First steelhead hooked:

10 years old fishing the Satsop with dad for sea-run cutthroat in July. size 0 mepps spinners were the ticket then. I cast into a deep hole and counted 15 seconds to let the spinners sink. Looking back the spinner was probably on the bottom for 10 of those seconds. Anyway, I start a slow retrieve and as the spinner rises up from the depths, a HUGE white mouth appears behind the spinner, engulfes it, turns, then a huge flash, then my 6 foot fenwick is bent over doing double-time.

Beside myself with panic, I did what any 10 year old would do.....I put the pole over my shoulder, clamped down on the reel, and ran up the gravel bar. The line parted about 10 seconds later. But that was my first taste of summer steelhead and I've been ruined ever since. Looking back, it was probably a stray Wynoochee hatchery summer-run as this was back when that program was just starting.

But boy, was I glad that fish strayed into the Satsop!