Nice looking flies. It's a good thing steelhead aren't picky and tiers can cobble together whatever pattern suits their whim.

Don't fret the opher; it happens. Finally ended my streak on my fourth trip and 9th fish. I was opher-5 going in, opher-7 after fishing my first pool of the morning. Jinxed myself when I hooked my 3rd fish of the day and announced to my partner, ". . . and it's still on! . . ." only to have the line go slack a second later. Finally later afternoon provided another solid grab from a bulldog buck that didn't run much and a tug-o-war match leading to a steelhead in hand. Four straight trips that all provided action and eventually a fish to hand. It reminded me of a spell in the mid-80s on the Grand Ronde where I hooked and lost 11 straight. I was totally paranoid, and began throwing away flies in the belief that the hooks must be defective. And then I landed the next 12 straight without losing a single hookup. So it goes. Uncertainty is a compelling part of the steelhead game.

Sg