Geez Todd, didn't ya' know the standard explanation is that the 15# fish just moved into the pool as John began casting . . . OK, I wish I'd been there to see it happen. One of the neat things about fishing, is that there is always another thing to learn.

Hey Coley,

It's only long and boring if yer a "hunt n peck" typist. This is one of the most interesting threads I've been in in a long time. The "gist" of fishing is pretty uncommon on BBs anymore, like it's all been talked out and then some. This variation is enough out of the ordinary to sustain more interest. Hell, even Todd the champion of the pink worm is invested in the discussion, altho he's pretty concerned about beads not being fly fishing (t.i.c.).

You realize I hope that it's positively devastating to learn that among undisturbed steelhead, some of the bastiches might not be players. My entire fishing strategy is based on it being a waste of time to fish twice through a pool. Well, I guess it still is, since if they didn't hit, they weren't players. (Mental note to self: if fishing through a second time, make it a bead.) What you say about strategy makes sense with respect to a high probability of fish presence. It still seems like it would take an inordinate amount of time to use the technique for searching.

As for making a distinction between fishing methods, I think it's most useful for comparing apples to apples. When it comes to fishing for winter steelhead, I have no expectation of as many hookups as my counterpart fishing with bait, or beads as it now turns out. And comparisons are useful in the course of a fishing trip, trying to figure out if fish are in the system in numbers, and if they're in the lower, middle, or upper reaches.

OP,

I sure hope it doesn't seem like your thread got hijacked. I think it's evolved into one of the more interesting steelhead discussions I've seen here in a long time.

Sg