Bit by Steelhead!

Yes, yes, it's almost here, my favorite time of year. No, it has nothing to do with the weather. I would be elated for a huge summer run of these anadromous rainbows on the Nooksack, but it is said to consist of 30 individuals. Man that is sad! What did it used to be and why did the summer run disappear more than the winter run? Or was it never strong on the Nooksack.

Anyway, steelheading is not to be understood until you immerse yourself in it. When I ran a trout guide service on the Colorado River in Tabernash, Colorado I would spend every fall at the Fly Tackle Dealer Show. You could almost pick out the steelheaders before you met them. It was like they had been bit by a radioactive steelhead. They would walk around in a magical daze like they had virtual steelhead hooked on the neuro-tippets of their brains. I didn't quite understand it. Then I moved to Washington.

Once you hook your first steelhead, you are forever in search of the chrome. I think it is partially because you work hard and when your perseverance pays off, you never forget the experience. I can go on and on continuously fishing, analyzing, worshiping, reminiscing over one solid hook-up. But why are they more amazing than salmon? Because they do it again. Some steelhead will spawn up to three times, avoiding the perils of fishermen, nets, seals, orcas, pollution and more. Simply, incredible.

What can we do to save this fish? What can we do to increase its numbers? Apparently, we can no longer rely on hatcheries. Please read the article below. What will happen in the next ten years? Will we see the removal of hatcheries? Will we see a change in how hatcheries operate to enable greater success in the genetic pool? I would love to hear your thoughts.

I come from a background of keeping fish as a child. Then I found myself in Colorado where catch and release is the norm and is often the regulation. My ways changed as did my beliefs. Then I find myself in Washington surrounded by the idea of harvesting meat. Slowly I have opened my mind to keeping hatchery salmon and steelhead, because that is what they are there for. It has been shown that hatchery fish sometimes spawn with wild fish and weaken the gene pool. Are we going about this all wrong?

An interesting book for people to read is the Founding Fish by John McPhee. One chapter is solely dedicated to the argument for and against catch & release. I am spell bound by the discussion in my own mind that this created, opening my consciousness to both sides of the argument. So if you get a chance, pick up the book and let me know what you think.

Thanks for reading my blog.

Sincerely,

Jason Cross