Steelhead haunt my dreams and run through my veins. They have taken me to the top of the mountain and they have broken my heart. I’ve bled for them; I’ve frozen for them and I’ve driven, flown, hiked and floated thousands and thousands of miles for them…and there’s not a single day of the year that I don’t think about them.
I was once doing a phone interview with a writer from a big East Coast magazine. From his cozy office in New York City, he asked me what it was that made steelhead fishing such a special sport.
It was hard for me to answer. I mean, with steelhead…you either get it or you don’t. There are so many deep-seeded feelings and emotions for me that are tied to these fish that it’s almost impossible to articulate in a way that somebody on the outside can understand.
So, I spat out the first thing that came to mind:
“I fish for steelhead so I can see them up close…”
Huh?
And then, I just got on a roll and rattled off a total unabated stream of consciousness…
I fish for steelhead because I want to get as close to them as I can. I feel that they are like fine art, each one to be viewed quietly, taken in and remembered. I told him that I have never felt more alive and in touch with the world–and myself–as when I’m standing in a misty canyon, with a ribbon of emerald flowing in front of me.
Steelhead haunt my dreams and run through my veins. They have taken me to the top of the mountain and they have broken my heart. I’ve bled for them; I’ve frozen for them and I’ve driven, flown, hiked and floated thousands and thousands of miles for them…and there’s not a single day of the year that I don’t think about them.
Steelhead make me straight-up crazy. Even on dry land, I can close my eyes and literally feel what that moment of first contact is like, that initial tight line surge. And I can make my heart rate jump by simply imagining a float going under or a plug rod going off. Oh man…the plug takedown of a steelhead…wow…if that doesn’t get your juices flowing, you’d better check your pulse because you’re probably dead.
Steelhead make me want to follow every single anadromous river from the mouth to the source–and then float back down them again. They make me think irrational thoughts like maybe I should just sell the house and get a toy hauler that fits a drift boat and hit the open road…and never come back! They drive me to drink; they drive me to the limits–mentally, physically, emotionally. Steelhead make me wear the numbers off my credit cards and sometimes pull the hairs off my head.
They give me this insatiable desire to fix all the damage that has been done to the rivers they call home. They drive me to pick up trash, fight for flows, plant trees and dump spawning gravel by the truckload into the water.
Steelhead are the fish I’d miss Christmas for and the reason I got married during the offseason. They give me sweaty palms and weak knees. Though I’ve probably shaved at least a year off my life expectancy due to all the junk food consumed on steelie road trips, I also believe that every day you fish for steelhead is one you get to tack onto the end. And speaking of the end, if I had a choice, I’d go steelhead fishing on my last day on the planet. I’ve informed my family what to do when my time is about up: Take me to the top of some whitewater gorge with a drift boat and a couple rods. No need for a life jacket or a shuttle…it will be my last ride. Hopefully, there will be a couple biters along the way!
Steelhead are responsible for all the drift and float and plug and fly and center-pin rods…the jigs and stacks of Pip’s and boxes of plugs; the BC Steels and the spinner boxes; the Slinkies and pink worms; the two deflated pontoon boats; the Fish Pills all over the floor; the nets and waders and boots and pink-stained fridge—that all make my garage useless to terrestrial vehicles. They’ve also ruined many a potentially productive day in the office…all it takes is a photo or a text from somebody on the river and I’m worthless the rest of the afternoon.
Steelhead are why my favorite color is green–because it reminds me of the perfect hue of a river just coming into shape and the giant redwoods that stand on its banks. And because of the dorsal color of one of those awesome-looking bucks that’s transitioning from ocean chrome to river camo–olive back and a faint pink cheek and stripe peeking out from silver flanks.
In short, steelhead are epic, nearly indescribable critters that make me tick and dream and feel alive. I’m not at all sure the interviewer ever really got the message, but I bet you all do…
Mark says
Nice work JD and yup can totally relate.
