I just can't get this out of my head... I bank fished the Cowlitz all day last Sunday and had a pretty slow day. There were a couple fish seen carried out and a few hooked up on sleds but the river was on the rise and like I said...the fishin' was slow. Later in the day (2pm- ish) I hooked into a very large Steelhead. Finally it was on! It launched and rolled a few times and began to settle in. I began to try and work it in doing all I could to hold it out of the willows below and swing it towards the bank for a net but the fish had other plans... It just slowly pushed further and further out into the faster water which then began to slowly take line down stream. I kept tension and just allowed it to do it's thing but could never gain on it. The fish was still flipping and spinning around periodically during all this and the guys sidedrifting had made atleast 3 passes by this time. With my arm beginning to throb and my body now wedged up in that lower overhang in heavy current, it just began to completely spool me, then... POP! Game over.
That was the biggest Steelhead I have ever hooked up on and hopefully not my last. That fish put the screws to me and it was mind blowing to experience the power of that great fish. Coho eggs on a #4 Mustad with an EZ Egg on top and 8# mono was NOT that the last supper for that HOG! I can't wait to do it again! Oh yeah... can't wait for springers too!
