KK,

I feel you. I fished for steelhead on and off for 15 years before I ever got one - before I could even swear I got a bite. This period included years when I wouldn't even go steelhead fishing because I was convinced it was a futile endeavor. Here's a typical example - a buddy takes me to a local river that's got a "run" going. We get there in the dark, it's freezing. About an hour after sunrise, my buddy, standing 30 feet up from me, hooks and lands one. He moves on up the river and I move up behind him. Another guy arrives about 20 minutes later and takes up station exactly where I had spent the last two hours. On about his third cast, he hooks up and lands a fish. Two things changed my luck.

First, as mentioned, hire a guide. Let the guide worry about reading the water and what will work. Observe, listen and learn a little from a pro. It's not magic. You will catch fish. After that first fish, it seems to get way easier. Really, once you get the hang of it, you'll probably come to consider that a steelhead is one of the easiest fish to catch.

Second, after some success with a guide, apply what you've learned to your home river. Learn your home river. Learn everything there is to know about it. Learn when the fish will be coming and learn where they are likely to be holding in all water conditions. Take one stretch of that river and learn it in minute detail. Don't wait for good reports, go fishing. Once you have figured out a stretch of river, you'll find that the sweet spots consistently produce fish and different spots are consistent in various water conditions. Once you do this, you'll progress from counting years per fish to counting fish per year and then to fish per trip.

Good luck!