So their you are on your favorite home steelhead river after a good morning of fishing you have punch one steelhead on your card or you have released one and retained the immense joy which overflows by such an accomplishment. The pressure is off you have a story for your buddies and justification for the old lady who isn't your number one fan at the moment for taking off fishing for the day. The noon hour has approached and flown away like the bald eagle that exchanged glances earlier in the morning and the aftermath is a glaring sun uncovering shadows of greyish blue as you hike the river bank. This has always been a tough time to hook the professor of disapearance and surprise but you do have a couple of tricks and methods so what do you do when it's head to head steelhead action like the world series of poker. Do you stick to your guns and years of experience, or do you pull out the make or break you techniques? Me I would find my self in south west washington fishing # 2 grey gamies w/a blood red and black yarn intertwined w/ a shrimp scent on 3ft. 6 pound test leader 8 pound main line fishing under a tree offering some overhanging branches that shadow a moderately fast section of tail out.

Give me a 6" seducer pink worm and I'll get em'....Guaranteed.

Gimme a 1/4 stick of stumpin' powder and a fuse cap, watch em roll in belly up!!!

Just kidding, I only do that at night.....

Seriously, I'll take a 3-4' leader, Maxima ultra-green, #4 Gamakatsu Octopus tied with an egg loop, and a bait of fresh eggs thumbnail size. Add a small glo-ball for night fishing...a steelhead never passes it up.

I would give them a small adjustible cork bobber (has to be cork as it is a natural color) on 5' of leader, a 1/16 oz. marabou and rabbit fur jig that I tyed my self (black, purple w/pink head or pink/pink) and a small cured prawn tail.

Or floating line, 10' leader, and a size 6 Freight Train variation.

I'd give it about 20 minutes, then go ahead and start pulling my hair out...and before leaving, crush my polarized glasses underfoot.

I would pull out a Blue fox #? oh I forgot...

In the color of B??? and B?????????????

Never fails where I fish!!!

Good luck!!!

I'd switch over to a slip bobber with one of my hand tied pink jigs with a sand shrimp tail! It never fails in the Sol Duc.

Right on you guys, thanks for responding. I can relate to the crushing of the glasses except I tend to involuntarily do that every frickin trip. I was in this prediciment on saturday evening on the kalama and was unsucesful with all of the trials and tribulations, but it was good times.