I usually do pretty well steel head fishing.  I normally kind of try to stack the deck although and make the 3 hour drive only when conditions (example: cfs, water temp,overcast, and of course the fish need to be there) are optimal.  These factors normally help my success immensely and it’s not uncommon to hook 10-14 fish a day.  Lately though we have been planning a trip in advance.  We drive over there regardless of the conditions mainly because some in our group don’t have the luxury of just going only when it’s good. I am also making up some excuses here!
       One time my friend Patch camped on the southfork of the Clearwater in Idaho, in crappy conditions for almost a month patiently waiting for the river to come into shape.  The river was low, and icy, way less than ideal and I don’t think he stuck a fish  in 20 days.  I kept saying I’d come over  as soon as I could while keeping my eye closely on conditions.  Well it  rained, the river bumped, I bombed over, joined Patch,  and caught a steelhead.   Patch looked at me like WTF, and said “I’ve been here all these days and you show up and stick one in 10 minutes”.  But then he also lit em up now that the run was in.
       The last 3 days however I have got my ass kicked, with the exception of catching suckers.  I was also pretty good at nabbing whitefish now and then.  And for a split second a foul hooked 4 lb sucker actually feels like a steelhead, but only for a split second and its back to “oh no not another one!   I did land some steelhead in early December but that was it. 
     I think though that the steel head karmic gods are putting it to me slightly.  I  teased my buddies Craig, Doug, and Patch when I was sticking em and they were watching me in all my bliss.  “Doug do you want to fight this one a while” I’d say while tiring out a steel face?  “Or man my arms are getting tired from fighting these things, why aren’t you guys catching any?”

      This trip I even accused my good friend Craig Pablo, who is Native American and spiritual of sending me some  anti steelhead curse or spell of some sort.
     The other day he was bragging about his new Go Pro hi- def camera and I jokingly  remarked that he could now better film the steel faces I was catching since he seldom caught them!
     Craig’s ancestors depended on migratory fish and animals returning for their peoples survival.  I depend on catching steel heads  mostly for  my pride.  I’m glad  he didn’t get real mad and send some erectile dysfunction curse, although my wife probably wouldn’t notice!!!!

     So any way I got blanked 3 days in a row.  I had one nice fish on briefly.   My friend Matt caught a real nice 17 lb B run, and my other buddy Joe also stuck 2 stellar B run steelfaces.  I’d take these guys to my holes and they’d show me how its done!!  Needless to say I pouted a little and learned a lesson!