I do remember my 1st drift caught Steelhead on an Okie was 1975 on the lower Puyallup. Had to look up the pic to get the year correct. Plunked there with my Gramps a couple years and he finally broke me in drift fishing. Had a Fenwick PLS75 rod, still have it, and a Winona reel. I inherited 5 of them, knuckle buster, backlasher classics. I'll never forget it because the weather that morning was freezing and that Winona reel had a finger thumb drag , all metal. My fingers were so cold I couldn't pinch hard enough to get it in. Finally did. Fingers went on fire warming them next to the campfire we would always have. Have to say I did little plunking after that. Got a Zebco Cardinal spinning reel on the same rod and was a drift fisherman from then on.
No way ! A drift fisher using a Spinning Reel ? A “semi drift fisher” at best, but then again, you did start out with a Winona, so many extra drift fishing street creed points do overcome the spinning reel, and it was a Cardinal, so - never mind !
More memories? That's about all we have left! Don't get me started! The spinning set up lasted another year or 2. I witnessed some guys around McMillin on the Puyallup, that used a fly rod w/ a Johnson closed faced reel. Was sold on that. My gramps had stipped fished for years using the strip fly set up. Loaded my Pflueger w/ mono, used his belt strip basket, and caught and lost quite a few short lining the mid and upper Puyallup on that. Kick ass fight on a fly rod! Next. 1981? Upgrade? If you want to call it that? Got a Fenwick Eagle Graphite FS83C baitcaster, and a Ryobi "V" Mag levelwind reel. Man, I caught lots on that, but hated the right hand retrieive...I'm a left hand retrieve guy...(different debate). The 1983-84-85 seasons were lights out on the Puyallup, and I lived a mile away. I know I touched over a 100 in one season! Everywhrere in the state was hot then....Really good smolt survival. Tackle technology really took off in the 80's, w/ all kinds of graphite rods produced. I still have my GLoomis IM6 1141C, purchased new, from Andy's Tackle Box on top the hill above Blue Creek, on the Cowlitz. Funny thing over the last 30 yrs since, I went back to light spinning tackle for most all river fishing. Do spey cast swing a fly a little now when able, and wish I could hit my local riv. swinging a fly in some those old beats. But everything is closed. Sucks Balls! Thanks for sharing.
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