Gentlemen,

The posts since this thread was resurrected are poignant, sad, and true. That being said, I do love pictures.

I read this board nearly daily, and I legitimately mourn for steelhead rivers I have never, and likely will never fish (Sky, Skagit, Sauk, Duck, Green, Queets, Etc..). I am an Idaho guy, and yet I truly mourn the state of WA steelheading (since I believe even now, that outside BC, the most magnificent steelhead in our hemisphere still call WA (even the PS, where we can't fish during prime time, home)) .

My own river has a consistent number of fish, mostly hatchery, with a good average size, even legit 20#s, and yet, over the last 20 years, side-drifting, pressure, ego, and me-first attitudes have changed the game on "my" waters.

However, I refuse to let that stop me. Even on a large river like the Clearwater, I see pressure in almost every hole I fish, but I am not discouraged, because there is still wonder to be had, (especially if I can value growth as an angler over catching (ie...seeking new, unexplored water...).

Maybe I am naive, but I refuse to give it up, For me, steelhead are simply the most beautiful creatures I have ever seen, and I am an animal nerd. I'm 35, perhaps halfway through this journey called life, and I could not imagine life without steelheading.

Though I've been at it for 25 years, I still consider myself a newbie, which is awesome, rewarding, and satisfying. I realize that I cannot compare the true world-class wild WA steelhead fisheries that most on this board enjoyed in my lifetime, with my upriver "boots," but I can understand the loss that I see seeping through reading many, many posts here.

I love steelhead, deeply and profoundly, but I also believe that all may not be lost, at least yet. This community has given me so much, and the fulcrum of this community rests, in part, with these amazing sea-run trout.

I'm rambling, but I can't give it up, even on pressured days, when the odds are against a bankie like me, even on a "healthy" river like the Clearwater. I still dream of a week on the OP, or perhaps a lifetime trip to BC, and it gives me motivation to fish my home rivers deep in the Inland NW with effort, dedication, and most of all respect.

Each season, I usually land 2-5 absolutely beautiful native/wild/unclipped summer-runs (many, no more than 6-8 pounds, some much larger) that take my breath away and create deep gratitude when I let them swim. What more could angling ever give?

The "porn?" If the public will ever get behind steelhead, pictures can only help. I realize douches abuse it for their own ends, but people needs to see these creatures to have any chance of public support behind recovery.

In "short," bring on the pics, and never stop trying to protect and appreciate the greatest gamefish on earth.