June 1973 the Toutle, my Dads favorite river, at the mouth of the Green. I had acquired an ABU 5000, bought a Fenwick blank at Shoffs in Kent and built a nice rod. I remember the anticipation, we were there before first light. It was still dark I had a pearl blue corky with pink yarn dabbed with anise we had made at home. It was still dark when I hooked an 11lb summer run. I don’t remember anything about the fight, I do remember it was the biggest of our NW Steelheaders group. Many memories of the toutle after that a few are; salmon fishing on the green was mostly a fly fishing only floss fest. There was an excellent run of summers in there but most had passed the salmon water by Sept. at 12 years old my cousin and I ventured up river we saw two guys walking out with limits of steelhead. I was jacked, first spot that looked good to me was an old growth log with water running deep along side it. I told my cousin I was going to hook one there. We were using 2’ of lead core line with maybe 36” of 20lb leader with a big black fly with lead tied into it. Needles to say it sank immediately. First cast I hooked into a 9 lber I kept the screws to him and he swam up river at light speed beaching himself on the riffle above me. Maybe 8 seconds for my first steelhead on a fly, kind of. Not real sporting but at that point it was all about results. Another good one was winter run, no fisherman as there was not much of a winter run up high. My dad was on the railroad trestle above talking to me. I had cut a couple yellow yarn like dingle ball looking things off a blanket someone has knitted, basically a 1975 version of a yarnie. While talking to my Dad who had caught nothing I hook up and land it like a pro, Dad was super impressed. Many more pre and post eruption memories of steelhead on the Toule and Green, premier steelhead waters that will be with me till I’m gone.