# First Steel on Fly w/pics



## TheDuke33 (Jul 16, 2007)

Floated the P.M. on Sunday with Joe RFisher and Josh from Baldwin Creek Lodge. Found a stretch that looked good around mid-day. I was floating two eggs under an indicator through a deep run, when the indicator went down. Hook set, and this time it _wasn't_ a log. Fish on, and it was heavier than a Trout. After a long battle with a couple disasters (glove got caught in the reel and the spool fell off, fish got stuck on log, fell in water, etc.), Josh finally brought it to the net. Celebration time for my first steel on a fly (that I tied, mind you). 7 pounder, kinda blurry pic-











We continued to fish the stretch, and Joe bumped another fish. "We might have a honey hole here". Not long later Josh's rod is bent by a 10+ pound buck. The fish made Josh's tightly dragging reel scream, and the hook popped out. Bummer.

Soon enough, the emergency signal "Fish!" is heard from around the bend. Joe hooked another one on a size 14 Pheasant Tail (that I also tied). This one was brought to the net without much drama, but what a GORGEOUS fish. Thought it was a Rainbow at first; is it a Bow? 










We didn't hit much after this spot, but what a great day on the river. I'm a complete addict now. Thanks Josh, we'll do it again soon. 

-Duke


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## ESOX (Nov 20, 2000)

Congrats!!! Great story and pics.


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## skipper34 (Oct 13, 2005)

Awesome post, and pics. Congrats on your first fly-caught steel. That second pic may be a resident bow, judging by the coloration it looks like it may have spent its life in the stream. Either way, it is a gorgeous fish. Isn't it a great feeling catching fish on your own flies?


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## melnik (Feb 28, 2003)

Excellent post with beautiful pictures. What a great day you must have had.


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## stinger63 (Nov 25, 2003)

Nice report looks fun the 2cd fish looks like a bow,Very colorful indeed.Congrads the trip made your day you can tell by your smiles


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## ready4pullback (Jun 9, 2008)

Nice Pics. Thanks for sharing!


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## BAY CREEPER (Jan 11, 2009)

congrats on some really good looking fish!


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## TheDuke33 (Jul 16, 2007)

Thanks all, yeah it was an absolute riot. And yeah, it's sweet catching em on your own flies, makes me believe I'm doing something right when I'm throwing feathers, flash, hair and thread on a hook for hours on end. 

Btw, I got to use my buddy's Helios 7wt with Sharkskin Steelhead line and let me tell ya, the rod is awesome, and the line is unbelievable. That stuff just lifts off the surface like nothing, and mends completely effortlessly. I highly reccomend it. I have to get some. I don't care if it's $100, I'll save up my plasma donation money to buy 3 spools of it! :lol:


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## Fishndude (Feb 22, 2003)

Nice report, and that 2nd pic is definitely a Rainbow. Looks like an educated Rainbow, too; judging from the mouth. Nice catch.


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## Carpmaster (Apr 1, 2004)

Awesome Job! That is a pig 'bow!


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## BAMBAM18 (Mar 12, 2008)

Great looking fish


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## quest32a (Sep 25, 2001)

Fishndude said:


> Nice report, and that 2nd pic is definitely a Rainbow. Looks like an educated Rainbow, too; judging from the mouth. Nice catch.


I was thinking the same thing. Heck of a resident bow, nice pics!


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## TheUrbanMustache (Sep 23, 2008)

that is a maxillary clip on the second fish.


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## Sam22 (Jan 22, 2003)

TheUrbanMustache said:


> that is a maxillary clip on the second fish.


didn't know they did that.. where is the clip actually taken?


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## Mags (Apr 10, 2002)

Welcome to the "addiction"..............and trust me, it's one you'll never ever get rid of!


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## Bull Market (Mar 12, 2005)

Great post. Fun to read. Great photos.


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## JOE_RFISHER (Mar 8, 2003)

Great post Rob! my fish looks beautiful man! i'll add a few comments about the trip as well... 

first of all i have to thank josh for hooking us up on a crazy good level. Josh is a great friend of ours and definitely helped us catch the steelhead fever! 

although i think the pere marquette river is playing with me. . . i am a brown trout freak! i love them and it seems that the only real hogs i catch out of the pm are the freak of nature statistical anomalies that are giant PM rainbows... this is my 2nd rainbow over twenty inches in 7 months and i also caught a 18 incher (on a mouse pattern) the same weekend i caught the first big bow (a 22 inch female on a streamer)

believe me i am not dissing rainbows by any means, i love catching trout, any trout, but maybe, just maybe one of these days i'll get that gunther brown i've been chasing since i fell in love with the aesthetic beauty that is fly fishing. 

cheers boys 

by the way we are always looking for people to fish with, we head up to baldwin and smack the fly waters almost every weekend 
if you're down for a good time at the bars at night and hard core fishing during the day hit me up on a private message . . . but i'll warn you . . . die hards only because we don't even stop to breath when we're on the water! 

peace


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## TheUrbanMustache (Sep 23, 2008)

Sam22 said:


> didn't know they did that.. where is the clip actually taken?


its basically the upper left or upper right side of the lip. wisconsin does that clip on certain strains and certain year classes. 
the fish below doesn't have a maxillary clip as noted.









the fish below does have a maxillary clip as noted.


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## Wellston (Dec 28, 2000)

TheDuke33 said:


> I don't care if it's $100, I'll save up my plasma donation money to buy 3 spools of it! :lol:


Now that made me laugh!!! :lol:
Congrats Duke, thanks for the pics and report!
Jim


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## JOE_RFISHER (Mar 8, 2003)

hahaha the funny thing is . . .duke is serious . . . he buys most of his fishing supplies with his plasma donation money! 

GOTTA LOVE THE COLLEGE LIFE . . . :lol:


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## cane crazed (Jul 22, 2008)

looks like you had a great time. i love it when you said feathers and fur. the only thing missing now is catching those lovely fish on a real rod(split bamboo). very nice fish, congradulations. cane crazed


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## Bulletproof (Jul 26, 2005)

TheUrbanMustache said:


> arlees and kamloops strain(both stocked by wisconsin in lake michigan) sometimes have similar coloring in that region of the body. i haven't been able to pinpoint a left maxillary clip since 2006 in wisconsin's stocking figures. however wisconsin hasn't updated their stocking figures since 2006 in the great lakes fish stocking database. so who knows. that definately looks to me like a maxillary clip on the upper lip of that fish. which tells me its either an arlee or an kamloops the 2 strains of rainbows that did receive a left or right maxillary clip depending on the year class.


A few of the guys that work on the river that I still talk to have commented recently on seeing more WI fish. Something has got to fill the void. That is a WI fish, I'd bet $ on it. Colored up wayward male.


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## Treven (Feb 21, 2006)

I met Josh on a NW trib after this past thanksgiving. He is a great guy and I need to call him next time I'm around. It was a pleasure fishing with him and his bud!!


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## littlemanisteetrout (Aug 19, 2008)

Congrats. i had a similar experience earlier this winter. best feeling ever catching a fish on a fly you tied.


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## MartyMO (Apr 7, 2009)

Any pictures?


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## JOE_RFISHER (Mar 8, 2003)

pics are on the first page


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## Iceman_101 (Jan 11, 2009)

Thats all i use are flies now i love them and you can have a huge variety which is nice.


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## unclecbass (Sep 29, 2005)

Congrats, nothing like catching on a fly you tied yourself.


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