Steelheading with our Better Half

Cornfed and I decided if we are going to continue to spend our weekends chasing steelhead, driving all night, eating unhealthy, sleeping at the cheapest options, and sporting campfire cologne, we should probably see if the girls would like to participate. So we drove to Idaho last weekend with dog, girls, spey rods, and boat for the weekend. I had spent the night tying some patterns with some of the new materials we had in the shop, and had accumulated 3 flies to add to the box by morning (annoyingly unproductive at the vise that night).

I initially assumed that spey casting in the cold would be somewhat frustrating, and a little difficult to get the girls charged up about, I was wrong. The girls took it up almost right away, and after a few short river side lessons we were fishing. I couldn't believe how well they were casting for their first day, and asking all the right questions, stepping down through the runs with us, getting frustrated about getting low holed with us, and hooking fish with us.

Christie even swung her first steelhead, and although when we went to grab it we lost it on the bank, I believe it fueled the steelhead fever even more because walking out of the run she suggested that we forget about work and just become steelheaders. Pay would be less but I can't say ideas weren't running through my mind, like if teachers got off Sept, Oct, Nov instead of the summer months that would be tempting.

Side note: I messed around that night with those new UV products from Spirit River. The intruder hair and the guinea both look really good swung, and although I only ended up with a couple of flies to try, 2 of the landed fish this weekend were on flies with those materials. I often wonder how much the fly matters when steelhead fishing but then again, there's confidence in fishing what you know works.