The seasoned rods will tell you that in a day they may bomb hundreds of casts to very tempting waters, only to result in one or two hook ups, often skunked. That is why we don't see Chris and his fish photo every day.
There is no one spot which stays hot all the time. The Canal section was great when the water was really low and fish were bottled up there, but when the water rises, there are other better spots to fish then the lower big runs.
There are not many secret spots in lower river, because most runs are very accessible to the throngs of fishermen. That is why every body tries to beat every one to the spot by being there at first light. The mid and upper sections have more so called 'secret' spots. Not truly all that secret, just fewer people know how to access them. Some of these hot spots are resting pockets among fast waters and they can be a small spot. You can hook a steelie holding there usually within 3 casts. So when some one fishes it right before you, you have lost your chance to a fish holding there. You cannot say the same in some of the lower river runs. They are either too large, too long, or fish are more likely to be off bite due to too many things thrown at them and they can be more selective. How often we see a guy pick up a fish right after other people just fish the area? Too often.
This makes it not so big a deal to reveal where you hook a fish in the lower run. Another thing is that the lower runs may turn hot one day and dead cold the next. It all depends on where the main push of fish overnight happen to sit in the morning. So one morning, Lickman can yield 10 fish, and cold the next, while Train Bridge for example can turn on hot because the fish happen to stop there in stead of Lickman or other runs. Ultimately, steelheading is about luck on any given day, although skill and adapting to changing river conditon can turn luck into your favour often. My 2 cents on the subject.
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Topic: Steely on March 2nd (Vedder River with Pics) (Read 7989 times)