I'm not able to steelhead fish very often, so I'm an avid reader and Net surfer. This Board is by far the best source of information on steelheading. (Don't forget to check out Bob's 'Tips' section and print all those out as well.)

This Bulletin Board is absolutely full of the information a beginning steelheader could use to good advantage. If you check the last year's worth of posts and look for topics on rods, reels, line and specific techniques you'll be well ahead of the gang.

In particular, a little over a month ago there was a similar request made in reference to the best steelhead books. The consensus was that Bill Herzog's 'Steelhead Drift Fishing' was tops, but another 10 books were mentioned, too.

I'd block out a couple of hours over the weekend, scroll through the last several hundred posts here, print out all the things of interest, and save them for future reference. (Bob, there's a book's worth of great info contained in your archives -- all you'll need is a spel chekker and an editor, and you've got a Frank Amato Publications winner.)

The advice to use a guide is also very good. It's an inexpensive investment in the long run. If there's a river nearby that's likely to become your 'home river' for steelhead fishing, that's the one I'd hire the guide for (even if the river isn't as productive as one farther away). In addition to learning the ropes from a pro, you'll also find a few spots that hold fish under the current conditions.

And if you do use a guide or observe others in a combat area take notes -- if not on the bank or in the boat then when the day's over. You don't want to forget anything about the presentations down to numbers of shot in the slinky, hook sizes, leader length, leader breaking stength, brand of line, etc. All of this will accelerate your learning curve.

Welcome to fishing's most addictive vice.