I know there are alot of guys in here at different experience levels when it comes to steelheading. That put aside; Ive heard it takes the average steelheader 30-40 hours to catch one steelhead. I know there are alot of variables like being able to fish from a boat vs. bank.

Just curios to know how other guys compare to the suppossed 30-40 hr thing. For me, i'd have to say 10-15 hours of throwing, before the fish hits the bank. Sometimes it doesnt matter, you can have 4 or 5 in 1 hour. But over the course of a hear the average rises.

- BW

This is a question that a guy can feel a little goofy answering. I'd say year around that after all fish caught and averaging it into an hourly rate, according to the fish log I'd say that I average 1 every two hours??? That's a tough one. This accounts for myself. I do a lot of boat fishing and factoring that into the fact that there is always others fishing while I'm rowing or running the sled, including what the boat does all in all I'd say 1 an hour. I'll have to ask james he's with me 85% of the time..
Keith
Tough question...

[ 10-26-2001: Message edited by: stlhdr1 ]

Just to REALLY skew the statistics you threw out there, I fished for metalheads for THREE years before I put one on the bank (in CA). I had no-one to mentor me, was just using my Pennsylvania trout fishing experience to figure out what to do. So for those of you who SLAM all of the other guys who try to help and give advice, coach, and give encouragement and assistance over this board, ..........well, I can't post it, but I'm sure you can figure it out with two words, the first one starting with an "F". I have been here all of four months due to the fact that I am a soldier and never stay in one place too long, but what I have picked up from those of you who are willing to share has been a great benefit and is greatly appreciated (I would add some names/handles, but I would probably put crosshairs on them for more low blows). To the naysayers, well, you can keep hiding from reality. NO ONE has said what hole to fish, just some general direction. And no, I haven't found any of your "TOP SECRET" zipperlip locations.
Lets just all go fishin' and have some fun. And just to put some coal on the fire, CNR all those wild rascals!
You wanna see anal retentive, talk to a blood banker!

lately its been 3 steelhead for 0 hours. I havent been targeting them but I have hitting a few while fishing for silvers.
If I added it for this year so far, its been about 1 for every 2 to 3 hours. I really didnt get to target steelhead to much this year. I only went when the odds were in my favor.
The stats dont really mean anything, There are too many varibles like the rivers you fish, The water conditions you encounter while fishing etc. Te main stat you should worry about is how much enjoyment you get per trip

Like Fish4Steel, I am mainly self-taught with some helpful hints from the board. I put in about 100 hrs before first steelie hit the bank...No caca! The next one came quicker and so on...(Question: Why is a virgin like a fresh roll of toilet paper?)
For a beginner that wants to learn, a guide that is willing to teach and share especially your preferred technique is $ and time saved when you look at the big picture.
No sniping about who did or didn't help me learn but this board was alot friendlier when I started a year ago.
There are a number of high-character people posting here. Let's start acting like it.
(Answer: Once you tear off the first piece, the rest comes easy!) :p

I think its really dependent on where you fish, your ability to adapt and how many rivers you have access to. I'm from skagit county and have easy access to the skagit system but I hardly ever fish it. I prefer instead to fish the samish where there are fewer fish and it blows out and comes in to shape much quicker. When i get into fish it isn't hard to get 5 or 6 in a morning or i can go 3 weeks without a bite. My average is probaly 1 fish for every 20+ hours but a large part of that is due to the fact that I can stand in a spot and know from the start that the fish aren't there or that the visibility is like a cup of coffee and yet i'll still fish it all day.

Go with someone who knows how to catch them and your odds go up drastically. Try jig fishing . It is the easiest way to catch one. It is a rush catching one on light spinning gear and light line. Good Luck

You can tell the steelheaders who are delusional about how good a fisherman they are. One steelhead per hour? I have fished
with some of the best steelhead guides in the state, and they would say you were full
of entrails.They work 8 to 10 hours a day on the best rivers in the state, and they would be very fortunate to limit out 2 clients in
4 hours. Don't believe the BS that flows on
this website sometimes.These are the same guys who will sit in bar and brag how they
were in special ops in Viet Nam when they didn't even serve in the military. If you said that you caught one every 5 or 6 hrs I would think your were a darn good steelheader
but the stats you give removes all credibility in your story. It is sad that you
have to feed your insecurity by trying to make everyone think your are the best steelheader in the northwest.

riverrider,
where in this thread is someone stating they are catching one per hour? You must be a better reader than I am. I see a post where the author says he catches 1 ever 2 or so hours. Ya know what, I believe him. I am a pretty good fisherman with over 25 yrs experience, I fished with this person for the first time on his home river about a month ago. I kept up with him till we both were at 6 fish each then he left me in the dust, I think he hooked about 15 that day. Careful where you throw stones.......you might spook your only biter........

