The past sure seems like a long time ago now. Your post reminded me of the good times we had, but sadly, those days are long gone. If Steelhead fishing ever returns to what it was, it will never be the same with the increased population we have here in Washington State.

I learned how to fish for Steelhead on the Nisqually in the early 80s. Back then, a typical trip from mid-February to early April would result in hooking three or four fish and almost always bringing at least one wild fish home. The limit was two wild fish, and more often than not, the river was all mine to enjoy below the tank crossing. There were very few other sportsmen around, until WDFW decided to publicize the river through newspapers and fishing magazines, bringing much more traffic and pressure to the fishery.

How good was the fishing? Pretty damn good most of the time. In early January and February, the river would be packed with Chum. We’d complain about hooking so many Chum while we were trying to target Steelhead. It wasn’t unusual to hook Chum one after another, and the river would stink of rotten carcasses. Dead fish would line the banks and it was impossible not to step on them as you fished. Your Thanksgiving post took me back to a float we did during the Thanksgiving holiday many years ago. We floated from the tank crossing bridge to the handicap access bar, and there was several tribal members fishing that day, getting a good number of early Steelhead. We even managed to hook and land one ourselves—again, this was in November!

Another trip that comes to mind was when I was fishing a big gravel bar above Clear Creek. I made three casts for one chrome bright Steelhead, one with a red strip and one which was spawned out. That type of fishing, those experiences, are something I highly doubt I will ever see or witness again in Washington State.

Now, I no longer own any drift boats or sleds, and I haven’t even bought a fishing license for five or six years.

It’s good to reminisce about the good old days, but it's also a reminder of how drastically it has changed and in such a very short period of time.