The Tug is the Drug

I fish for steelhead because the fight is like crack for me. From that first tug of a solid hook-up with a fresh fish, there's nothing so electrifying. Sure, Kings are HUGE and trout are fun to outsmart. But a fresh chromer? C'mon -- nothing like it!

Must give props to Jon Ray on a significant element of my improved success not just hooking up, but actually landing these fun fish. He taught me a ton about how to fight a steelhead, but most of all to take a deep breath and adjust to the groove of the fish after a hook-up. That's helped me tremendously in avoiding "vapor lock" that causes me to make stupid mistakes that result in lost fish. Plus, you spend all day trying for that elusive hook-up. Why rush it! Lock that rod but into your forearm, put some bend in that rod, let the fish run when he wants it, and enjoy the moment. For a few fleeting minutes, you're directly connected to nature through some 8-weight tippet!

Last night I was taking down the steelhead rigs and stowing rods in tubes. Kinda' sad -- that season's over. Time to switch to smallmouth on the Huron, and trout in the Northern rivers. I am looking forward to fishing drys as well as stripping streamers. But it's never like the Chrome Rush! Can't wait for Fall!

-Sean-