114 replies to this topic

[TRINIBOY]

You know for some reason I have no desire to fish saltwater yet....but I bet that'd be awesome [/quote]once you fish the salt, fresh water fish will lose its luster.

[MuskieBait]

Not all fish are created equal.  To me, steelhead are smarter, harder to hook and very difficult to land.  My opinion is that they are more of a challenge. This is especially true during the winter months.  It takes a dedicated fishermen to be steelheader and I dont think the same argument can be made for slaying salmon in september.

 

I think the discussion of catching salmon over steelhead is similar to the never ending debate between fly guys and centerpiners; everyone has a preference.  It seems to me that a lot of fly guys are elitists.....and....maybe I am too

 

 

Disclaimer: this msg was not intended to insult anyone so chillax and share your opinion too

 

Since as you stated you are pretty new to the sport, it reflects in your argument.

 

I consider myself neither as a steelheader nor a salmon angler...I don't swear allegence to any particular technique or species in fact...but here are some examples of dedication...

 

Salmon - went to school (university) all day, finished my last lecture at 8pm, drove 1 hour to a pier, fished for salmon from 9pm - 3am, had a nap for 4 hours, went back to lectures, finished the last lecture at 2pm, drove another hour to a creek and fished for salmon from 3-7pm.

 

Steelhead - on one very cold late fall day, woke up at 5am just to get to a frozen stream that flash froze with 1" of ice, buddy, myself and 2 guys grabbed a fallen tree to break the ice in chest deep water to open the pool...took about 2 hours...so cold our waders had 1/4" of ice frozen to it, could not use gloves since it will just get soaked and frozen solid, so we did it all in bare hands.

 

Whitefish - on one very warm March day, it rained for overnight and there was about 15" of slush and water on Lake Simcoe, but we were determined to get to Long Shoal even though the snowmobiles cannot run in that slush...so we waded for about 3km from Innisfil to get to our spot...by the time we got there, our legs were completely numb and tingling since we were not wearing waders but float suits or snow pants, but we had one of the best day of whitefish fishing ever!

 

Tarpon and bonefish - arrived at 3pm, fished from 5pm to 9pm, had quick dinner, fished again from 10pm to 1am, had a 2 hour nap, woke up at 3am to get gear ready, fished from 4am to 10am, had a quick lunch, took a 2 hour nap, woke up at 3pm and fished until 10pm, had a quick dinner, got gear ready, fished from 12am to 2am...finally landing a tarpon...took a 3 hour nap, woke up at 5:30am, fished for bonefish from 6am to 8am, finally landing my first bonefish, and continue to catch bonefish until 10am.

 

Recent Florida trip - we drove an average of 5 hours a day, ate an average of 1 meal per day, slept an average of 4 hours per night...for about 12 days straight.

 

Dedication isn't on any one particular species. Anglers of all sorts could be dedicated if they are inclined to. The casual weekend salmon loogans are a terrible excuse for dedication and anglers in general. Some of the most dedicated anglers I know are not steelheaders, but what are called micro anglers...people who fish with tanago hooks for tiny fish (minnows, darters and other smaller species). Their goal is not to brag...but to have an appreciation for species that others do not care about...and to catch the "penny fish"...a fish that is small enough to fit lengthwise inside a penny.

 

I know salmon anglers, especially the pier guys, who puts steelheads to shame in terms of dedication.

[Diana Danger]

Yep, I guess youre right

[BowSlayer]

salmon are harder to get a bit from and harder to land unless you're that guy using 40lb braid with a trolling rod and 2 big trebles... steelhead are not that hard to land, its just that they are usually jumping all the time, where as salmon just make huge runs and the odd jump, they both require skill to catch PROPERLY, if you're saying salmon bite well in the river, you're either a snagger or a flosser IMO, steelhead will take the bait as long as you drift it properly salmon, you have yo change baits, leaders, floats, hooks, roe, whatever until it bites, its more difficult IMO, but steelhead is more fun to land just because they are so jumpy and such beautiful fish, salmon are underestimated for their power, because they look bad in rivers, well guess what, so do the steelhead in the spring, always, just my 2 cents.

