Every once in a while you need to get outta the office and take a “mental health” day…or three days, as was the case last week when Big Fred Contaoi and I headed north to Eel River country, Monday-Weds for some “chrome therapy.”
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Steelhead
OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG!
Well, sometimes you just need a little fish porn. And man, what a week it’s been for that! I probably should have saved this fish for last because it dwarfs the 20 pounders below, but holy giant rainbow trout, Batman…that is one amazing specimen is it not?
All I know about this leviathan is that it was caught last weekend and measured 44 inches by 24 inches, which using the steelhead weight formula, comes out at 32 freaking pounds! WOW!!!!! My jaw just hit the floor!
And, just for kicks, here are a couple other 20 plus pounders…
This one was taken by Paul LeFebvre of Brookings, OR. He caught and released the fish Feb. 1 on the Chetco River while fishing with guide Andy Martin of Wild Rivers Fishing. The steelhead hit a cluster of roe and took a half hour to subdue!
Twenty plus pounds of Perfection!
Our pal Greg McElroy sent in this pic of Tim Obert who fished just south of the Chetco, on California’s Smith River with Mad River Eggs for this low 20′s buck.
Damn, raise your hand if you work day just got totally screwed…
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Here’s a little video I shot to kinda get you started understanding how float fishing for salmon & steelhead works…
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Welcome to the 20-pound club! Guide Tony Sepulveda (L) and John Sellers
It’s time to welcome the 20-Pound Steelhead Club’s newest member, John Sellers of Fortuna, CA, who fished on Tuesday with guide Tony Sepulveda of Greenwater Guide Service on a very low and clear Chetco River in Orgeon for this bruiser buck.
Let’s let Tony tell the rest of the story…
“John hooked the fish drifting roe and a Fish Pill along a shallow break,” he says. “When he swung on the bite, it erupted in 18″ of water and went burning off the flat with it’s back out of the water like a spooked bonefish!”
Congratulations are in order for John…fish like that don’t come every day. And to that end, he thoughtfully opted to release it, despite the ridiculous regulation in Oregon that allows for the retention of wild steelhead.
“John’s a relative newcomer to steelhead fishing, catching his first on the Eel with me last winter,” says Tony. “With his big fish resting in the net, we talked about the importance of keeping those genetics in the gene pool. John was immediately on board. We took a few pictures and sent him on his way. We ended the day by 1:00 pm with 6 landed out of 10 hooked, a 20 pounder and a double hookup. Not a bad day!”
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Time to Vote!!
It’s time for the grandaddy of all big fish contests…the 2011 Hawg Bowl!
We’ve finally boiled a very impressive field down to 2 and the last ones standing are indeed a couple of very nice fish! This one’s for all the marbles, folks…winner gets a free guided fishing trip for two with guide Bill “Swanny” Swann of Swanny’s Fishing!
To see larger pics and read the story of each catch click here: Laura and Adam Be sure to vote below!
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WOOOOOOHOOOOO!
Well, at least it’s short week for some folks with the holidays coming up…but a Monday’s still a Monday.
So, on that note let’s take a moment and forget about faxes, emails and meetings and consider instead that crazy pulse-pumping moment when a huge steelhead feels the sting of the hook and surges like a runaway train downriver…ahhhh!
Here’s our very own VinMan going big bendo on a BC steelie. Can’t beat it!
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How is it that we as humans somewhere along the line decided that spending 40+ hours a week in front of a computer screen in a cubicle under fluorescent lights was such a good idea?? I’m just saying…
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Yeaah!
The Trinity River in Northern California is known for good numbers of smaller steelies that typically run 6-7 pounds, but it can pump out much bigger ones now and then…like this 31-incher Tom McCoy of Walnut Creek hooked while flyfishing with an egg pattern.
McCoy’s buddy, Brad Harrington guessed it at around 15 pounds. “The fish was easily the biggest steelhead I’ve seen pulled out of the Trinity,” said Harrington. “We thought it was a big Chinook at first and were shocked when it went on a big run and showed it’s color.”
For his efforts, Tom is entered into our Hawg of the Month Contest and has a chance to win some Pautzke’s headgear and, maybe just maybe, a trip for two with guide Bill “Swanny” Swann of Swanny’s Fishing.
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