FishwithJD

The web's best fishing magazine

  • Start Here
  • Guided Trips With JD
  • Catch Steelhead
  • Store
  • JD’s Gear
    • Steelhead
    • Kokanee
    • River Salmon Trolling
    • Plug Fishing for Salmon
    • Light Tackle Surf Perch
  • Techniques
    • Bass
    • Boats & Boating
    • Cooking
    • Fly Fishing
    • Salmon
    • Saltwater
    • Shad
    • Steelhead
    • Stripers
    • Sturgeon
    • Trout & Kokanee
You are here: Home / Photos and Video / Trophy Room / Talk about kicking off the career in style…His first steelhead: A 25-pounder!

Talk about kicking off the career in style…His first steelhead: A 25-pounder!

February 4, 2011 By JD 10 Comments

Quit while you're ahead, brother! It's gonna be tough to top this one!


Would you believe that this 25.9-pound, 40 1/4x 26-inch steelhead was the first one ever for Mick here? He caught the jumbo hatchery beast while side-drifting Pautzke’s cured eggs in Northwestern Washington with our pal guide Bill “Swanny” Swann.

That’s the good news.

The bad news is it’s probably time for Mick to take up golf…table tennis…antiquing…cubist painting…French cooking…whatever. Because, when you start your steelhead fishing career off with a fish like that, there’s really nowhere to go but down…

Share this:

  • Tweet
  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email

Related

Filed Under: Trophy Room Tagged With: 20 pound steelhead, bill swanny swann, pautzke's, side drifting, Steelhead

Comments

  1. Rudy Hernandez says

    February 6, 2011 at 1:23 pm

    “NICE”

    Reply
  2. Derrick Downey says

    February 5, 2011 at 11:56 pm

    Nice fish! 25LB? I have a pic on here of a good size steelhead, but MR Art Selby at 80 years old displayed a monster ! That, may have been 25 LB !

    Reply
  3. Joe says

    February 5, 2011 at 2:22 pm

    JD, see the bite marks on the belly of the fish, that’s the fish that got away from
    that Lingcod in the video you put online!!!

    Reply
  4. Howbo says

    February 5, 2011 at 12:18 pm

    All that crab’n about 25 #, if it was mine it’d be pushin 30

    Reply
  5. Rudy says

    February 5, 2011 at 11:49 am

    Now that is one big steelhead. Probably not a 26 inch girth but that thing looks like its in the 20’s. Big ol’ hatchery fish.

    Great first steelhead. There are A LOT of 6-8lb steelhead in your future.

    Reply
  6. johnb says

    February 5, 2011 at 10:03 am

    Now that’s a HAWG!

    Reply
  7. broke somewhere on the feather river says

    February 5, 2011 at 8:32 am

    looks like a winner in the monthly contest!!!!!!!!!!

    Reply
  8. John O'M says

    February 5, 2011 at 8:29 am

    I agree with Steelie Pete. 25lbs 14oz. ? Hmmmm.

    Reply
  9. Russ says

    February 5, 2011 at 7:58 am

    It’ not all about the fish. You have to know that if you fish for Steelies. Besides the great country and river places there is hope eternal -the gene implanted in all steel head fishers. Either way it is most likely a one in a life timer and what a fish!!!!

    Reply
  10. Steelie Pete says

    February 4, 2011 at 9:06 pm

    25.9? Really? I’d like to buy that scale, sir. Hey, nice fish none the less. Great start Mick!!!

    Reply

Leave a Reply to johnbCancel reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

JD’s Top Gear Picks

  • Steelhead
  • Kokanee
  • River Salmon Trolling
  • Plug Fishing for Salmon
  • Light Tackle Surf Perch

Legal

  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms & Conditions

Copyright © 2025 Richey Sportfishing