I grew up in Montana fishing for trout as a kid. Sometime back in the early '70s I went up to Ranger's Hole on the Duckabush with a little trout spinning rod and was tossing some single eggs in the hole below the falls, when I felt a tug on the line. When I set the hook, the biggest trout I had ever seen leaped out of the water took off downstream and immediately broke off my 4lb. test. Didn't have a clue there were steelhead around. I can still visualize that fish coming out of the water. Left me shaking and with the bug, though it was dormant for awhile.

Moved over to eastern Washington shortly after that and spent most of the next 10 years learning to fly fish and chasing non searun varieties of trout. Moved back to the wet side in 1986 with memories of that earlier steelhead. Started fishing with a friend for summerrun's on the N. Fork Stilly. Caught my first one on an orange marabou fly at Picnic Table on a beautiful June morning with the sun just starting to hit the snows on Whitehorse Mt. Memories you don't forget.