The worst "Combat" fishing I have ever seen is Lake Washington during the Sockeye fishery. I've never seen anything like it anywhere. From the crazies fishing in float tubes to canoes to huge cruisers. Luckily most of them are in good spirits! The worst one I saw last year were the 4 large guys crammed into a 7' Livingston. A single small wave would have swamped them easily as they only had about 4" of freeboard. Everytime I passed them the guy in the back was bailing water. And not one of them had on a PFD!

The other amazing spectical of combat fishing is Lake Lenore during spawning season. You will have a row of people standing on shore, another row of people standing in the water in their chest waders just out beyond the casting distance of the people on shore and then 1 or two rows of people in float tubes all going after the spawn laden cutts milling about the north shore. I watched as one guy litterally got knocked off his feet by the fish hitting him in the legs! Funny as all get out!

I caught my first steelhead at Rieters in 1984. At that time the crowds weren't too bad on a weekend. I haven't been back there in 15 years though.