Saltwater Steelhead

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Was remembering a conversation with a fishing buddy, his Dad was at Sekiu in the early 80's catching coho, when pulling them out to clean them, he noticed one wasn't the same. It was a 10 lb mint steelhead that ate a cut plug herring. He only noticed it because he fished for them in the Cedar all the way back into the 60's. The other guys in the boat thought it was just another salmon.

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There are some beaches around Whidbey that people get them. The usual rig is a spin and glo casted. I’m sure people know more than me. It always sounded like a fishery for people who live there because the good beaches are private and hard to find and the numbers much lower than river fishing so not worth the long drive.
 
The Whidbey steelhead fishery is done from the same popular beaches that produce salmon. Steelhead travel the shoreline and get caught in very shallow water at times.

They can be caught by both gear or fly. I’ve met locals that have done well stripping flies for them in years past when the runs were more robust. Some even filled their punch cards. Can’t speak to how productive the fishery is now though.
 
During 2 summers as a deckhand on a charter boat at Westport I can only remember only one steelhead being caught on herring(it’s all we fished with). Both of those fish exceeded 10lbs. I can remember my skipper who was over 60 say to me when we caught the first one that they rarely caught and tended to be larger fish.
 
#2 or #4 Spin & Glo on a 30 to 36" 15# test leader double 1/0 or 2/0 hooks with a large Cerise or Hot Orange Squid hoochie trailer. 3" of pencil lead.
Stand on shore, cast and retrieve.
Don't wade, they will follow clear to shore sometimes. Back in the day the regulars would holler at those who waded off shore.
I had success at Lagoon Pt. and Fort Casey.
 
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Wanative said:
#2 or #4 Spin & Glo on a 30 to 36" 15# test leader double 1/0 or 2/0 hooks with a large Cerise or Hot Orange Squid hoochie trailer. 3" of pencil lead.
Stand on shore, cast and retrieve.
Don't wade, they will follow clear to shore sometimes. Back in the day the regulars would holler at those who waded off shore.
I had success at Lagoon Pt. and Fort Casey.
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That's practically identical to the way I learned. We rigged a bit smaller. Shrubbery.
 
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