One of the great pleasures of the PNW is steelhead fishing.
Steelhead, an ocean-going rainbow trout, are the epitome of freshwater angling.
One of the ultimate challenges is hooking a large, bright summer steelhead on light tackle in a small river or stream.
Their acrobatic leaps out of the water with the sunshine dancing across their rainbow-colored scales is a true delight to experience.
As we recover from the great snow storm, the fond memories of catching this Kalama River steelhead a few years ago brought a big smile to my face.

Kalama River Steelhead
Nice catch. My favorite was a 5 lb char in Alaska when the kings weren’t coming in. I was the only person in the camp to catch a keeper. Yay me! Lol
I have some fond memories of salmon fishing on the Kenai River. There are some great fishing opportunities in Alaska.
But, you beat me. I’ve never caught a char before, although I have caught many of their smaller cousins, both Eastern Brook Trout and Dolly Vardens.