I start this story off by saying I’m know up to par good
fisherman. So you have to take it as someone starting out. I have fished for steelhead
three times in my life before. Last year I caught seven or eight steelhead and
that could be a fish story.
My friend called me up and said that the steelhead are on
the move, and that last year was a good gear and this year was going to be
three times better.
Now, steelhead is a rainbow trout that goes to the ocean.
Adults are generally 20-40 inches in length. They go to the ocean for 1-2 years
and come back to spawn. Most cone from Fish Hatcheries along the Salmon River
but they are getting a lot more wild. A wild fish is one that spawns on its own
in the rivers or creeks.
I got a new rod and reel for steelhead fishing. I got flies,
sinkers, hoods and plugs. And you know how it is when you get into buying gear,
you can just fall into it and never hit the ground, because there’s so much to buy.
There’s always something new coming out.
So the big day comes. There are three of us going fishing.
Now Bernie is the leader of this trip. He’s gone all over to fish in little
places like Alaska and Africa. Now you
are getting a picture of a real fisherman. And if there are fish to catch,
Bernie will lead.
Now there is Bud. He is a very good hunter and is just
getting out of the house for a few days. He likes to talk a lot and he has been
there and done it. So he can go on and on about things. And there is Michael.
That is “me.” I like to show up and put my tine in. I go on the idea, If you
put the time in, you will get something out of it. Maybe you’re not good at it
but you will get something out of it. And go home happy.
Now steelhead fishing is an all day thing for some of us. It
starts before the sun is up and takes til it goes down.
Now the first day I do ok in my eyes: two or three. Bernie
catches five and that is all you can catch in a day. And he lets some go. Now
the second day is a good day. I catch four and start letting some go. You can
catch one under your limit and then catch and release. We end up catching seven
wild fish on our tip. The limit is usually nine fish in your possession. You
can catch a lot more but then you have to let them go. A permit costs about $18
for 20 outings. Then you go back and buy more tags. Bernie catches more than
200 a year. He doesn’t keep them all. He fishes two or three months at a
stretch. It costs me about $500 total to go to the Snake River and fish for
steelhead. It’s more of a sport than a way to catch fish to eat.
Fish and Game puts computer chips in some of the fingerlings
at the hatcheries to trace them and follow how long they have been in the ocean
and when they come back. So Fish and Game must scan your fish before you take
them home. I’ve never caught one that had a computer chip in its head.
Bud is not into it yet, so time
is going on for him. One day we are fishing by some other fishermen. Now Bud finds
out that they are from his home town. And that the one man was just a year
behind him in school. We fish by him for two days. We are doing all right. They
are struggling. Now the second day we
are fishing we are doing OK. And
the people we are fishing by are being very serious about the fishing.
Now Bernie is doing OK. And it is getting to him how uptight the people are by us. So Bernie talks to me and says that I should net the next fish he catches. Now we are talking about how I should net it for him. Then we are talking about how I should net the next fish the wrong way—and that is just between me and him.
Now Bernie is doing OK. And it is getting to him how uptight the people are by us. So Bernie talks to me and says that I should net the next fish he catches. Now we are talking about how I should net it for him. Then we are talking about how I should net the next fish the wrong way—and that is just between me and him.
So he hooks one, and I ask if I
can use their net to net Bernie’s new catch. They say that it is OK to use their net. He gets the fish close and
I get the net to my waist. But Bernie says “no, get the net over my head.” He says it just to
me. He gets the fish closer and I slam the net down like an ax by the fish. It’s
off like a shot in the water a little ways from the bank. Now Bernie is yelling
at me to net the fish.
And now the other fishermen are all in shock at me for
how I’m trying to net the fish. Bud is there too and is in shock too, and
thinking that Bernie is going to blow up about how I’m trying to net this fish.
Now the fish is back again and Bernie is yelling at me to net his fish. I get
the net over my head again and slam it down again by the fish. Now the fish
jumps out of the water and jumps right into the net!
Now Bernie and I are in
shock because the fish that we weren’t trying to net is in the net. There’s
always the one that got away, but this is the one that didn’t get away, even
though we tried.
So all we can do is laugh and
laugh. And the other fishermen that are in shock start to laugh too, to see
such a sight. Now we are all laughing and there are no more serious fishermen at
this hole. And so goes the fishing trip
By Michael H Vroman