a return to this beautiful river. Absolutely beautiful (rainy, crummy) day. I was planning on fishing for steelhead for a while then giving up and chasing some of the resident cutthroat population. Got the steelhead within the first hour of fishing, so no trout fishing for me! If any of you Washington steelheaders (or Oregon for that matter) have missed out on the South Fork of the Toutle, make sure to fit it in. It's a great river with a ton of access and not too much pressure. Dan Crowe Olympia, WA
