> At this point I had not seen the fish, but eventually I managed to make it
> back to the river bank and was able to stand on dry ground. At that time the
> fish exploded into the air, executing three cartwheels. I couldn't believe
> my eyes, the fish was almost 4 feet in length. I had never seen a steelhead
> like it. After 45 minutes of battling the fish I managed to beach it gently.
> My intention was to let it go, having first measured the fish, but it was
> bleeding quite heavily from the gills. As it seemed likely not survive the
> ordeal, and because it was the fish of a lifetime, I decided to take the
> fish. In 10 years of fishing Washington state rivers this is the first fish
> I have ever taken, of any kind, from a river.