Steelhead is a tribute to this magnificent fish and to steelheaders throughout the Pacific Northwest who have worked to protect steelhead and the rivers they inhabit. Full of helpful hints and secrets for success. Steelhead, the Prince of Salmon, is the trophy trout which river anglers in the Pacific Northwest acknowledge from experience is the greatest freshwater game fish in North America. My first experience with the awesome power of this trophy was typical to that of every angler who first hooks a steelhead. My drifting float, holding fresh roe just above the bottom of the stream, had submerged and instinctively I lifted the rod to set the hook, I can still recall the immediate disappointment when my hook struck solid but nothing happened. I was certain that I had hung up on that inevitable snag which lies in every pool. Impatiently, I began to strip line through my fingers, as one does with fly line, in an attempt to loosen the hook. But, when I had gathered no more than five feet of slack in front of me, the line suddenly streamed through my fingers and a fish of unbelievable power charged to the head of the pool and then turned and raced out the tail end. Having only fly-fished with single action reels during the previous ten years, I had instinctively tried to handle the spinning reel and monofilament line as one does a regular fly line. The result was predictable. I lost the fish and the fifteen pound-test nylon line shredded my index finger and sliced two great gashes in my hand. Thoroughly stupefied and nursing a hand that hurt like blazes, I resolved then and there to put on of those magnificent fish in my creel!
