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[islanddude]

 Sunday was the first day that was warm enough for this old fossil to go fish the Quinsam at first light. The water was perfect color and height for the section of the river I was fishing. No one around at that time and I thought to myself could be a very interesting day with few anglers out.
 How wrong I was for about 15 mins. later I heard about 4 vehicles approaching the parking lot. I headed for the next run where there was a guy already there to my surprise. It is a good spot for fish though and it was Sunday and people only get Sunday as a fishing day.
 We exchanged cordials and he informed me that there were three more fisherman above him. I thanked him and waded over to the other side of the river and proceeded to the next run which had two guys fishing it. They asked me if I had any luck and of course I wasn't having the day that thought I was going to have, "not yet" was my reply.
 Off to the next run that I was expecting to catch a fish in. There was no one there and no fish either.
 I was using a 6'' pink worm that I had developed over the 40 yrs. I was having my doubts if I was on the right presentation for that day.
 I walked up to slot that I had caught a few coho out of in October and made a cast into it and my float  lays over and goes under.I pulled back on it like could be bottom maybe a cutthroat. A chrome bright steelhead around ten lbs. comes up to the surface and bolts up stream makes a u-turn and falls off.
 I fished for another hr. in every pocket and run that even looked like it might hold another fish. Nada. The sun was getting higher as morning progressed and decided to go smaller and lighter. Walked back down to where I had hooked that fish earlier Some times they will bight on a different presentation but no.
 I noticed that there were not a person to be seen. I knew a spot that produced fish for me over the years I had been fishing the Quinsam . Third cast into the run and a large steelhead takes my offering bolts upstream and I see it in the shallow water and looks to be about around 15 lbs. I give it some slack and it spits the hook. Perfect.
 Down to where I had met the first guy and the first cast my float dips under. I come back on it and feels like a stick and then it comes free. Next cast same place under it goes again. This time I am on it and another big fish comes to the surface and thrashes around as it heads down stream. Gone, hook pull out.
 Three fish in one day is above average for the Quinsam these days.
  Minus 9 the next day not going fishing and the next day minus 10 and definitely not going fishing.
 Today nice day above zero I am out at first light. Two runs above where I hooked the last fish on Sunday a nice doe around 12 -14 lbs. falls prey to my big worm. I try to shake the hook loose from the fish but have to land it. Looks like the same fish I had hooked on Sunday in the run where I first met the first fisherman.
 Next run I hook one around  6 lbs. It falls off with a little  help. Now I am really wired and do almost all the river up to the boundary pool. Two cutthroats which get off.  No steel.
 I change my presentation head for the slot that I had caught my first fish in on Sunday. First cast float bobs down, pull and nothing. Second cast,float goes under,I wait a little longer before pulling back on the rod. Some thing solid and there it is a large buck who instead of going down stream swims up into the next run. I couldn't get the hood to pop out. Landed a nice 15-16 lbs. buck with a big slash towards the tail where a seal had a hold on it. It was the same buck I had hooked on Sunday two runs below.
 Now I could say that I had hooked 6 steelhead in two days but really only 4. Some thing to think about.

[wizard]

They are definitely susceptible to being caught more then once in a relatively short amount of time.  Few years back my bro caught the same fish in the same run, 5 days apart, same presentation to boot, fish had short memory apparently.  We know it was the same fish because it was same size and same distinct markings on it we were able to match it from photos, no doubt same fish.  Just goes to show the aggressive nature of these fish I guess.  Not unlikely that a wild fish can get caught multiple times in a season.  Perhaps also why there can be large differences in the fight a fish puts up from one to the next.  A fish that was recently caught will probably not fight near as much as one that hasn't been caught yet, hence the term 'pin cushion'.

[sbc hris]

I've caught the same steelhead in the same pool a week apart, and a few years back I caught the same fish about 5 mins after I released it... It fought better the first time 

[islanddude]

If I have caught the same fish twice and other fishermen have caught the same fish. Along comes a survey from the government asking how many steelhead you caught and released that were wild.
 Did the government get a skewed estimate of the amount of wild steelhead that may have returned to said watershed?
 Did they follow up with swim survey's and on sight estimates of spawning pairs.?
 I know there would be no lack of volunteers for swim or visual.
 Why has volunteerism been rejected by government official's?

