Got one of those stories that illustrates the fact that if you stick it out just a little longer, you just may be rewarded for your efforts. After striking out for sturgeon below McNary all morning and part of the afternoon, we thought just maybe we'd fish the last hour or so of daylight above McNary in hopes for a cooperative steelhead. I pause at the launch and look at the watch--do I really want to bother launching the boat again for an hour of trolling? What the heck--we're here and it's now sunny and warm (relatively speaking). SO we troll one pass up and then about half way back to the dock, the rod starts dancing. Pick it up, and fish-on! It's my brother's birthday, so I hand off to him, and man the net. He takes his time, and enjoys the fight. Eventually, he brings it boatside, and it surfaces for the first time. The fish sees us and panicks--but the feeling is mutual as we've hooked a big fish. Of course, we do exactly the wrong thing and try to force him in to the boat. He fights like the big buck he is, and plows deep and rolls. After some tense moments on 8# line, I manage to scopp him up in the net. It's an average B-run buck, which is to say pretty darn big--36" and 18" girth--probably 16 lbs. He fell to a blue hotshot scented with shrimp, trolled as slow as the kicker would go, in about 20' of water. So next time you're debating whether or not to hit that last hole--go for it--the fish gods just may reward your dilligence.

Way to go, Mark! I told you plugs can catch steelhead!

By the way, that's not an "average" B-run... that's a "beautiful" B-run. There's nothing average about a 16 lb steelhead.

And you're absolutely right-- persistence pays!

Sounds like a great battle too. By the way, I wouldn't recommend 8 lb test for pulling plugs. There's no reason to go that light-- these fish aren't leader-shy-- and there's too much chance of losing a hot plug. If using mono I like 12 lb, or even better I like 30 lb braid with a short 20 lb mono leader. Just as many hookups and fewer lost treasures.


I was out there yesterday as well, in the morning-- we didn't see a whole lot of action but we managed to put a nice keeper hen in the box, released a nate and lost another fish, all on bobbers. It was the maiden voyage for a new (to me) old drifter that I bought in tandem with another buddy. It was a little chilly in the morning but I really wanted to get a chance at properly installing first blood in the new boat. And it also turned out to be the first steelhead ever for my buddy Dick:


I think next time I'm taking the big boat though... it's warmer!

Hey thanks, Don, and way to christen the new boat. That's a nice hen, and even more so since it was a first for your friend. I've considered going in with friends on a drifter--especially since you pretty well need at least two people to fish from one, and there's the whole shuttle necessity of drifting too. You'll have to let me know how that works out.

Yes--I'm a believer now. That was my first steelhead on a plug, and what a dandy. The 8# line was silly--I know--I just grabbed a rod/reel as I was hustling out of the garage. The other plug we were working had 20# braid, but of course, he hit the light gear. I would normally use 12# mono--that's the recomendation from Leo and I take his advice on plugging as gospel. Personally, I also like the 20 and 30 pound braid lines too, but I guess I'd like a second opinion on this--would you typically match the non-stretching braid with a lighter action rod to let the plug do it's thing? I'm still searching for a "plugging" rod--I've just been using my 8-1/2' 8-12 or 10-20 general purpose steelhead rods, but it would seem like there are better sticks for the job.

I use the same rods for braid as I do for mono, but you're right-- they're fairly soft action rods. If you want a versatile plug rod you might look at the Lami Classic Glass 8-20 lb 8-1/2'. Another great rod value is the 10'6" Shimano -- Convergence I think-- that Leo uses. Those 10-1/2's also make great diver/egg rods, by the way.

My favorite "do it all" rod is a Loomis HSR 1021C in GL3. I've used it for plugs, walleye spinners, drift fishing... you name it. It's landed hundreds of salmon and steelhead plus a couple of 6'+ sturgeon and lots of walleyes.

Nice fish guys. I have been using a 9' Loomis rod with 20 lb. braid when trolling above McNary and have often times been the only one getting hook-ups. The last time we went, we were running 3 rods - I had 4 fish take mine while no one else saw any action. It's not the GL3 - It's the $210 dollar version... Can't remember the model, but I picked it up at Sportsman's. Good fishing.

Josh

Well, dang it... I tallied my first skunk of the season today. I couldn't apply the "persistence pays" theory because I had to quit at 10:30am to drive to the west side today, but I still expected to catch at least a couple. We floated bobbers and trolled plugs below Ice Harbor without a bump. Water was too low for my favorite spots. Oh well-- still had a nice morning.

Sorry to hear that. Last time I fished below Ice Harbor (also a skunk trip) the water was quite low--I haven't fished it enough to know if it was unusually low, but the water was just about slack, even just below the dam. We were hoping to cast and drift bait, but without any current, we switched to bobbers, but still didn't score. This was quite awhile ago though. Did you all hear about the state record Walleye caught above McNary:

"OLYMPIA - Mike Hepper, a veteran angler from Richland, has set a new state record for the largest walleye caught in state waters, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) has confirmed.

Hepper, 64, caught the 19.3-pound walleye Feb. 5 on the Columbia River above McNary Dam, and had its weight certified that day at a meat market in Pasco.

The fish was 33.7 inches long, with a girth of 22.24 inches, said Paul Hoffarth, a WDFW fish biologist who verified the catch."

I need to figure out how to catch Walleye--I've only caught a few as by-catch while fishing on the Palouse in the spring.

Yeah, that's a hawg walleye. I guess the guy that caught it lives about block from my house. It was caught near Finley... launching at Hood Park.

nice fish ! beautiful colors on that one .