A couple lessons learned

[spokey9]

I've been fishing rivers predominantly since 2009, while i did some fishing in moving water as a youngling i was mainly saltwater fishing off the pier with my Father til i was an adult. At that point i got fed up with the lower numbers of fish and growing number of regulations, so i made the switch and taught myself how to catch trout and perch in lakes. Then i got tired of a big fish being 18 inches (which was tiny growing up) so i geared back up for the pink run off dash point. I caught tons of fish that year (sure everyone else did as well, that was the best pink run i can remember out of bunch i can remember off that pier). When the run was winding down i got myself some waders and geared up for the rivers.

I got into some bad habits right off the bat that year and while i caught a lot of fish (including my personal best king) they put me behind the curve. I spent too much time trying to learn multiple techniques that it lowered my catch rate dramatically in 2010. That brings me to lesson #1 that i learned: Take one method and become proficient whether it's drift, float, hardware, etc. Just having confidence in a particular method will allow you to put more time with gear in the water per day. That alone leads to more encounters with the fish we love.

The 2nd thing that slowed down my learning curve was chasing reports all over the place instead of learning one or two rivers well enough to consistently catch fish during the different times of the year. Don't get me wrong, i had a lot of great experiences meeting some great people on the river, some amazing days of fishing, solitude alone in nature, and the adventure of a unknown fishin' hole. Again my i believe lacking in depth personal experience on a particular body of water lowered my overall catch rate.

Don't get me wrong i'm a fairly good angler (not as good as some). I was lucky growing up it was just my Dad and i, and he knew the basics when he introduced me to fishing. He grew up catfishing and whatnot, we started bottom fishing in the early 80's when you could catch cod, hake, skate and fill a salmon punch card or two just running a bobber & herring off the local piers in pierce county. I was addicted since the first pogy i remember catching. I lost him in the end of october of 2013, he still is my personal hero and i'm thankful for the addiction he helped foster in me. I have a daughter due in february (our first) and she got me thinking bout some of my struggles and successes growing up as fisherman {not to mention all the good stuff i've learned over the years i get to pass on) Or maybe i'm just feeling a bit nostalgic after a couple drinks.

The reason i wanted to share was the last couple months i've seen quite a few threads on various sites from newbies looking for help. Truth be told no matter what is passed on to them, nothing beats experience on the water and confidence in your chosen technique. One thing i can say (especially if you're a bank fisherman like myself) is read quality books like: A color guide to driftfishing for steelhead or spoonfishing for steelhead by Bill Herzog and Floatfishing for steelhead by Dave Vedder. Even though those books are written for steelhead fishing if you put the those same principals to practice they'll get you more than enough salmon on the rod as well.

One last thing, remember every year there's more and more people coming into pursuit of fish, try to be as helpful as positive as possible. I know it's frustrating with the crowding almost everywhere but the feeling of satisfaction of helping somebody become a better angler is right up there with landing a toad. Besides the more passionate anglers, the bigger voice we have.

Pardon the ramble, tight lines everybody

[Mike Carey]

Nice write-up. I like your summation. Like it or not, this state will continue to grow and there will be more anglers sharing the water. Better to accept it and help the newbies become good stewards of the resource, than to be bitter and hateful. These new anglers contribute license fees, and dollars to the fishing industry in this state, which (hopefully) spurs WDFW and our legislators to keep the needs of the angling public in mind.

[Toni]

Well, that is a nice write-up. Congratulations!!
I was one of those he helped on the pier, learn how to catch pinks. He catches a lot of fish!!!! He is one of those that can catch a fish in a mud puddle but I have seen him where he has learned, excelling.
You are so right about learning the body of water.
I also had to learn that body of water at Dash Point. I did not catch a fish the first day after he showed me what to do. I was next to his girlfriend who caught her first that day. It made me want to came back and do it again.
I have also helped those trying to catch a pink off the dock. It is not easy for everyone!

Thank you Chucky.

[kingroobes]

One thing i can say (especially if you're a bank fisherman like myself) is read quality books like: A color guide to driftfishing for steelhead or spoonfishing for steelhead by Bill Herzog and Floatfishing for steelhead by Dave Vedder. Even though those books are written for steelhead fishing if you put the those same principals to practice they'll get you more than enough salmon on the rod as well.

What is this "book" you speak of? I looked it up on the internet and it appears to be some archaic form of information, but on paper!

[Mike Carey]

paper... hmmm... that sounds like it will ruin fishing. Guys will have articles, techniques, maps to print... I remember when anglers had to learn all this stuff on their own, and write down every thing in private diaries that were passed on from father to son. PRINT HAS RUINED FISHING!

[The Nuts]

Another great read is "Steelhead Fishing Essentials" by Marc Davis. It also includes a very well done DVD all for $29! I am not a "reader" and I could not put this book down and went straight into the DVD.

[SilverSlayer]

Nice post and i completely agree with your lessons learned. i spent the last year learning the Snohomish system and its paid dividens in fish for the grill and freezer. I have also learned tons reading the WA Lakes reports and forums, but nothing is more important than spending time on the water. Paying attention to the weather, river conditions and watching more skilled anglers will help you with your own success.

I can recommend a few reads:
spoon fishing for steelhead by bill herzog
Jig fishing for steelhead and Salmon by Dave Vedder
Steelhead University's Guide to Salmon and Steelhead, by Terry Wiest

I read each of these books about three times.

Also look at the articles on Websites such as Steelhead University, Riptidefish.com, and Ted's Sporting goods, and WDFW for hatchery reports.

Doing all this will get you started, but lots of quality time on the water honing your skills is the only true way to become an accomplished angler.

Good Luck