I was fishing the Sky last Friday. It was my fourth trip flyfishing for steehead. I started off at Reiter but it was pretty crowded and hard to fish with a fly rig. I moved downstream of Sultan. That is where I hooked up with my first steelhead. I about crapped my pants when I felt that fish shake it's head after taking my fly. I use an Orvis 8 wt. that I purchased about three months ago. I set the hook and that fish immediately came straight up out of the water thrashing like it's life depended on it. I am guessing it was about 15 lbs. I was crotch deep in water and thinking about carefully backing out in order to land this steelie. It ran downsteam and about three seconds the fish was into my backing. Suddenly my rod relaxed and I knew the fish was gone. I looked up at my rod tip to see about three feet of backing hanging there with a pig tail curl on the end of it. That is when I realized the knot that Orvis tied when I bought my rig, had just come undone. I watched in horror as about 25 ft. of my flyline swam downstream and slowly sank. I had to put my story on this web site because I know you guys can feel my pain and anger.

Your never going to forget that fish!! Don't be to surprised if one of the people who read this BB run's into this fish.(with your fly line). One June !st. I was fishing the Intake at Reiter. When I had a good hit, and a fish on. Second's later fish off. Next cast same thing, fish on, fish off. The next cast as I retreived I noticed a fish in distress ten feet in front of me. It was hooked on an unlucky angler's line,who had lost the fish with a bunch of his line. I gave up my prime spot, and watched as the same thing happened to each guy who grabbed the slot. The third guy got hold of the line well and the hole mess snapped off. Sorry guy's but I could'nt resist watching your face's as you hooked up! I hope for your fishes sake he get's loose soon. Have some fun!

Orvis tied the knot? Didn't know there were any Orvis dealers around Western Wa. You often have to emphasize to fly shops that you're going to be steelhead fishing, and that its very possible to be down into your backing just as you described, so they'll take some care in tying the knot.

Best to go to a shop that does sell alot of steelhead/salmon fly gear. If you need to replace that line, try Teds Sport Center in Lynnwood, they specialize in steelhead/salmon (all gear types) while maintaining a large fly fishing section.

Hooking a steelhead on a fly after four trips is pretty good; don't feel too bad he got off, especially since it wasn't your fault.

There is an Orvis store in Bellvue. The only way I know this is becuase I ordered sunglasses from their web site and got charged sales tax. If they have a store in the state they have to charge Wa sales tax even on out of state mail orders. One time while fishing on the Skagit I snaged up. After pulling to the point of almost breaking off, it came loose. Up comes a Shimano pole with an Abu 5500 reel on it. The line was srung out off the reel so I started pulling it in. All of a sudden I felt a fish on it. Hand lined in a 15 lb. chum!

Bummer on the lost fin!! That must have been great to hook one after only 4 tries though.
Repsonding to Neanderthal--my brother and I have each caught a pole out of the Willamette River in the "Garbage Hole"--He caught a custom Fenwick HMG w/Ambassador 2500c about 8 years ago and I caught a 8-17 GL2 spin rod last year!! Both while fishing for shad. Remember--they can and will hit hard!!

GREAT STORIES!
Lost- it,

Though your new to Steelhead flyfishing the sooner the better that you learn to do all your own rigging. It's your gear and it should be your responsiblity to make sure it's right. I love spending time the night before I hit the river going over my gear doing new leaders changing sink tips and sinking heads to fit what I think the river level will be. It's fun to make up all your Winter Steelhead rigging anyway and it makes for so many more options then you can buy at a shop. There is lots of info out there on how to do your own winter rigging, and it's a lot cheaper that's for sure. You will know it's done right when you do it your self!

Not a steelhead story but this is pretty good. Just about every year I go down to Nevada to fish Pyramide lake with some freinds. Its a pretty strange place "or at least the fishing is odd" you stand on a step ladder after you wade out about a 100 yards and throw shooting heads as far as you can. Anyway, one year we kept getting snagged on something out there about 70 feet out. I got ahold of it and could not get un-hooked and what ever it was started coming in.. instead of just breaking it off I spend like a hour pulling it in. When it gets close enough to see, I realize that I have caught a folding chair.. Its got all manner of crap hanging off of it. Mono, leaders with flys, big spoons. I start pulling in all the lose line so I can get rid of the whole mess. About 5 fish are still hooked to some of these lines. All were dead of course. The heartbreaker was this. One of those fish was an easy 15 lb cutthroat.. The line was all wrapped around the chair and the fish broke the line on it but could not break the line. I can imagine how pissed off whoever it was that hooked that fish was. I also wondered how long that fish was alive hooked to the chair. This was down by popcorn beach for those of you that have been there.