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So where did you catch your first steelie.

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13K views 57 replies 48 participants last post by  tnt1958  
#1 ·
When I first heard about the great steelie fishing up on the tributaries. I thought wow what a blast that would be. I went up not knowing much about it. I fished with a few lures and also tried using a fly on a bobber. The water was fast and cold. I didn't do much but slipped and fell down a few times. I fished in several places on the grand with no luck. I talked to a guy from work and he told me about arcola creek. So I went up there with my dad. We got there thinking there can't be any fish in hear especially since you can cast across it. but we tried it out any way. We saw a few people there fishing and having a few get away. Then out of nowhere WHAM! And she jumped and swam up stream. Pulling drag unlike any other fish. Wow what a fight. My dad got the net and I landed my first steelie a 6.5 pounder. I ended up with a few more bites that day but the first will always be on my mind. So what was your first experience like.
 
#2 ·
I can't belive I actually still remember it but my uncle had told me for a while about the steelhead he was fishing for,and one day he takes me up to Mill creek and it was just getting light.We walked down those 89 hellish steps into the creek bottom and walked downstream to the little slate falls that are no longer there.He showed me a pair of spawning fish and told me how to drift a yarn fly into them.I must admit it was quite frustrating to get a fly wihtin inches of them and not have a strike,but eventually the hen took it and the fight was on.I don't remeber it being a great fight but I do remeber how beautiful the fish was.Hooked for life for sure,only now I have to get my own children hooked!Oh and really don't fish the tribs anymore,just not interested in the puddle fights I guess.
 
F
#8 ·
Lower grand on a rod I borrowed from my buddy cause I only had bass and cat set ups like third cast on a blue n silver cleo the next morning I went to gander and bought new rod n reel tons of cleos floats jigs etc still can't shake the sickness love it

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T
#9 ·
The east breakwall of geneva marina my very first time out for steelhead. it was on a red and white spoon i had got from my grandfathers tackle box. I was using a short rod and a zebco 33 reel i'll never forget it!!! Luck was on my side that day. I fished long and hard after that to get my second one. I had a lot to learn but loved every minute of it! Generally i can't remember anything but it's amazing how some memories stick with you.
 
G
#13 ·
Caught my first one at the Grand. I will never forget it! I had been out several times prior to it and had several bites but was never able to get one hooked up. I was using an ultralight setup and didn't really understand why I would need a 9 ft. Well needless to say after I hooked up with my first fish and felt the fight I completely understood. The absolute best fighting fish I had ever caught. Definitely won't ever forget it that's for certain!!
 
#14 ·
short rod said:
Crazy but,.... july on the Chagrin 6 yrs ago, fishing for smallmouth with a little rebel crawl. I thought.... "oh,...so this is how it goes!" Been learning ever since!
Click to expand...
Thats crazy but in my opinion not as crazy as my first time....
So my dad just got back from a meeting when some guy walked in and showed off a steelhead he had caught at Euclid creek...So my dad tells me about it so the next morning we go and try are luck. Its the dead of winter and its snowing like crazy and my dad not knowing any better puts an Agitator and ties on a jig n maggot kinda like if you were to use a bobber...
so second cast Im reeling it in not knowing any better when WHAM... fish on
So we finnaly bring it in and it was about 28 inchs long...
If it didn't happen to me personally I probably wouldn't believe it but I did... After that I didn't catch another one until the middle of april...
 
#16 ·
East Branch Chagrin, last October. I hadn't been out many times before and after I landed that first hen I thought I had it all figured out. Little did I know it would be after ice out that I'd land my second.

Caught her under that first log up from the old dam. Had an egg/hare's nymph setup. On the third drift along that log the thingamabobber went "plunk". She wasn't huge (18 in) but she was fresh. She spent more of the fight above water than below. She took the hare's ear. Most fun I had fishing up to that point.

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T
#18 ·
Funny story, it was 2 years ago in the spring on the Chagrin. My buddy and I (think he's still a member here) went out at first light. We spotted some fish in shallow and he gave me the first shot at it. We were both fly fishing, I sent the cast long and got snagged on the bank not far from the fish. As I was re-tying, he hooked a fish close to the one I was trying to cast to and chased downstream after it. I got tied up, cast in, and hooked my fish, so we ended up with a double at first light, barely a few minutes in. We crushed fish that day, all morning in the rain, but after a few hours it was too much rain and the water went muddy, game over. Still an epic day!
 
#20 ·
The first time I ever went steelhead fishing was in Conneaut Creek. We first got to the stream and there were a couple of people fishing but the stream was low and clear and we didn't even see one fish. So we kept walking, fishing here and there without a bite or seeing a fish, and eventually we get to this one hole where a few guys are fishing. We asked them if they had any luck and they said no, but showed us a pod of steelhead that were in the hole. We fished that hole for a good while without catching anything except for a chub or 2, and one of the other guys fishin hooked a nice steelie, and that was the moment I was hooked! That fish put up a very intense and acrobatic fight, but he eventually lost it. After that we tried a new spot on the same creek and found an even bigger pod of fish. There was a guy already there but since it was a big enough pod we decided to fish it also. We watched him land one. I hooked my first steelhead in that spot, but I think it was foul hooked. No fish caught that day except for a few chubs and shiners, but I couldn't wait to go back!

About a week or two later we went back to Conny with higher hopes of catching my first steelhead, and I did! It was a nice fresh buck at 26in, caught on a live minnow. I had 2 others on that day but they came off. Since I was so happy of catching my first, I went back a week later and caught another, which was a Fish Ohio!
 
#22 ·
River Fish............Rocky Lewis Rd. bridge area 8wt flyrod & yarn egg. 30":)

Lake Erie.............Trolling with freyedknot on a Stinger spoon

Turned the Rocky fish loose. Took the Erie steelhead home and cleaned it then fried it. Couldn't believe a freshwater fish could taste so lousy.
 
#24 ·
I've only caught one, last year on the rock. It was in November and there was snow on the ground. Float went down, I set the hook, and she proceeded to swim right onto the gravel bank like a boat going on a trailer. Took less than a minute to land, really confused me as to these fishes fighting ability, was told it was the water temperature :D
 
#25 ·
I just started fishin for them last year. For Christmas my girlfriends dad got me a full steelhead setup and waders. I had never fished for them before, nor did I know a thing about them. Well the day after he says lets go fishing and it was basically a blizzard out. (i thought he was CRAZY, thinkin back now I think he just didn't want to go alone) So anyway we ended up going out to the rocky. I was cold, my eyelets were freezing, and I thought there was NOOOO way we were going to catch anything. Then BAM! The fight of a lifetime. I have caught sharks and 35+ pound red fish in south carolina and the steelhead are still in my opinion the best fighting fish. Hooked for life
 
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