Steelheading Spring 2014 - Part 2

I just finished up the last little bit of steelheading over my holidays and I must say that I had an absolute blast. I lucked out with water levels and conditions after a hard dumping of rain earlier in the week. I could not have had a better week and wanted to share a few pictures and a bit of information with those who follow the blog.

Articulated Bunny Leechs

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On this day I hit two fish and managed to land one. The first tug of the day came on a black bunny leech and was only on for a very short time before the hook came launching back at my head. This second fish took the same fly on the swing, low and slow with a 10ft section of T-14 as a tip. She was in good condition but looked to be dropping back from spawning.

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This day the conditions were PERFECT and I managed to hit 4 fish in total and land 2 of them. The first was a nice little male drop back who took a copper and brown fish taco variant on the swing...HARD. My second fish came on a crayfish pattern that I actually tied and intended to use for carp fishing. Low and slow yet again. Nice average sized female drop back.

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This just goes to show quality over quantity. This fish was not only the biggest I have caught to date as far as steelhead go, but also the freshest. I swung flies all day without any luck and choose to try out some nymphing. I hooked this beautiful fresh fish and knew right away she was something special. After a long winded fight and some help from a friend to land her I got a quick picture and released her back on the way to find an area to spawn. This was an amazing way to end a week long binge of steelheading and I have to say thank you again to all my friends who I fished with over this time. I have learned a lot over this week and feel that I am finally starting to dial things in with catching fish on the swing.

In the near future I may do a step by step guide so I can share some patterns with you all that clearly are effective and work wonders.

For now I will be taking notes, contemplating and looking back fondly on steelhead fest 2014!