# A CnR story, and my pet steelhead



## ausable_steelhead (Sep 30, 2002)

So I landed a fat hen on Saturday, and upon looking her over, realized this is the THIRD time I've caught her ass. I know it's the same fish, as she is easily distinguished. I caught her the first time in early January, and got her for the second time last weekend. She has stayed in the same general area for 2 mos, bouncing back and forth between a couple holes. It's quite surprising how little they move at times. She was released once again, so maybe she has finally learned her lesson!?


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## Brado (Dec 4, 2015)

That is some cool to hear how catch and release work nice job see you next on the river


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## RiverRanger (Aug 23, 2006)

ausable_steelhead said:


> So I landed a fat hen on Saturday, and upon looking her over, realized this is the THIRD time I've caught her ass. I know it's the same fish, as she is easily distinguished. I caught her the first time in early January, and got her for the second time last weekend. She has stayed in the same general area for 2 mos, bouncing back and forth between a couple holes. It's quite surprising how little they move at times. She was released once again, so maybe she has finally learned her lesson!?


Now that way to flipping cool


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## StStutz (Jan 19, 2006)

ausable_steelhead said:


> So I landed a fat hen on Saturday, and upon looking her over, realized this is the THIRD time I've caught her ass. I know it's the same fish, as she is easily distinguished. I caught her the first time in early January, and got her for the second time last weekend. She has stayed in the same general area for 2 mos, bouncing back and forth between a couple holes. It's quite surprising how little they move at times. She was released once again, so maybe she has finally learned her lesson!?


very cool! i've never knowingly had this happen with a steelie in the river. i did hook and break one off only to catch it the following week in the same stretch of water. She still had my nymph stuck in her lip. thanks


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## Corey K (Dec 11, 2009)

Buddy caught the same Male about 15 minutes apart this year. Easy fish to tell, very few spots, and a messed up tail, and the previous hooking was obvious. The second fight was very sluggish, he was hoping it was a Laker or something!


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## StStutz (Jan 19, 2006)

Corey K said:


> Buddy caught the same Male about 15 minutes apart this year. Easy fish to tell, very few spots, and a messed up tail, and the previous hooking was obvious. The second fight was very sluggish, he was hoping it was a Laker or something!


very cool. i posted this awhile back and dont want to hijack this thread, but here is some more evidence that it does happen.


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## concentroutin (Jan 7, 2014)

Too cool. I landed the same brown (19.5") on the Pigeon this summer that I hooked about 10 minutes prior that broke me off. I could tell by the same size fresh hook that I was using stuck in his mouth. He simply moved up in the hole and I got way lucky. Sometimes a whole crawler is just too enticing.


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## ausable_steelhead (Sep 30, 2002)

No hijackings here...love the other anecdotes! I caught the same male, in the same hole, 2 weeks apart last year. I just found this interesting for a couple reasons. It shows that steelhead in cold water really will sit in a small area for long lengths of time, regardless of water increases. It also shows that with proper care and handling, they can be caught, photoed, and released with no problem.

Three times seems pretty crazy, but I also had a male bite on 3 straight drifts earlier in the winter. I broke him on the hookset the first drift, had my bag stolen the second, and stuck him the third. As I unhooked him(corner), I saw my initial line down his throat, and the eggs from the bag he had stolen down there as well. That's why we love these fish!


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## bigmac (Nov 28, 2000)

On my wall at home is a 31" 17# hen Steelhead that i caught twice. Caught her in the AM and she broke off and then caught her later that day out of the same run and she still had my spawn sack and hook stuck in her mouth. I was using a distinct combination of tackle, thats how I knew it was the same fish. She was a "fat -Bottom" girl!


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## msfcarp (Jun 6, 2006)

On a Superior trib a couple years ago, I caught a male three times out of one run in the same day. One thing it does is remind you they are animals, not intelligent like people, and it is not rocket science learning to catch them, lol.


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## AdamBradley (Mar 13, 2008)

Very cool! I do have one steel story, buddy lost a decent mid teens double striper, and got real down about it. I hook a fish in the same little slack pocket 20 minutes later, bring him in with my buddy's hook broke off at the knot. He went for waxies on a plain hook both times..... other than that, did catch a pike 3 years in a row incidentally while casting cranks for kings out of the same hole. He had a knarly scar on top of his head, so easy to say it was "slash" each year. Wish I would have gotten photos each year like ststutz did on the brown! Thanks for sharing jon!!!


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## Robert Holmes (Oct 13, 2008)

I have a brook trout on the wall in my office that I landed 9 months earlier and it threw the hook. I never told anyone about losing the big brook trout because it would have been a fish story. About 9 months later and 300 yards away I hooked the same fish that did not get as lucky the second time around. It was 25" and weighed 5 lbs.


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## herb09 (Jan 11, 2009)

ausable_steelhead said:


> So I landed a fat hen on Saturday, and upon looking her over, realized this is the THIRD time I've caught her ass. I know it's the same fish, as she is easily distinguished. I caught her the first time in early January, and got her for the second time last weekend. She has stayed in the same general area for 2 mos, bouncing back and forth between a couple holes. It's quite surprising how little they move at times. She was released once again, so maybe she has finally learned her lesson!?


Very nice report, will encourage others to release a few.


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## King of the Au Sable (Feb 10, 2016)

Good to hear that some are going back!


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## Bighunther (Jan 28, 2012)

ausable_steelhead said:


> So I landed a fat hen on Saturday, and upon looking her over, realized this is the THIRD time I've caught her ass. I know it's the same fish, as she is easily distinguished. I caught her the first time in early January, and got her for the second time last weekend. She has stayed in the same general area for 2 mos, bouncing back and forth between a couple holes. It's quite surprising how little they move at times. She was released once again, so maybe she has finally learned her lesson!?



Good to see a report from you again. Beautiful day on the water that saturday. 

We were in a wood Drift boat. I think we seen you a couple of times, and I learned something you cover a lot of ground in a morning! Great job man


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## ausable_steelhead (Sep 30, 2002)

Bighunther said:


> Good to see a report from you again. Beautiful day on the water that saturday.
> 
> We were in a wood Drift boat. I think we seen you a couple of times, and I learned something you cover a lot of ground in a morning! Great job man


Were you guys pulling plugs in a darker drifter?


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## Bighunther (Jan 28, 2012)

ausable_steelhead said:


> Were you guys pulling plugs in a darker drifter?


Yes. Connected on a couple, left em for another day.


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## Chasingchrome (Mar 16, 2016)

When the water temp hits low 30's they don't go far!


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