[clarkii]

If I have caught the same fish twice and other fishermen have caught the same fish. Along comes a survey from the government asking how many steelhead you caught and released that were wild.
 Did the government get a skewed estimate of the amount of wild steelhead that may have returned to said watershed?
 Did they follow up with swim survey's and on sight estimates of spawning pairs.?
 I know there would be no lack of volunteers for swim or visual.
 Why has volunteerism been rejected by government official's?

Perhaps, in the case of the chilliwack I believe Dave and another person go out and do a spawning count in the spring over a period of time.  He might jump in here.

As for rejecting volunteers (in regards to swim counts) you start to get into liability problems.  I've volunteered with the feds and you have a liability waiver, and need to wear a class V life jacket and a helmet like the rest of the crew.  Basically you as the volunteer need to fulfill the same safety requirments etc that their employees would.

[islanddude]

You don't want to know what I think about this bogus liability issue. They can't stop the individual from doing a swim count on his own or a group effort. So step up because I did before all the red tape got in the way.
 
 

[Floater]

I would love to catch same fish twice its hard enough catching it once, how does one come to a absolute conclusion that it is even is the same fish by the way?

[Fish or cut bait.]

In general they all look the same but the size, sex and spotting (if you pay attention) vary from fish to fish.
Spotting also varies from system to system not just fish to fish.
If the fish has encountered a few hooks those scars can be evident.

[clarkii]

You don't want to know what I think about this bogus liability issue. They can't stop the individual from doing a swim count on his own or a group effort. So step up because I did before all the red tape got in the way.

Actually I do want to know what you think on the liability side

[sbc hris]

I would love to catch same fish twice its hard enough catching it once, how does one come to a absolute conclusion that it is even is the same fish by the way?

I had pics of both fish both times they were caught. Very evidently the same fish, and the first time it happened the fish was unusually large for that system at that time of year. In the second occurence, aside from photo proof, the second time I caught the fish (5-10 casts later) it fought like a wet sock. I'm 100% sure both fish were the same both times.

[clarkii]

I had pics of both fish both times they were caught. Very evidently the same fish, and the first time it happened the fish was unusually large for that system at that time of year. In the second occurence, aside from photo proof, the second time I caught the fish (5-10 casts later) it fought like a wet sock. I'm 100% sure both fish were the same both times.

Yep sounds accurate.  I caught a westslope this summer on a dry, released him and then the first fish nymphing through just laid on his side as I brought him in.

Same fish as identifiable by his scale loss locations.

[Every Day]

I think catching the same fish twice happens more often than people think. I have started taking pics of the right side of fish on the head and the adipose (maybe along with an identifiable scar, etc) on smaller systems where I think recaps might be high.

Last year, I had a memorable occurrence with my buddy on a small system. Fished one pool for about 15 mins with spoons before a fish finally committed. It was a fairly large buck in the 10 pound range, missing half a gill cover (operculum). We released it, high fived and started fishing again. My first cast back in I landed the same fish again on the same spoon.

Another time on a different river, I hit a super hot doe first cast through a run on a 6 inch pink worm. Released her, picked my doe back up, and hit her the the very next cast on an in close drift. Thought I had hit bottom/a stick the second time as she easily came in without as much as a headshake. Some fish never learn.

[firstlight]

I have often wondered how many times a Steelhead has been caught by the time it gets to a boundary or the season closes.
Im sure it is many times for most fish in certain systems.
Ive caught fish that have  broken off buddies presentation an hour later with there hook etc. still in its mouth.
They are often tight lipped but there are also times when they are dumber than two sticks.

[spoiler]

I have caught the same steelhead on the Vedder twice within 5 minutes, but a hatchery fish I caught on the Stamp was caught the most I have heard of. I turned the head in and later got a letter from fisheries saying that fish had been caught 6 times before me by fisheries guys fishing for brood stock. It had been caught all over the system. in fact the letter even contained a map showing the six previous locations which indicated that the steelhead was first caught in the upper river and later in the lower!