THere are so many variables its not even funny, when you think about it. I for one enjoy solitude most of the time so i'll go to places that are less crowded and have less fish, and stil enjoy it as much as the guy flogging the hatchery rock.

THis question wasnt attended to smoke out the liers.

I have been fishing for several years.... No fish. Make sure to average that in.

Matt

If you average over my life, probably about 1 every 20 hours. This counts the early fruitless years. In later years, the results have gotten much better.

If you average over last year - 5 days fished, 6 hours a day, 24 fish boated (for the boat) average 2.5 rods a day in the boat, that would be about 3 rod hours per fish for the rods I manage. This past year I only fished when I thought the river was good, due to work. This coming year, now that I am unemployed, I expect the absolute number to go up and the average number to come down.

Now another interesting question would be, how many takedowns in this same time. I had easily twice as many fish on, which would take this down to about 1.5 strikes per hour.

RipDatLip,

I am not sure if you are joking or serious. If you are serious and you have been fishing for several years, I am sure the main reason you haven't been able to catch one is your timing. TIMING IS EVERYTHING. Even if you are Bill Herzog and there are no fish in the river, you are not going to catch anything. Well, I'll take that back. Bill Herzog will probably create fish. Read some of his books for techniques. I think your timing is the problem. Find out when the fish are in. Drive by your local rivers to spot crowds or cars and check this web site and WA Dept. Of Fish and Wildlife site and talk to your local tackle shops and you will be successful. Timing can be more important than techniques at times. Those 10-15 Steelhead a day that you hear once in a while are most likely true but that is mostly due to perfect timing not perfect techniques.

I know others are just curious in hours or how someones success measures in comparison with others. But maybe there's a better way to look at it.

Personally, I loose track of time when fishing for steelhead, that's the beauty of it, the hours are irrelevent. To me trying to track hours would make steelhead fishing too much like a job and there are too many variables like river conditions, checking out hunches etc..

I prefer to measure realistic steelhead fishing success this way for an experienced fisher: A fish hooked is a fair day, 1 fish to hand a good day, 2 fish to hand a great day, 3 fish to hand an excellent day and anything in excess of that is exordinary.

PS This measurement does not count when fishing in a terminal areas.

Riverrider-
Wow, calling the bluff! What's so hard to beleive about it. I guess ignorance can be called a beautiful thing. Let me show you how I came to my conclusion. 41 days fished x 7 hrs a day = 127 steelhead landed, which results in 2.25 fish an hour. Anyone else out there keep a journal or fishing report for themselves?? It's a common thing so you can track run timing, where, when, why and how.. It's possible, there are 20+ fish days figured in as well as days you catch 0. If I was just out there for the scenery, and didn't care about catching #'s I'd probably take up flyfishing or tiger muskies or something.. Just to ease ya a little more, if I'm not catching around a steelhead every couple hours, I'll quit or try somewhere else..
If you think I do well just get james (PrfctDrift) to post his #'s it's sick..
Keith

'rider,

I'm not a math Prof. or anything, but this is your quote. "and they would be very fortunate to limit out 2 clients in
4 hours. " Isn't that 4 fish in four hours, or 1 per hour? You need to remember Keith is a guide-level fisher, without the crackers in the boat. They fish the Lewis and have it dialed in. I don't think 1 fish every hour or two is an outrageous claim.

Of course, if you fish away from rivers with large numbers of fish to get some solitude, then it's going to take you more time. But hey, who cares? You shouldn't keep track of time too closely when you're fishing anyway. It's not healthy.........

Dan,
THAT`S RIGHT!!! It`s not healthy to keep track of time closely when fishing, no matter what time the wife tells you to be home..
Or just maybe..........He-he..
Actually I`m real lucky, with the overtime they have me working right now, the wife does`nt mind one bit when I want to go fishing when the opportunity arises.
Not that it would matter anyways..ooops..

Terminal fishing raises the time/fish formula to the high side. (Cook creek)(NFL)

Nonterminal fishing in a boat I expect 4-6 fish on a float for decent fishing. Bank fishing expectations are 2-3 fish for the day.
Its not about all about numbers.

Your right, it's not all about #'s it's about having fun. No matter what fishery you choose. Steelhead stats is a tough question with a simple math answer. By no means am I claiming to be the best in the NW, that's why I visit this site to learn more. I want to make the best of the limited fishing time I have available.
Keith

My numbers are a few less than Keith's. About 1 steelie every 10,000 casts.