I fell victim to the steelhead addiction more than 25 years ago on the coastal rivers in Northern California and Southern Oregon. I cant tell you how many times I drove all nite, arrived at the river at 7am, and stood in the water all day with it raining so hard you could barely see. Then make 500 casts and get skunked. All that and I still kept coming back. Early on I hired guides and quite frankly that is where most of my initial learning came from. I thought it best to learn from the experts and some have been great teachers. Beyond that, I firmly believe that incremental learning comes from reading everything you can get your hands on, and most important of all, spending time on the water. I also believe that you have to get out there to learn for yourself. The "just go do it" message is very real for me.

One of the best bits of advice I have ever received, was to consciously try to learn at least one new thing each outing. For example, a few years ago I had been been reading about the pink plastic worm rage and so I tried it one day and caught a nice ten lb hen. So that day I began the process of putting one new trick in my bag as a result.

In my early days of steelhead fishing, I remember standing in a spot, not catching anything, wondering whether or not to move, and not having a clue if there were fish there. Then a few years ago, it started to happen, that tug on the line wasnt just another rock, but a real steelhead. I actually caught six fish in one day -- my best ever at that point. Even with the countless hours on several rivers, I consider myself lucky when I catch a steelhead. In fact I suspect my "luck or increased knowledge" may merely be a result of bigger runs in the past couple of years. Could be that anyone would have caught as many as I have.

My apologies to those of you on the right coast as most of this information is based on experiences from the northwestern part of this country. However, I should say that my earliest fishing experiences were in Ohio and come from sneaking into a cemetery pond with my buddy and catching bluegills and catfish. Now virtually all of my time is spent on waters that sometimes contain trout, salmon, and steelhead.

This is not another book by a fish bum following his exploits but rather the ramblings of a weekend warrior who has to work for a living. I fish as much as I can, but rarely more than weekends. Not that I wouldn’t like to. I remember one day fishing a river that is about a three hour drive and having my steelhead success of a lifetime – eight 10lb+ fish in one day. Unbelievable! Unfortunately I had obligations the next day and couldn’t stay over or come back. The next time I went I got skunked.

Fishing isn’t only a sport, it’s an obsession, some say an addiction. Most of us who have come upon this activity have become lifelong advocates. I'm sure we have all prayed to the fish gods, at least as in "here fishy, fishy, fishy!" And as we gain a little knowledge, proficiency and age, our priorities change from catching to enjoying the experience, and then to passing one's knowledge on to others who have caught the bug.

I hope you enjoy the information provided on this website and welcome your feedback, comments, and contributions. Thank you for reading about Fish Sponge!