# Idaho Steelhead



## Nor-tah (Dec 16, 2007)

Steelhead have always been a fish that intrigued me. Rainbows that learned that the Pacific Ocean was a better place to find food and live that the freshwater rivers they started in. Evolution at work. Then, after growing large in the Ocean, they run back to where they started to drop their eggs and return to the ocean again.

So when Everet from Idaho invited me up I jumped at the chance!! Got a few of my good buddies from the forum to join me and at 5:00 PM Friday we were off!! We met Everet in Idaho Falls and drove up to Motel Deluxe in Salmon! :lol: We arrived at 12:15 AM and tried to get some shut-eye. At 4:00 AM we were up and on the road for North Fork and then Shoup.

We got to the run we wanted to fish right before the sun came up. The river was beautiful as the sun started to shine over the deep canyon walls.








Everet was the first to strike steel with the crazy three way swivel, slinky, corky, plastic rigs.
A female that swam more that 600 miles to where he caught her. She will taste good on the smoker. :wink: 























Orvis1 had the most takes on this run but it didnt happen for him. Is that a spinning rod on the river Orvis?? :lol: :lol: Tisk tisk.. when in Rome.








We brought the raft and had an interesting time crossing the river.








Everet caught some more fish... typical. :roll: :mrgreen: I was still skunked. We wanted to use the raft further up river so we didnt deflate it and took it up the road the only way we could with the car.









Lets see... next stop was this run.








This is Stevos picture. He lost a MONSTER in this run so I think he sat down and took this picture. :mrgreen: This fish grabbed the lure and took off up river just peeling drag. We ran over and told him to tighten the drag thinking it was too loose. He did and a few seconds later the 12 pound leader snapped. He showed us how tight the drag was right after and I had to use two hands to get it to pull. This fish had to be huge as it was just ripping it.

Finally we moved to a third and final run. Had to wait in line for turns to fish it but there were definitely fish there! 















We spent the rest of the day there and caught a few more fish.
Stevo got a nice one and I got my first and only Steelhead of the trip just as the sun was setting.

















My tripmeter read 1006 miles when I finally got home on Sunday. It was a long trip but really fun. Couldnt have done it without good buds to help share costs. A big thanks to Everet and those that helped with gear suggestions and even donated gear to the trip.


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## Tigru (Oct 15, 2007)

Very very cool! :O||: I would absolutely love to do a trip like that.


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## B-randon (Dec 12, 2009)

Good job gettin into the chrome fellers :mrgreen:


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## .45 (Sep 21, 2007)

Uh......I think you guy's need a bigger boat !! :? 

At least everybody is smiling....looks like a great time !! Nice weather, pretty river, good company, willing fish, no food.... :|

Nice report !!!


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## STEVO (Sep 13, 2007)

Thanks again for inviting me on the trip guys. I had a BLAST and now im completely addicted. I think im gonna try to make it a annual trip as my first ice off experience  Those fish are definately fighters. Nothing like I have ever fished for here!!!! Definately have some learning to do but that will only mean more fish :mrgreen:


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## JERRY (Sep 30, 2007)

Looks like a lot of fun! 

That's all I need, another outdoor addiction!!!!!


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## lunkerhunter2 (Nov 3, 2007)

Thanks for the invite Kyle!


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## dartangion (Jul 2, 2008)

Beautiful fish in an equally beautiful place...doesn't get any better than that. Thanks for the report man!


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## Fleigenbinder (Feb 3, 2010)

Great Pics Great Story and I am sure the memories will last a lifetime!


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## .45 (Sep 21, 2007)

lunkerhunter2 said:


> Thanks for the invite Kyle!


I think you and I missed this part of the post.....


> my good buddies from the forum to join me


He only calls me when he's in trouble !!! :roll:


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## Pez Gallo (Dec 27, 2007)

congrats on getting your first steelhead!


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## STEVO (Sep 13, 2007)

.45 said:


> lunkerhunter2 said:
> 
> 
> > Thanks for the invite Kyle!
> ...


