04-20-2009, 11:38 PM
I'm going to have to side with duck tape here. I'm a newbie to alot of steelheaders but I have been fishing the Salmon R. in Idaho since 1996 and the Clearwater R. in Idaho since 1997. Over those years I have probably averaged 20 or more days each year steelheading, and have never witnessed myself, my friends, or anyone within gunshot's range of me while I was fishing landing a true 20 pound steelhead. I have a buddy that lives in Ahsahka, that lives within walking distance of the logyard hole at the Clearwater/NF Clearwater confluence that fishes it basically every day that hasn't caught one yet either. I have netted 3 steelhead up there (including 1 of my own) that were so painstakingly close to 20 that it would have brought tears to the eyes of Grizzly Adams himself. I have heard of plenty 20 +'s, but in my opinion those people need to get a good scale, most fellers that land a big fish run for their lives when I offer to get out my scale and weigh their big boy. I have toted 18 and 19 pounders up and down the bank that everybody along the way was claiming were 22-24 pounds. When you sit and catch 12-14 pounders for 7 days straight 90% of all fisherman are going to call a 17 pounder 20+ when one finally shows up - 17 pounds is a huge ass trophy steelhead! I know with all my heart that those huge ol boys are in there though, I have seen a picture or two of fish that looked like 20+ steelheads, and know 1 story of one that made the dinner plate of a close friend of mine that would have had to be 20. But they are very rare and most idaho steelheaders will never ever catch one, and anybody who thinks they catch them all the time needs a reality check. Maybe I should just get rid of my scale, and I'll be catching them all the time too.[laugh]
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