Expectations & The Mind = The Experience

This is what we all want to see after a long day on the river

I am a pretty "passionate" guy, some might call it intense...regardless I will spend 12 hours on the water with no breaks just trying to figure out a run or riffle (normally it really does not take me that long but I actually have done that)...that second day of my last trip I ended up getting skunked again( you've probably already read that...get over it), I put an indicator on for about an hour and got so pissed off and bored with staring at that thing that I said fuck it and put on the heaviest sink tip I had and the biggest baddest fly and started fishing every piece of water I could…I got so into it I was more entertained watching my fly in the water than staring at that damn bobber...sure indicator fishing is extremely effective, especially when you’ve got a bunch of stale fish that have been watching flies go over their head for the last 5 months…but is it really about just catching a ton of fish? To some it is. Some folks would be pissed to have driven 5 hours to a river to not catch a fish for two days...but me, I’ve gotten over that. As a Steelhead fisherman you shouldn’t focus on catching fish, you focus on how you fish...by that I mean: what your fly is doing, reading water and putting your fly down where the fish are (if a fish wants to eat your fly it will...but it can’t/won’t eat it if you don’t make it look appealing or even put it in front of the fish), making a nice cast and best of all fishing water that challenges you. The best steelhead fisherman I have met are the ones who challenge themselves...and to some this could be as simple as waking up at 5 am and freezing your ass off to be on the water at first light or fishing from areas that are tough to fish from.. like the banks that most folks can’t cast from or fish the water that requires some thought and set up to present your fly properly to the fish..’dont get stuck in the "Down and Across" mentality. Sure there is water that you can fish that way but you are going to limit yourself and miss out on a ton of sweet little tanks that could have a big fresh hog waiting to woof down your fur and feathers... with the traditional wet fly swing (down and across) technique you can also enjoy the scenery and just kinda wait and see what happens but what’s that going to teach you? OR you work for the fish and try new techniques. Even the most seasoned Steelhead anglers still draw a blank when it comes to Steelhead behavior. The fish are like humans...they are all unique and to generalize and put them all in one big box is to limit yourself as a person and as an angler. Try things for yourself. There is a lot of bullshit out there these days and its up to you to test it for yourself and find out what’s true for you.  And as a hunter, if your not hunting for those fish then you might as well go to the SF casting ponds and go "fish" there... if you can’t go a day without hooking a fish (or a week for that matter) than winter Steelheading isn’t for you...especially in California. If you need instant gratification then you should book a trip up to Alaska (don't get me wrong...Alaska is bad ass, Big fish...and depending on where you go getting skunked is ALWAYS a possibility)..But im talking about the folks who make one trip a year and catch 30 fish a day..sure thats epic, who wouldn't want to do that...but what do you learn, and can you tie a plastic bead?...didn't think so.... I personally enjoy the skunk. Sure it frustrates me but that frustration turns into curiosity and that curiosity then pushes me to seek out answers or solutions, and when I do finally break that skunk and figure it out…well those are the moments that I live for. 


Disclaimer- Not trying to talk shit on fishing with beads- just putting my experience in perspective, when the fish in AK are mowing on eggs then all you can do is match the hatch, and sometimes that means a bead. I am never trying to put anyone down- just share my own thoughts and feelings as a central CA steelhead angler.