 :lol: Man you guys are brutal. Unfortunately Kyle's school bus was in the shop so he couldnt take ALL his good buddys :mrgreen:


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## GaryFish (Sep 7, 2007)

Great report! Ahhhhhh, the Salmon River. The river of my youth. I spent more time on that river than all other water combined over my lifetime. Thanks for the pics. Made me feel home again. And great fish!


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## Nor-tah (Dec 16, 2007)

STEVO said:


> .45 said:
> 
> 
> > lunkerhunter2 said:
> ...


No truer words spoken!  Really I would love to have invited more people but my little car fills up quick.


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## B-randon (Dec 12, 2009)

+1 on the thanks for the invite Kyle


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## Nor-tah (Dec 16, 2007)

And thanks for the replies guys!!

On a side note, I got this email from my uncle the day I got home. :shock: Dont know if its true but that is big country.
Title said, "FW: Wolf in Salmon ID"


> Heidi Leavitt shot this wolf just outside their home down river at Spring Creek. Heidi was in the store and said that they have had a pack running around their place and decided when they heard them coming their way again, they would try and shoot one (she did have a tag). So next time came quickly and while waiting for the pack to get closer, they looked in the woods below them and there was this wolf. He weighted 127 lbs. He was a collared wolf and by the time they got it to Fish & Game (which is probably an 1.5 hr drive, Fish & Game already knew about the wolf and said they had been looking for him. He is now skinned and hanging at their place. The wolf pack had been terrorizing campers lately. Had a couple of guys treed in the cab of their pickup all night at Colson Creek campground. Not afraid of human campsites at all.


[attachment=2:33ibbuq3]wolf.jpg[/attachment:33ibbuq3]
[attachment=1:33ibbuq3]DSCN4587.jpg[/attachment:33ibbuq3]
[attachment=0:33ibbuq3]DSCN4579.jpg[/attachment:33ibbuq3]


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## Bo0YaA (Sep 29, 2008)

Ive fished the Salmon once for them ocean goin rainbows and man, talk about a fish of a thousand casts, my arm was sore for 2 weeks after 3 days of that stuff lol. Oh and nice wolf and even better gun rack (picture 3) :lol:


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## sharpshooter25 (Oct 2, 2007)

Nice pics man. Glad you had a blast. Hope you are still coming down on the 20th.


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## sawsman (Sep 13, 2007)

Nice report! great pictures too.

Let us know when your bus is out of the shop and on the road again..

And, uh, that large coyote.. kill 'em all. :twisted:


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## troutgass (May 5, 2009)

Nice Nice Nice  So I am just learning about this way cool fish species. Did you catch Wild or Hatchery and what fin is clipped on the hatchery and what fish can you keep on that water?


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## Nor-tah (Dec 16, 2007)

Fishing is a never ending learning process for sure!! We caught one or two wild fish. Stevos is wild. Idaho requires the release of all wild Steelhead. 
Here is a pretty good description of fins.
[attachment=0:1qm4rbl7]finlayout.gif[/attachment:1qm4rbl7]
Hatchery fish get the Adipose fin clipped. On the above picture they call it the soft dorsal. All trout have adipose fins. Look back at Stevos fish and you will see the adipose fin.


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## Nor-tah (Dec 16, 2007)

Not sure why it came out black but if you click on it, it will have the words on it. Something I learned this year is that the "tail fin" as I have always called it, is actually called the Caudal fin. Pretty cool.


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## wyogoob (Sep 7, 2007)

Cool stuff boys, neat report.


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## duneman101 (Nov 6, 2009)

great post i nailed quite a few steelhead and king salmon in my younger days on the rivers of washington... great fish! they are the best of fighters.


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## REPETER (Oct 3, 2007)

:mrgreen: Can't wait 'til I can fish again...I keep telling myself that it'll all be worth it. Thanks for letting me live vicariously through you.


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