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Greatest steelheader ever a Californian?

13K views 88 replies 48 participants last post by  speyfisher 
#1 ·
New to the forum. Hi everybody. Must admit this movie I heard about has a killer site and the trailer looks good. But greatest steelheader ever from California, are you kidding me?:hmmm:
www.riversofalostcoast.com

Anybody ever heard of this Bill Schaadt?
 
#72 ·
Jason,

Are we even now? I poorly used the word "tug" and you can't spell... Having said that lets go stick a fish. I will be back from the Trinity after Christmas and will be trying to break my poor winter luck on those "two" rivers that Panhandle alludes to, actually there is a third river down that that may be better than the others. PM if you get to this side of the mountains.

Tight Lines,
:beer1:
 
#73 ·
Jason,

Are we even now? I poorly used the word "tug" and you can't spell...
Tight Lines,
:beer1:
I am sorry. I was mostly being tongue in cheek. You can go get your "tugs" all you want! I will continue to think it a ridiculous expression. ;)

As far as spelling, I just use the spell check built into this site. So blame the spell check.
 
#80 ·
I now I got into this conversation way late....But believe me he was the BEST. I have fished the Russian, Gualala, Chetco, Smith and even the Kenai and Kasilof in Alaska with Bill. The stories are true and there is many more. Bill was aggressive and positive about what he did. His favorite fly was a Comet....any color comet style will work. His club type hands and bent up right thumb from casting were sensative. I rewraped a rod for him one year with SS guides, he wore them out in a year....ever done that? The first years fishing with him were tough, once a friendship was made he moved in. Into my house while fishing the Gualala, travel trailers side by side at the Smith. Hated by most...as he caught the first, the most and the last. Remember you can't catch a fish unless your hook is in the water...and his was. Don't waste time looking in your fly box for another fly....keep fishing.

In the 60's and 70's the fly fisherman was a new and different bred. I'm happy, old and proud to be one of the guys that fished in that time frame. We have all had are good days on a river...but Bill had more than all of us. Bill and I fished with Jim Tenny and Ed Rice on the Kenai in 1986...Jim caught the only fish in 10 days on the Kenai in mid-May. Bill and I caught our share on the Kasilof. I miss he dearly....Please you guys see the movie and remember the names and faces you see in the movie....as they were the pioneers of what you have and enjoy today. Arch Richardson, Stewarts Point, CA arch_hunting-n-fishing-fool.com This will be my first and last post, found this sight while surfing and had to let you know...........BILL WAS AND IS THE BEST-AND ALWAYS WILL BE...
 
#81 ·
There are still some old timers, guys in the movie, members of the Golden Gate Angling & Casting Club, who knew Bill Schadt personally. I was fortunate in procuring the new book "I knew Bill Schadt" at Spey-O-Rama a couple weeks ago. Fascinating!
 
G
#82 ·
The best steelheader ever is the one that hands off a rod so some other angler can catch their first fish.Or the fisher that gives a beginner a few proven flys in hopes they will catch a fish, anybody can learn to catch large amounts of steelhead if they fish everyday,it's the folks that put something back into the sport that in my mind become legendary .
 
#85 ·
Matt Stupinski, ha ha. That one damn near got me kicked off SpeyPages.
Have to agree with you on the Teeny nymph comment.
Bill McMillan- no denying his accomplishments.
Bill Schadt fished for Bill Schadt. From dawn to dark 7 days a week, taking time off to work about six weeks out of a year, in an era long before the internet & social networking. He didn't give a damn what anyone thought of him, much less being thought a legend in his own time. No regular job, no electricity or running water. He caught more fish than anyone else simply because he was on the water more than anyone else. And he was always in the bucket.
 
#86 ·
always in the bucket is my destination. i hope to be accused of that when i die. ever searching for that new bucket, now that's the journey, what keeps it interesting. the best steelheaders dont keep pounding the same few buckets. it dulls the senses, even if it might catch more fish. steelhead get wanderlust too.
 
#88 ·
Flyborg, what's her name again, your avatar? I need to offend some friends next weekend.

Met some folks with Bill S stories and they were more along the SOB lineage. In consideration, when you are that focused and driven, not much gets in the way, especially other fishermen. A cool story told to me was in order to get some more distance when casting, he used a large plastic crate under the legs of his ladder. The crate dispersing the weight, like snow shoes.
 
#89 ·
Because of Bill Schadt, they changed the regs on the Gualala to ban fishing from a floating devise. Bill anchored his pram, assembled a small table which he put in the river next to his pram, stepped out onto the table and cast his line. In the bucket as always. :D
 
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