Hit the Puyallup near the confluence of the Carbon and one spot down river this morning. Water was a geat color and at a fishable level. I needed to get out and test some new Rio sinking leaders I just bought, they work great by the way since they have a very thin diamiter and fast sink rates. I ended up working a few different drifts that just scream steelhead, the only problem is that there aren't any in the the Puyallup anymore. At the second place I tried downriver from the confluence I ended up talking to an oldtimer for about a half hour. It truned out to be a guy that has fished the river for steelhead for 50 years. Found out that if you spend time to talk to them you can learn a lot about the river, if you can weed it out from all the mumbling about how good it used to be and the stories of the big one that got away. :thumb: In all it was a very cold and foggy but nice morning to be on the river. I just wish some steelhead would have joined me.
If you weren't up so high, I'd have asked if it was my Dad you were talking to. LOL. But he fishes the lower river (has since the early 50's). Amazing though that you got one to open up. Most take a few trips together (as in meeting on the river, not actually arranging them) to get them to open up. I know I was very young (as in under 10) when most of those guys finally gave me enough respect to spill info. But being that young, they probably wanted me to pay my dues. After quite a few steelhead at that age, they opened up like Pandora's box. LOL.
yeah..the carbon/puyallup system has been pretty slow for steelies every since i can remember(im not that old)..one year in highschool i was determined to catch a steelhead outta the carbon..i fished like 4 days a week after school from the end of salmon season..all the way through late febuary..and i got one 5 lb hatchery steelhead to show for it...the fish was very long and thin..and looked like it had been through alot... anyways..ive never seen anyone else get a steelie from that river so thats why i dont fish it for steelhead anymore! i think there are much more productive waters such as the green haha (j/K)...where ive hooked into a grand total of about 5 steelhead landing 2..in the last 7 years... its amazing the difference between the rivers that flow into the sound..and the rivers the flow directly to the coast...or the columbia river... it might take a couple seasons of fishing to get a steelhead on a south sound river..but a couple hours to get a steelie on the pennisula or southwest washington area.
Last decent season I remember on the "Puke" was around 89'/90'. After that, pretty much went downhill SUPER fast. But was awesome for quite awhile. But I had the luck of fishing fresh fish that fed all the systems on the Puke.
