C

Well last year I had a guy comment on my pic that twobob posted up with my son and I holding a king in early august. You'd be surprised the amount of folks that peek around these sites... Facebook is another one... Early Steelhead fishing is almost trashed for me. I enjoyed it mostly because of the solitude it use to have in store... Yes you can still find... But nothing like it used to be. I noticed big changes from 98-2004... And the from 2009 to present it has gotten out of hand for me

I recall my first two years posting here in 2009 and 2010... I was always trying to stir the pot because no one seemed to post anything after the end of october

Andy IMHO the Steel folks have noticeably increased along with the number of fish in the past few years- -don't think they would stick it out ( internet or not) if the numbers went back to the old days.
 When I started ya could walk all along behind your place and see one or two guys between Tressel and where the turn off is for Tressel South, and about a  hundred boats.
 Some of my SECRET May spots where I was generally always alone have guys posted by  them most all day in the past few years.
Just the way it is I guess when the fish numbers up.
Good with the bad   lol.

r3g3
 if the numbers went back to the old days.
 

RG,
 
The old days for me are the early to mid 80's and there were fish everywhere in late October, but also large numbers of anglers.  I had to get away from the river except for a couple of days a year in the 90's, and I noticed that the fishing for steelhead basically went to hell, and the biologists weren't sure why. But it got fixed, it is just that the word has been out, and there are more of us looking to catch lightning in a bottle.
 
I shook hands for about 5 minutes this afternoon about 10 minutes from my house, with a high teens silver rocket, over a yard of mint bright at eye level 20 feet away when she jumped, blast to the tail of the pool, blast back up, and then she's heading for the lake, I'm at least 50 feet into the backing when I hit shore to 63 year old style run after her, I clear the sweeper on the outside get under the overhanging brush below that and hit less rocky ground where the fast water at least has an eddy for the fish to rest and me to catch up, reeling like mad, and I've finally got the end of the line on the reel, three heavy head jolts as the rod comes into play again, and she twists against the force, and she' s gone.
 
Boy, I love October!
 
L13       

Started  in the 80s too- was great for a while then crashed -big time crash- think they have done a great job bringing them back.
 Crowds have increased each year IMHO since they have become more abundant and more popular.
It isn't like when several species are there, its just Steel- more and more folks are tuning in.

My early years were 90 on... Yes crowds were here but end of October was upriver mayhem... The lower river was mostly a blank the month of November with lots of chrome. I'd say 91 and 92 were phenomenal steelhead years in my findings. My father would insist that its not always this way but we would have great trip after great trip... I'd say 93-97 were tough steelhead years... 97/98 season was a good steelhead season for me. The crowds really started coming for steelhead Slowly from there on with it really hitting hard 2009 to present. I think I could say that number of steelhead fishers have wat more than quadrupled since I started.especially in November. We used to come up every thanksgiving. We usually fished alone on thanksgiving in many spots. Not near the case anymore. Exploited is an understatement. I just hope mother nature protects them again this year as she did last year... The two years before that were a joke with a low water warm steelhead circus all season long... Those fish got really beat up

Dime, your years seem about right.  It was still great down low when Fred and then Mike had the gate, it was getting pretty spotty when Connie was in there, and after that I think we just gave up as the price went up and the catch rate went down.  I'm just glad that whatever was broke got fixed.  And I truly feel bad for DSR if a lot of fish are now running at night and getting through there before dawn.  NOT!
 
L13

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