Record steelhead run, great fall fishing

Records were set last month at the Bonneville Dam, on the Columbia River, when 18,671 steelhead were counted heading upriver on Tuesday, August 11.

The next day the count skyrocketed to 28,314, and by Thursday counts had shattered another record, at 34,054 steelhead. In 71 years of fish counting at the Bonneville Dam, the previous record was "just" 14,432 fish in one day.

A steelhead is a sea-run (anadromous) trout, which is the same species as the rainbow trout. The main difference is that this fish is born in fresh water, travels out to sea to grow and mature, and then returns to its freshwater roots to spawn. This year's run represents the winter spawning of the steelhead.

So what do the large numbers mean for our local rivers and the fall steelhead season? Only good things, according to Jeff Perin, owner of The Fly Fisher's Place in downtown Sisters.

"Many of those steelhead are heading straight for Central Oregon by way of one of my favorite rivers - the Deschutes," Perin said. "Several of my guides are chasing the run and have found success from Mack's Canyon down to the mouth."

For fly fishing enthusiasts, steelhead season is eagerly awaited each year. There are several reasons why the steelhead is sought after by fly fishermen: catching them takes skill and is difficult to do, making the hooked fish all the more rewarding. Fishermen have to put their time in, understand the fish, know where they sit and what they're eating in order to make the catch.

Perin says that his guides are picking up fish on nymphs during the day and on a more traditional swinging fly technique with a floating line.

"These fish are just exploding on the take," Perin said. "This could end up being the best year ever."