I think you made a good point. Some times it seems that the hatchery winter steelhead become worse biters every year. Must be because all the biters get caught and the ones that dont make it to the hatchery.

I think many people believe or have believed that steelhead are agressive by nature. But when you get low water years like this last one you really see how many fish just dont give your offering a thought. I remember passing over and seeing up to a dozen fish in any given hole with having first water and not one of these wild steelies would even think about it.

I remember reading an article a few years ago in STS about the North Umqua. They were tagging both wild and hatchery summer and winter steelhead and tracking them through the taggs.

I think is was something like 54% of the summerrun fish hatchery and wild were caught. And with just as much fishing presure only 6% of the winter fish were caught. Out of each four groups I thinked they tagged 100 fish. Pretty interesting article. It made me wonder how many winter steelhead just let my stuff float right by.