04-13-2010, 02:34 PM
What a weekend! First time attempt at steelheading on the Salmon River in Stanley, ID. and it was a blast! We fished Friday and Saturday all day and for a couple hours on Sunday morning.
The fish were eager to play on Friday, but things slowed down some on Saturday and with the storm moving in Sunday morning they went lockjaw.
Between four of us we landed between 40 to 50 fish, with the largest going 30" and the smallest ones were still a solid 24". They ate a variety of different flies, but generally speaking it was egg patterns and large nymph patterns.
I harvested one fish for the smoker (yum!) but all the rest were released to make their way to the hatchery to donate their eggs and milt before being bonked on the head and donated to the Indians and local food drives.
Unfortunately, because of the hydroelectric dams, they can't navigate their way back to the ocean even though they are physically capable of surviving. Those fish ladders only work one way....upstream.
[signature]
The fish were eager to play on Friday, but things slowed down some on Saturday and with the storm moving in Sunday morning they went lockjaw.
Between four of us we landed between 40 to 50 fish, with the largest going 30" and the smallest ones were still a solid 24". They ate a variety of different flies, but generally speaking it was egg patterns and large nymph patterns.
I harvested one fish for the smoker (yum!) but all the rest were released to make their way to the hatchery to donate their eggs and milt before being bonked on the head and donated to the Indians and local food drives.
Unfortunately, because of the hydroelectric dams, they can't navigate their way back to the ocean even though they are physically capable of surviving. Those fish ladders only work one way....upstream.
[signature]