First post, lurking for a year (plus steelhead pics)

[JohnR]

Hey yawl,

Figured introduction was overdue... reached the ripe age of 50 recently and have been getting back into fly fishing over the past year.

Last December I had a religious experience with steelhead on the west side of Vancouver Island (near Port Renfrew)... after a hellacious fall-on-my-face hike into the bowels of a pristine canyon I caught six SH between 25 and 35 inches. One of the best days of my life, you shoulda been there, etc... way to bust my steelhead cherry! I was using my 8wt sink tip with streamers, and also tried my Canadian (eh!) buddy's centerpin rod with a sacrilegious pink worm. That centerpin gear is deadly to the point of cheating (but it's not a fly rod).

25 inches!
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/G0aXzgeHeN7AmeR6zJHcCHhOUaCWjScKzKlTH-T4ON3BfEY_bbJ46MO41NjudSTCYZtu9MZbEuwnNUWvdbKqVKXO C-SgYXJtStr2aunQXpk7zsltQJpB4dCm2Oy6I61O1xHaayoyyjli F-QsqH7dx7xCPL0wPtFYBOpWmAMJfMLlims6ip5Y9AJp1XiE1JNf eZ4x6DCSDYKA6us8a1h1X9BDIU_6B5evPNMCQ774CQrZSWpdki 183cY9oyczSXTpS0vAOJ77FJsvKYb5t19d8P87DaeHeadPEtX8 AsRi728HMZ-1nTRgVgl04bIkflDjPBkl2CvmxFwvsp2m2zXpTHV_BOkUv-__x-EmGAzA5hT7ihYh1NOYYKHuMm58AVXtuk7aXFTYjari2XnI4Zfx 6E1MRrZ6nOIsvGoY0ztetEunuILiETC-a8vxv4wo99n7myx_xNKkq27TYXJfhzVXKoLM3TJ789dk4CLwux 1ZVdPfFXVoz8wIQ9YtMJIgd8E5NG1lxH_XUZ9Ox413oRgFPop9 wztuheR0z1DGR0EyTHKpRjHBRyk76yKL3OFGN1Fzmw1ZZosVws yM5p8WciYozMogHYG1BjyqhUs56Drq8fO7KI55KacLJWHnA2Sb IPNyVitohv79Tz4XjRGT-e06sjsGGaZS1Oc=s824-no

About 33 inches!
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/ZuDSgpYb7mrerw7RqHsj3GMOTNF1_df9ZNP1l4nCRHSYjmWhxe LzsKeqxm4HU-3UF0a4LzlgT2IGDXQPXNz3-C-gy7DZpwDB3ENVxDR1EhteJRLUqoQRLAUoP8vPORVycDQwolS6l pDhUeu1NU0WLQIsCUkzKZt2xHFKMT8BKkEarOd9mOc7Iq4gCV5 XIes62q-s1YnmJFrbPoPecWwrztuVtPwcnwuDkF3ndEvt-HUKBO1l7Oi8lrqd6lOHKx_FNS3ZcGitQUN6K7rxXuAHxmoOnsp 6gGS4jMAezlpg24B60OlA1wyaOH51jGWQ9E8N35VQgFAPW0YON mHrFj9XPHsD8q98eQeJlCv3tIYGlJ2e0Fss3N_McWVx96GDs7q DKZAHrQNa7ggdwgVXm3y23pTuLF521aqDjo4ohnaie-FwLQEmuSt1bzivXGcjxm1-17qvnxQ_r-InYGuE4d0W--tbJLhkRbBxIggQxYOpn1khUrxeTo04sEREhkBSZ92MSJrZEri8 SArzlXgNn16plJDlsEx0smkWGupPML9W2b_CXuatbWQbhCiiE1 4-eU43uTRadW7VLJCTGuVBHXvPGRLqg6eyB8qhOYe1MINXIfSkjN M97u7bh47ESWzhzXTnluBwFUBSKlfySE8GIPfbkc-N_8P2FJI=w800-h600-no

Do you see the fish?
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/zfVxHXba_h649vaygwSHUUQJJbjwPeEYDDQGS5uIKgafj8xyHO Au8My-sznf7WskT1_db2se4b8SQSJAfKL6ckYeqX5T8f6wRIP_mgnKt-1hGUZwRO5VhTGUyJu6V6wfcahKWGO43PHS1fobgKNIiaKn6sPd KxbE67Wjm0nLjlxBbMnnlCYSITLsydgTeuuZNZhohSf7biRaSw llZpkRpchfj0wy6hjrcAZw0YbaacRnBjykztDMBA1BkwOofa5r MKMyrrBDPjO4N7bo9K9sUqafA0bxlNZMdcchthlFqctw4x9LPo 3AMKERpsi6mkEAaOgNzy-BO7By7YL9SDLLFgPyxHdf3K0BeSY5zkff34XeRGzNpjB8bKd1h mZDxuAEXyaUwB8vySn3ZLS2qAve3hGpMCJTFfRO0ensu34CU-76tTn2OrsvW2LGJ60ONF2o5tSH-prfspzp0q7MYzyuRUemyKvBJOkFe4tygrgiNk_k9mqS0-IhF9fG_vzPJHQiTCelmMUK8mVnb6RABZz_A9AHxF9D8H1U9NGB pRrcD9Z_4EXHtKPk8r51ysSssut96sZj5L1x5_JdFUMXkrOCBR RXcS1Oxholm3O_j426l-iSRX7UJCmVc5ZJfXkutfYajS3L3JuSEPa3Yj9gzfBNEvI5yvYO 30U=w1098-h824-no


Cheers!

John
Lotus, CA

[JohnR]

Also, I just bought a 16-foot Clackacraft last week (off this forum, thanks Blane!) and I'm looking forward to not making the news with it sunk in San Juan rapids. If I do I will blame my water-reading skillz on forum member JasonB (who taught me to whitewater kayak 11 years ago).

[Idadon]

Looks like a likely place to cause a bad fall but I see the fish!

[Bill Kiene semi-retired]

Great post JohnR.......thanks.

[John H]

Looking down on those fish gets me immediately thinking about how to put the sneak on them. Probably need to get way above them and drift or swing something down to them. You are only going to get one or two shots before they spook so don’t botch it. Looks like a fun stalk. Someday I will get up there on a big road trip.

Welcome to the board and thanks for the post.

[EricO]

Whoa Nelli! Nice first post. That water looks awesome..ninja mode for sure.

Welcome!

Eric

[JasonB]

Hey John,
Way to introduce yourself! Looks like an amazing trip, and some beautiful steelhead. I didn’t know you’d acquired a drift boat, should be a whole new set of adventures for you. I’m sure your river running skills will transfer just fine, but I’d be more than happy to tag along sometime and pass along a few things I remember from the days when we had a drift boat ... hint hint.
Cheers,
JB

[JohnR]

Sounds good Jason... lets go fishing! When do you get back from Mexico? I expect midweek is best for you... if I plan a couple weeks ahead (and you don't mind me taking calls while fishing) I can often get away for a day midweek.
John

[Ben J]

Beautiful water, reminds me of a few places in NorCal

[JohnR]

The Smith?