Was it worth it?

I’m an out of towner of sorts.  We live in South Carolina, but my wife grew up near Erie, and we still go back there every Thanksgiving.  In the days and weeks before our trip, I scour this site and a few others trying to get a feel for what’s happening with the annual steelhead run.  There is a wealth of information if you do a little homework.  Because of how far we live from Erie, this annual trip is our one and only shot at chrome.  Regardless of the conditions, my son and I will be out there giving it our best shot.  Each year we try to get out twice over the holiday.  And each year we’ve learned something new and gotten a little better prepared.  Here’s a recap of the last few years:
 
Thanksgiving 2010 – Day 1: went to Walnut with my 14 year old son.  First time fishing for steelies for both of us and our fly fishing skills were not that good.  Other people around us were kind and patient and we tried not to get in the way.  We didn’t have waders, so we fished from the bank using our Bass Pro Shops $69 nine foot 6wt fly rods.  We both hooked and lost several fish.  None landed.  Was it worth it?  Hell yes! 
 
Thanksgiving 2010 – Day 2: it had poured on Thanksgiving for most of the day, and the creeks were blown out.  It was cold and the wind was brutal.  We went to Elk but the conditions were not going to work – especially without waders.  Drove to Walnut and fished for an hour or so, but the wind was just miserable.  I think it was the only time my son has ever asked to stop fishing.  Zero fish and chilled to the bone.  Was it worth it?  Hell yes!  We will always remember that morning and still laugh about how cold we were.  Ordered a pair of waders for both of us that night.
 
Thanksgiving 2011 – Day 1: Recent rain had the creeks up, so we hit Twelve Mile.  Conditions there were good.  I hooked up a nice steelhead, fought it for a while, but it kept running downstream over the ledges and eventually got to a spot that I could no longer follow it.  At one point it was near my son and if we had a net, he could have landed it.  But we didn’t, so it wore thru and broke the tippet.  First time a fish ever took me into my backing.  Was it worth it?  Hell yes!  Went to the store and bought a big net that night.
 
Thanksgiving 2011 – Day 2: went to Walnut and found a small pod of fish that nobody was pestering.  I called my son over and let him work them, and he hooked and landed his first steelhead.  To make it better, it was on a fly that we tied.  Glad we had the new net with us.  Was it worth it? Absolutely!
 
Thanksgiving 2012 – Day 1: water was extremely low and clear.  Went to Twelve Mile and didn’t even throw a line in.  Drove to Sixteen Mile and saw some fish, but none wanted to play.  The only one hooking fish was a guy that was throwing handfuls of fish pellets in the water to create a feeding frenzy.  Drove around to some other spots that we wanted to investigate, and met a guy that gave us some good intel.  Was it worth it?  Yes.  I’ve found that kindness on the stream is usually returned with kindness.
 
Thanksgiving 2012 – Day 2: my wife, son and I got up at dark:30 and went to Elk.  Hoped to find some fish near the mouth, but none of us were having any luck.  Drove to another spot on Elk and worked our way up river.  Saw a few fish, but none were interested in what we were offering.  The water was just too low.  We were all a little discouraged but we spoke to some guys at the tackle shop and they all said that the conditions were about as tough as it gets.  It was still great to be out on the water with my wife and son.  I got a great picture of the two of them in their waders that we all laugh about.  Was it worth it?  Hell yeah!  It rained the week after Thanksgiving and the conditions were perfect.  Too bad I was back in SC. 
 
So next month we will be back in town and hitting the creeks.  I’d love to finally land one – mostly to get my son off my back about how he is the only one to ever catch a steelhead.  We are a lot more prepared than we were back in 2010 – better fly gear, waders, and oh yeah, a net.  But that still doesn’t mean we’ll land fish.  Mother Nature has a big hand in that, and the right conditions can certainly help.  But no matter what the weather and conditions are, will we be out there?  Hell yeah!  I guarantee it will be fun and that makes it worth it.  See you on the water.

Great story. Sometimes we have to read a story like that to put it all in perspective. I don't know if I will get to go for Steelhead this year, but if I do It will be worth it to me, fish caught or no fish caught.

So Thanksgiving 2013 has come and gone.  Lots of quality time with family and friends.  It's always great to get back to Erie.  Of course we found some time to sneak away and try to fool some fish.  Was it worth it?
 
Thanksgiving 2013 – Day 1: My son and I hit the Legion area on Elk.  Worked our way down stream and really didn't see any fish.  There were a couple of folks catching, but it wasn't happening for us.  It seemed like most of the people would come, fish for a while, and then leave.  We decided to do the same and so we packed up and hit another spot on Elk.  This time, we did find fish and started working them.  I was able to hook and land my first steelhead ever.
 
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Met a really nice guy there named Denny.  If you're going to be sharing some water with someone, Denny is the kind of guy you hope for.  Nice, friendly & knowledgeable.  We enjoyed fishing with him and he was nice enough to give us some good intel about a few other spots in the area.
 
Thanksgiving 2013 – Day 2: Headed back to the same spot as Day 1, and Denny and a few other guys were already there fishing.  They offered to let us join them, but since my wife and son were along too, I didn't want to add three more people to their spot.  It was a good excuse to find some new water so we worked our way upstream to a place that Denny had mentioned the day before.  It was a beautiful day with temps in the upper 70's.
 
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We found some fish and started to work them and it wasn't long before my wife yelled "I got one!"  It was great to see her hook and land her first steelhead.  I think I was as excited for her as I was the day before when I caught mine. 
 
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We all had a few others on the line but they either broke off, or were not hooked in the mouth.  The only bad part of the day was when my son broke his fly rod - glad it has a 25 year warranty.
 
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Congrats on the great trip, and thanks for the pics!  I never get tired of seeing the smiles.... 

nice