Here’s a lil somethin’ I stitched up…
S-o much chit in my freezer and fridge that only a fish could eat
T-oo much roe and worms and shrimp, no room for veggies or meat
E-xpensive waders, jackets, boots, tackle, rods and reels
E-verything ya just gotta have to cop that perfect steel
L-oomis, Lamiglas, lack of sleep, step on the gas
H-eaded to Garberville
E-el even hours sleep in 14 days won’t getcha like a silver bullet will
A-ll this stuff; balls of puff, corkies, spoons and lead
D-ream I will from now until I catch my next STEELHEAD!
> Mark
JD says
Awesome!!
Jeremiah says
Very well said by all. Although I think we can all agree there is some componant of the steelhead sickness that just can’t be put into words.
Joe says
I feel the same as Jon D. I’ll never forget my first drift down the Smith putting in above the Forks. I was in awe over the beauty of the river, and the sound of “fish on” by my guide. After
landing my first chrome Smith River fish, I was hooked for life!!!
JD says
Very cool, Joe!
bruce says
Beautifully said JD. It really can be a spiritual thing.When I think back over the years I have always felt closest to the big guy when I’m on a green colored river in my kayak in the morning fishing for steelhead. It’s all I can think about the last few days. Bruce.
JD says
Thanks Bruce! And I’m right there with ya…got steelies on the brain. Bad!
Tommy G. says
JD,
you have just decribed (the spirit world ) only a few will understand your passion.
Tommy G.
JD says
Indeed. And that’s okay with me. You either get it or you don’t. :)
Tommy G. says
JD,
You have just described what i call (The spirit world) only a few will understand your passion.
TOMMY G.
Uncle Mike says
Still remember the first one. Thanks JD. Uncle Mike
JD says
I think it’s about time for you to catch another one, Mike!!
JP says
The only thing that will get me to go out for the day in freezing rain, snow, sleet, hail or whatever else nature can throw at you is a line rippin steelhead! It helps that they choose to make the prettiest parts of the earth their home. If they lived in a lake and were around all year the magic wouldn’t be there. Nothing else in the outdoors can match the idea of a fresh 20# fish on a northwest river, Steelhead are the rock stars of the fishing world.
Virgil says
“If you have to ask what jazz is, you’ll never know.”
? Louis Armstrong
Same with steelheading… but you also did a damned good job of describing the “jazz of it all!’
JD says
Awesome quote, Virgil!!
Scott Hatch says
We get a little rain and someone is jonesin for a chrome fix. So much for the rest of my day. Here comes the yuotube videos.
Thanks for ending any production from this desk!
Jon D. says
I love this! Best description and imagery of steelhead I’ve heard. Really, really makes me miss being on the Smith in a light foggy sprinkle right now.. Gives me a heartache thinking about it sometimes. (Kinda ruined my day there JD ;-) …
JD says
Sorry! :) Thanks for the kind words!!
steelheadtom says
JD…
On board with your analogy here……hmmm, I think I read the exact same thing in your Salmon, Trout and Steelheader column……Steelhead are the fix for what ails me…..when I hook one, all’s right with the world for those few moments or minutes I’m hooked up.
Tommy says
Nailed it.
Chrome Steel says
Steelhead fishing for me is just like what I imagine going to church is like for religious folks. Your sentence about feeling alive and in touch with the world and yourself when standing in a misty canyon with a ribbon of emerald green flowing before you really hit the nail on the head. I’ve caught enough steelhead over the years that these days I hardly even care if I catch a fish or not because I get so much more out of just being there and going through the motions. The look I got from my wife a few days ago when I told her that I was going out to spend a few hours standing in a river in the pouring rain was hilarious. She doesn’t fish and therefore just doesn’t get it. Maybe we need to get Governor Jerry Brown out on the water so he can gain a better understanding of the value of rivers and fish versus more water for cities and business. Maybe that would help him realize what a bad idea those water tunnels really are.
JD says
My wife is the same, Chrome…doesn’t get it but understands the healing powers the river has for me. Not sure the Gov would “get it,” but would be happy to try!!
steelheadtom says
If there were votes tied to ‘it’, he or any other politician would SURELY ‘get it’…..
Virgil says
Well he might. Remember he used to be called “Moonbeam.” :-)
Jon says
Yes. SIR! That’ll do…