The majority of people that have ever fished have a “tall fish tale.” The monster fish that got away or you forgot your camera, etc. We have all heard the many excuses. For many of us those are the fish that we get “hooked” on. That is the point in our life, where fishing is no longer a leisurely hobby, but an obsession. From there on out it becomes a goal to land that fish and to have proof of the beauty before releasing it to produce more trophy class fish. For me that particular fish is a steelhead I have come to name, “Big Louie”.
For starters, some of you may be wondering what a steelhead is. To put it simply it is a lake run rainbow trout. They are absolute powerhouses! If you have never fished for them I highly recommend it! This story begins a few years back on my very first shallow water ice fishing trip on Lake Superior. I thought Aron was kidding when we set up and dropped our lines and were only over six feet of water! The water was very clear that day. I remember thinking to myself, “Why on earth would a fish swim across this shallow sandy flat to come and hit this little custom tied trout jig I am bouncing?”
Well as many people know shallow water ice fishing can also be a waiting game. So as the hours passed on and having not seen a fish, I was really starting to wonder what Aron and I were doing here. Then it happened… A beautiful chrome freight train came running right under my whole and struck my bait! I didn’t get a hook set! At this point my heart is pounding and then I see it come through again, this time I was slightly premature on my hook set and Big Louie was gone! Aron had heard the excitement and came right over. By the look on my face I could tell he knew I had my very first steelhead encounter. Read more….
.