While Visiting Oregon: Goal Accomplished of First Steelhead Caught

I had a client John come from Texas, and he was determined to get a steelhead, and I was determined to get him into one. Two days ago conditions were spot on for steelheading on several rivers, and numbers for the 2012 summer run going over Willamette Falls have been good. Today when we got out there it was a downpour, and we were already dealing with changes in the plan with rising water levels causing us to fish a different river from the original plan. It was supposed to possibly shower on this day, and it ended up being a deluge all day long. John had an awesome attitude about the weather, and the day, and I was really hoping that a chromer would decide to drill his offerings. He fished hard, and fished well, but for the first several spots, we did not have a tug or any sign of a steelhead. We had a funny false alarm when he literally landed the probable state record whitefish that was looking like it was 4-5 pounds. After we fished a bunch of spots, we came upon a dark slot in a patch of heavy water, and John felt chrome life on the end of his line when his fly ran through the spot. The fight was long and arduous, but eventually the chrome bright 10 pounder yeilded to the net. John was stoked! I was stoked! His first summer run of his life, and his first steelhead period (on his first time out trying for them). We accomplished his goal!

Springtime Summer Run Steelhead fresh from the salt....

By the time we took out the river was on the rise in a noticeable way. It was still pounding down with heavy soaking rain, but we were fired up from that beautiful fish John caught. Just proves that you have to be out there to catch them, and even when the conditions are totally against you; good things can happen.