The winter steelhead season is in full-swing. Having mild temperatures, great returns and good water levels are making this steelhead season one to remember!
I thought I would leave you with a few pictures of some decent fish (fish porn) to drool over.

Here is Mike holding his second steelhead ever! Catching this one at first light, it was the start of a good day. Guess you don’t need glow in the dark wool!

Vancouver Island definetly has some top notch steelhead fishing. One of these chrome beauties under your belt and your hooked for life. Leisure Suit Charters takes no responsibility for countless hours and dollars spent on fishing. Fish at your own discretion.

I was set up perfectly for this sequence after I ran my first cast through a piece of dark water at the tail out of a nice run, when a steelhead bolted out of a hole to look at what I was offering; then bolting back to where it was laying. I handed my friend the camera and said “Watch this!”.

After that fish revealed itself to me, I know exactly where to put my next cast. I stick it perfectly, upstream of where the chrome is lying.

The fish slams the float down and takes the wool. Fish on! Massive head shakes and quickly makes a run upstream, hoping to spit the hook (with no success).

After its run upstream, I work the fish closer to me which turned into a Mexican standoff, where we both catch out breath.

After the brief pause and a photo opp, the fish quickly turns its head, does a 180 and takes the current downstream. Giving resistance with my hand on the reel, keeping pressure on the hook, deciding whether the fish will turn around or if I’ll be chasing it downstream.

Having the fish take line, and not turning around I make a quick dash downstream to get back in control. This is where the fish takes me for a run.

The fish heads right towards a root bank. I have to give it the gears to keep its head out of the sticks; which would love to pull that hook out of the side of this fish’s mouth and leave me tangled, with only a glimpse.

Finally giving up, tired and defeated. The fish bow’s it’s head submitting.

Quickly tailing with one hand, lying the rod over your knees and pulling out the hook with the other before picking it up.

A quick picture with my prize, before it was released. 34 × 16 wild buck.

C.P.R- Catch, Picture and Released

January is here and steelhead season is in full swing. Perfect water conditions and warm temperatures keeps the fish snappy and always willing to take. Northern Vancouver Island has taken the #1 spot for the warmest destination in B.C.

Multiple fish days is starting to be the regular. With temperatures being in the double digits (+10 C), it makes it hard to believe its actually winter.

Here’s Conan holding a nice chrome doe (his second steelhead ever!). He says “I’ve lived here my whole life and never caught a steelhead’. I chuckle and tell him that steelheaders are a quiet bunch of tight lipping fisherman. He understands now for the much needed discretion.

Releasing another.

Finding this buck in a deep pool, we first ran through with artificial eggs with no success. Knowing there had to be a fish holding, just not liking what we were showing him. We go “loud” with a big ball of bright colored wool. The wool didn’t make it to back of the pool without being slammed down. Sometimes loud works.

Mild December temperatures and average water conditions makes for some snappy steelhead. Finding a little more action with fresh chromers shooting up the river daily. With the downward trend of rain, the larger pools start producing more fish than the runs and riffles.

Corked, with a fish on. Not huge one, but constantly finding more than a couple per day.

Finding plenty of bucks, I still haven’t had a glimpse of a doe this season. I hear theories that does don’t show up until later in the year. Who knows, I just find it strange to find so many bucks without seeing any does.

I bring along one of my buddies, and he catches his first B.C. steelhead. I will not be responsible for the relentless casts spent trying to find more. And will not be liable for any money you would rather spend on fishing rather than new shoes.

Winter steelhead for me started in November. A month where you think you are catching tail end of the coho season then your float goes down and when you set the hook you get a glimps of chrome.That’s no coho, you hooked a piece of steel. Whether you land or or not, that’s up to you.

I did get to land my first winter fish in November, but it wasn’t the first one I hooked that day. The day where the 38.5 × 19 chomped my pink wool and took me for a ride. Two nice jumps and a screaming run directly into a stick pile which wrapped up the fish and broke my leader. I know the fish’s exact size because a friend of mine caught this fish the next day and pulled out my red #2 Gamagatsu and part of a leader out of it’s mouth.