Catching fish is a bonus a nice bonus but a bonus. I drive 2 hours to get there and I travel for work so my time at home is at a premium. But in order to not go insane I have to make time to get away. I prefer later in the season when not as much thunderdome action is going on but I also like being in the lake on the boat this time of year fishing as well. Its wonderful to have these issues to deal with.  

Also... like fishmonger said... hooking someone up to their first steelhead is awesome. I put my brother on his first steel last season, his first fish of the day was a 10lbr. The biggest one we caught all day. I couldn't have caught any fish that trip and I still would be grinning from ear to ear everytime I think about it. Now he can't wait to get back up there with me.

You guys are right about watching someone hook up for the first time.  I had that opportunity twice last year.  Actually, one of the guys had fished for steelies when he was a kid many years ago, it was not his first fish, but it was his first fish since that time.  Both of those guys were absolutely thrilled, but I think I enjoyed their fish as much as they did.  It is truly a blessing to see a person hook a silver bullet and have the fish rip line off their reel.  The looks on their face were worth the price of admission, smiles from ear to ear and shoots of "Oh God, this thing is huge!".  There is little to compare the feel of steel with.  Even a huge muskie does not have the explosive power of a fresh steelie.
 
Gee, I am getting excited just thinking about catching fish...  Better get back to work.

i put 2 college buddies (one from FL one from VA) on their first fish within 30 sec of each other...
and the both promptly snapped them off... great laughs and both of their jaws hit the water

they already have a date to come back up

another question...

how do you prepare a first timer for that first hook up???
the head shake the run... and the impending snapp of the tippet?

no matter what you say, they always clamp down
something about a small stream and that excitement
a cold damp morning, still half asleep, water off color (so they still haven't seen a fish)
they under estimate the size and the run of the fish
the words "dude, i have caught plenty of fish.  I'll land my first hookup"
the tugg, the scream of the reel...wide awake now
up untill this point they always used a reel just to hold line
someone now realizes why they put drag on a fly reel
seeing parts of the line that haven't ever touched water
clamp down.... SNAP
they turn to you... heart pounding, eyes wide open... "dudddde"


sorry for the rant... it toook me back
the tug is the drug

Just being able to have the oppurtunity to go up and catch these fish makes it all worth it.  I've had days were I really had to fight the conditions and was only able to catch a couple. That was some of the most fun I've ever had up there.
 
A buddy and I went up one day and it was so cold and miserable you couldn't even feel your hands, feet, line, you get it.  We each only landed 2 a piece but it was one of my favorite trips because just making a cast was brutal.  Not every trip is going to be easy.  The challenge is what I live for!

I don't care if I catch any. a lot of times I don't. doesn't matter to me, I just enjoy the time outdoors and away from electronic devices.
it's a 90+ mile drive for us too, we try to get up there once a month in the fall and once or twice in the spring if we can.
like someone else said, Erie has a lot to offer. Everytime we go we have a meal at one of our favorite places to eat, Last year we went to an Erie Otters game, We go check out stores that look interesting, stop in at some wineries, we've been to the Maritime Museum a couple times, and a couple years ago we went for a day sail on the Flagship Niagara.

ORIGINAL: FisherChic

I don't care if I catch any. a lot of times I don't. doesn't matter to me, I just enjoy the time outdoors and away from electronic devices.
it's a 90+ mile drive for us too, we try to get up there once a month in the fall and once or twice in the spring if we can.
like someone else said, Erie has a lot to offer. Everytime we go we have a meal at one of our favorite places to eat, Last year we went to an Erie Otters game, We go check out stores that look interesting, stop in at some wineries, we've been to the Maritime Museum a couple times, and a couple years ago we went for a day sail on the Flagship Niagara.

 
If you have not been to the Tom Ridge Environmental Center or better known as the TREC, check it out.  It is pretty neat.

I feels like you hooked into a freight train...  These fish are strong and if you get a fresh one, they sometimes like to jump.  I once had one jump 11 times completely out of the water.  It was awesome.  It is truly something you have to experience as it is honestly very difficult to describe.
 
Good luck when you come up and I hope you can get a chance to feel the steel.

well it's easy for me since I live in downtown Erie....so it's a 10 minutes drive to Walnut...

yep....live this close to a body of water and for some reason i've never steelie fished until late last fall.  I will be out Sat. morning though...
 
cooljauman.... sorry to tease ya man....

I'm 6.5 hrs away so when I get there I really want to play with some Steel.However,if the stream has running water,nice scenery,and some fish in it that's all good,if I get skunked I will think of it as a learning experience.
A little off topic,but on the helping someone catch fish,I also fish the Salmon River in NY.As some of you know there is a mistaken belief that the Salmon won't hit,well they do if you FISH for them.I have had several experiences in helping the clueless in learning a few basics in fishing and getting those people into a Salmon.The look on their face and the obvious joy is quite a reward for me.
As far as numbers....slow....good.....great.....exceptional are good enough for me,this is supposed to be a relaxing experience not a competition.Does it matter what the number is?

like i said before....i'm new to Steel... last weekend i was using powerbait below a small float... nothing would bite... Sunday i spent most of the day in Stop Sign with another couple and they kept pulling them in and nothing for me.  i even tried a small spinner but still nothing.  The closest i got was a nice steelie swam between my legs...lol... any suggestions?

Carcus, I'm probably the one with the least experience with Walnut Creek but even using flies under small bobbers will work. These fish have seen it all, or are going to in the next couple of months, and powerbait, I've seen, doesn't perform well. Now everyones going to say about that one day they caught 15 on powerbait.. I'm just basing this on personal experience! Jigs/spinners should work. My favorite is a little cleo 1/6 ounce that I've used for success. Being a fly fisherman those days were awhile back.

ORIGINAL: FisherChic

did you ask the others what they were using?...

BEST ADVISE.. ask for advise

as mean and sarcastic as people are on here... on the water most people will give you more info that you need

just ask

I just like to feel a fish, just some contact on the line and one is fine for me.  I need to know that I've done something right.  Anything after that is a bonus.  Now, my "goal" is not much of a goal really, but that is mostly because I live so close and I don't feel the need to make something happen like I would if I were driving two hours.