[Brian]

once you fish the salt, fresh water fish will lose its luster.

 

Say that again brother

[troutddicted]

once you fish the salt, fresh water fish will lose its luster.

 

Darth Wader speaks the truth - amen

[troutddicted]

Their goal is not to brag...but to have an appreciation for species that others do not care about...and to catch the "penny fish"...a fish that is small enough to fit lengthwise inside a penny.

 

I know salmon anglers, especially the pier guys, who puts steelheads to shame in terms of dedication.

They are dedicated because they target small species?

 

Dedication in my eyes is to what extreme push yourself through to get that fish.  Some think hiking down the gorge is a feat... others will say fishing for 35 hours straight is... dedication is in the eye of the beerholder... so is beauty.

[MuskieBait]

They are dedicated because they target small species?

 

Dedication in my eyes is to what extreme push yourself through to get that fish.  Some think hiking down the gorge is a feat... others will say fishing for 35 hours straight is... dedication is in the eye of the beerholder... so is beauty.

 

No, they are dedicated because they put in the same effort and more. A friend of mine drove to Texas to fish for minnows and darters...I don't think many people would drive to Texas for those species. The same friend also drove from Coquitam, BC to Fort St. John, a 14-hours one way drive, fished all day to catch an 8" grayling, then drove the 14 hours home the same day. Again, a remotely tiny fraction of anglers will have that dedication for a 8" fish.

 

How many people would dedicate a whole weekend to chase after a 3" fish?

 

If dedication is in the eye of the beholder, then to the weekend warrior who spends 4 hours on a packed salmon creek fighting the crowds for a fish is dedication...so how are they then any less dedicated than steelheaders? Or are we now measuring the stick against others (elite or othewise) and not according to the beholder?

 

This is of course for debate sake...not looking down on anyone at all.

[Diana Danger]

They are dedicated because they target small species?

 

Dedication in my eyes is to what extreme push yourself through to get that fish.  Some think hiking down the gorge is a feat... others will say fishing for 35 hours straight is... dedication is in the eye of the beerholder... so is beauty.

You are always so poetic

 

No, they are dedicated because they put in the same effort and more. A friend of mine drove to Texas to fish for minnows and darters...I don't think many people would drive to Texas for those species. The same friend also drove from Coquitam, BC to Fort St. John, a 14-hours one way drive, fished all day to catch an 8" grayling, then drove the 14 hours home the same day. Again, a remotely tiny fraction of anglers will have that dedication for a 8" fish.

 

How many people would dedicate a whole weekend to chase after a 3" fish?

 

Ok i think we can all agree that there are a lot of very dedicated fishermen out there.  As long as we all agree that I am one of them, I am okay with ending this conversation.

[troutddicted]

 

If dedication is in the eye of the beholder, then to the weekend warrior who spends 4 hours on a packed salmon creek fighting the crowds for a fish is dedication...so how are they then any less dedicated than steelheaders? Or are we now measuring the stick against others (elite or othewise) and not according to the beholder?

 

This is what I'm saying - the weekend salmon loogan who fishes 4 hours may be just as dedicated as anyone else... for them, 4 hours of fishing, the 20 bucks in gas, the 50 dollar setup and no fish is as much as they would put in to catch fish... to them I'm the retard who drove 8 hours to fish for 6, catch nothing, jump in the car to drive another 8, sleep outside of the car for an hour in moose/bear habitat, riverside because the nether orifice sleeping next to me in the car snored louder than I can yell... then wake up to fish for another 12 and still catch nothing.  Dedicated or just plain stupid?

