Well, I finally popped my cherry. After more trips than I'd like to admit to, I finally landed a steelhead. I've been fishing the S rivers pretty damn hard this season with only a (very) few steelhead briefly on, and always very briefly. Bad hooksets, too much slack, you name it, i've done it.

Hit the Green from around 9-3pm today. Around 2pm I hooked into this beast, what I believe to be a native. [For those more experienced and knowledgeable - That's a native, right? Adipose fin looks in tact] Was using a sidewinder sideplaner with a little kwikfish or wordens flatfish, not sure which, it is. Had the rod in my hand, working the gear slowly down the banks, when something yanked really, really hard. The planer releases. I set the hook.......and there's no budge. I start putting more pressure on it, when it took off like a lightening bolt and made its first (of many) jumps. My damn heart stopped. Anyways.....long story short, I got it in, removed the hook, and let it go on its away.

This was the only strike of the day, sans one baby rainbow caught drifting beads. Tried numerous other techniques before I pulled out the new toy, the sideplaner, for which Dadamonkey has given me and mizm05 infinite grief. Fortunately, I'll gladly accept more grief if this is what it can get me. I think mizm05 will, too.

---