A STEELHEADER’S DREAM COME TRUE

April 3, 2006
By C. Alan Pettibone

Steelhead are my all-time favorite fish. In my estimation, these big beautiful sea-run rainbows are the ultimate light-tackle game fish. They are powerful, swift, graceful jumpers and have great fighting stamina and endurance. As an added benefit, they are found in truly beautiful surroundings. These crafty beauties are not easy to catch, as any “steelheader”will attest. Oh, I’ve caught my share of steelhead, and landing every one of them always brought out an almost euphoric feeling in me. In each instance I knew just how fortunate I was to experience that thrill. However, all true “steelheaders”seek that TROPHY--a 20-pounder! Now, if one is really fortunate and lands one over 25 pounds, you become part of a very elite group of anglers.

I’ve been chasing steelhead around the streams and rivers of Washington and Idaho off and on for over 50 years; but, I had never landed that elusive TROPHY FISH. I will say, however, that I’ve never had a bad day on a steelhead stream. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not bragging about the number or size of fish caught. I’ve had plenty of no-fish days and lots of lost fish due to “angler error”. I’ve spent many hours casting lures or bait, with rain running off the brim of my hat, without so much as a single bite. I’ve spent many days standing on a frozen stream bank in temperatures so low that I had to break the ice out of the rod guides on every other cast, and no fish. If landing a steelhead is the measure of a successful day, then I’ve had many, many unsuccessful days. What I mean is that every day spent in pursuit of these wonderful creatures is a great day--there are no “bad days” on a steelhead stream! What’s the old saying, “Every day spent fishing adds a day to your life”? If true, then I believe every day on a steelhead stream must add two days to your life!

In order to have a chance at one of these trophies a number of factors must come together. 1) You must be on water that could hold such a fish; 2) the timing and water conditions must be right; 3) you must know where the fish are more likely to be located; 4) you must have the right lure or bait; 5) you must have good equipment and know how to handle it; 6) you must be able cast with some degree of accuracy; and, 7) above all, you need to be very lucky. James P. (Benny) Benavidez can certainly bring the first four factors together. Benny is the owner/operator of the “Memory Maker Guide Service”. Benny’s “office”is the lower Quinault River and his “desk” is behind the console of a well-equipped 18 ft. jet sled. The Quinault flows through tribal lands and is absolutely wild and beautiful--a steelheader’s paradise.

Jon Taylor, my fishing buddy, and I met Benny at his home in Hoquiam at 5:30 am, loaded our gear in the boat, and headed for the river in Benny’s pickup. Let me add that Jon usually out-fishes me, but not on this day! When we reach the river it’s just getting daylight and the sky is overcast, but no rain! An earlier check of the USGS river data website indicated the river stage to be nearly perfect and holding steady. Everything seems in our favor today and my anticipation is running high. When the boat is in the water and we’re ready to roll, Benny says, “Boys, zip up your parkas and hang on to your hats! We’re going to run down the river a ways before we start fishing.” He had found some fish there the day before. Benny knows his river intimately, and this turned out to be a great decision.

We hadn’t yet fished through the first stretch of water when I felt the “pick-up”of a fish. There is no other sensation like that created by the first headshake and bolt for freedom of a big steelhead! It sends a shock through your entire body and your adrenaline kicks into high gear. I said, “This big boy has some shoulders on him, guys!” Secretly I wondered if this could, at long last, be the trophy I’ve been seeking for the past 50 years.

There are at least a hundred things that can go wrong when fighting a big steelhead on light tackle, any one of which can cost you the fish. I knew right away that this fish was going to test my mettle and that of the Loomis steelhead rod and Calcutta reel I was using. For the next 30 minutes or so the fight went back and forth. I was never sure who was winning! There were a couple of long runs and then swings by the boat. Jon and I got a fairly good look at the fish--my god what a fish! Benny didn’t see him, he was a little busy at the controls trying to keep me and the fish in the same general location on the river, but he said my eyes were as “big as saucers”! The fight now turned into a test of wills. I kept all the pressure on that the tackle could stand. I would work him close to the boat, he would see it or the net, and move rapidly away and “dog-it”down deep. More angler mistakes are made and more fish lost at this stage of the fight than any other time. The fish is on a short line, angler excitement and anxiety is at its peak, and there is no room for error. I kept pleading with myself not to mess this up. Benny was constantly maneuvering to give me the best advantage possible; and, Jon continued to remind me to be patient and not try to horse him in. Finally, after none of those hundred things had gone wrong, Benny had him in the net! What an absolutely magnificent, beautiful creature!! My hands were shaking and I could finally breathe ( it didn’t feel like I had taken a breath during the last five minutes of the fight!). High fives and back-slapping all around; I was one very happy and excited steelheader! Benny’s scale registered 27 POUNDS, TRULY THE TROPHY STEELHEAD OF A LIFETIME, an experience I will never forget!

This story is not yet over; fast forward five hours to about 1:00pm. We had fished a lot of water in the intervening five hours and had caught and released two smaller down-river fish (fish from an earlier run that had completed their spawning duty and were headed back to the Pacific). Then I felt a “ pick-up” and new this was another heavy fish. This fight was almost identical to the one described earlier, except that one of those one hundred things did go wrong-- boy did it ever! At about the mid-point of the battle, the fish made a quick swing along the port side of the boat, under the bow, and then turned and headed rapidly straight away from us. Either due to bad luck or, more than likely, angler error, the line got between the free-hanging drift anchor and the bow of the boat and even made one wrap around one of the pulley brackets. Can you visualize the mess? I’m on the portside bow, rod tip in the water but jammed between the anchor and the boat, and the line is wrapped around the bracket. Meanwhile, the boat is drifting downstream and the fish is trying to swim upstream. Somehow, Jon was able to lean over the side, with Benny hanging on to the back of his waders to keep him from taking a dive, pick up the anchor, and free the line from the bracket. Amazingly, the fish was still on and the line retained enough strength to allow us to land the fish. This was just “my day” I guess. I had ANOTHER BEAUTIFUL TROPHY STEELHEAD--21 POUNDS!

What an astounding day, after 50 years of chasing these beauties, to land not one, but two, trophy steelhead. My trips with Benny have all been great (including one that initiated me into the “50-pounder club”, landing a 50-pound King salmon, but that’s another story). But, this trip tops them all. April 3, 2006, was the best day I have ever spent fishing; truly, an Old Steelheaders’ Dream Day!