[MuskieBait]

This is what I'm saying - the weekend salmon loogan who fishes 4 hours may be just as dedicated as anyone else... for them, 4 hours of fishing, the 20 bucks in gas, the 50 dollar setup and no fish is as much as they would put in to catch fish... to them I'm the retard who drove 8 hours to fish for 6, catch nothing, jump in the car to drive another 8, sleep outside of the car for an hour in moose/bear habitat, riverside because the nether orifice sleeping next to me in the car snored louder than I can yell... then wake up to fish for another 12 and still catch nothing.  Dedicated or just plain stupid?

 

Ah, OK, we see eye to eye then.

 

As to your "dedicated or just plain stupid" question...I call that good company.

[troutddicted]

You are always so poetic

 

Dedicated fisherman drifting the seams

Out there to catch the fish of their dreams

Hours and hours spent standing upright

Working the rod... hoping the line goes tight

The line goes tight - the fight is on...

BOOOM SHAKA LAKA... the fish is gone

@#$@sucking mother#@$@ing bitch ass fish...

"I drove for this long and get this s.h.i.t.?"

Do I fish for 2 hours or call it quits?

Cast a 100 more times - couple more hits!

Enough to have me stay a little more bit...

Dedication, stupidity or the spell of a witch?

J. Pinkman would eloquently say "It's fishing, bitch!"

[DILLIGAF?!]

They are dedicated because they target small species?

 

Dedication in my eyes is to what extreme push yourself through to get that fish.  Some think hiking down the gorge is a feat... others will say fishing for 35 hours straight is... dedication is in the eye of the beerholder... so is beauty.

I fish for both, salmons are harder to entice than 'bows...no surprise why there's more salmon loogans than bows...although come opener....you know who always come out of the woodwork...

[Shmogley]

Bit late on this but to me personally salmon are a lot more predictable once hooked and although they pull harder (really no argument there) its not as exciting as some of the things ive had steelies do while hooked

ill take both though as they are both a good time and better then the alternatives...

 

as for "dat salt", ive spent more time doing ocean then anything and i still prefer a river

[AKnook]

 

as for "dat salt", ive spent more time doing ocean then anything and i still prefer a river

 

Fishing the salt is in the midst for me and I know I will love it, but I cannot see wanting to hit the clear blue sky warm days and water over the rain forests of AK on cold dreary days chasing rainbows/steelhead.  I enjoy all types of fly fishing and all different types of species.  I will go for anything, but my happy place is in cold wet forests on a cold water stream.  I just like being in the forests on the rivers.  Just my opinion of course. 

[Brian]

Well for me, like Trini, I grew up in the Caribbean and fished the oceans most of my life. There is alot more variety and stronger fighting fish. It is better than river fishing here in my opinion. Not that I don't like river fishing; I fish 150+ days a year...I love it as well.

[Knuguy]

  Dedicated or just plain stupid?

 

 

Can we vote on that? Maybe we should do a poll?  

[Diana Danger]

Fishing the salt is in the midst for me and I know I will love it, but I cannot see wanting to hit the clear blue sky warm days and water over the rain forests of AK on cold dreary days chasing rainbows/steelhead.  I enjoy all types of fly fishing and all different types of species.  I will go for anything, but my happy place is in cold wet forests on a cold water stream.  I just like being in the forests on the rivers.  Just my opinion of course. 

 

I couldnt agree with you more.  Cold wet forest and rivers......I just like being there. 

[BowSlayer]

I couldnt agree with you more.  Cold wet forest and rivers......I just like being there. 

lol, you consider the little bushes in the east tribs as forests? man oh man, you have got to fish a g-bay trib, then you'll se what a real forest looks like! lol.

[DILLIGAF?!]

lol, you consider the little bushes in the east tribs as forests? man oh man, you have got to fish a g-bay trib, then you'll se what a real forest looks like! lol.

Just because she frequents the east ditches doesn't mean that's the only place she fishes. For me I don't care where am at...I show up, the fish show up....that's all that matters.