Ghost Hunting - The Search for Wild Steelhead

So, tomorrow evening I will head West. I will ply my trade on the rivers of the Olympic Peninsula, swinging flies waiting for the tug. They call it the fish of 1000 casts and goodness knows if it was that easy I'd have gotten bored and given up already. Others just call it "the ghost".

Unfortunately with each year that passes the quarry becomes more and more elusive as the wild rivers of the peninsula become less and less so. Horrible resource management (dams, logging, hatcheries - read Mountains in the Clouds ) have pushed wild steelhead and salmon populations to the brink of extinction. I've packed my 8wt, DryFly whiskey, warm clothes, and great friends.

So I embark on another quest in search of my own "white whale". Last year the rivers were blown out and my trip ended with an unexpected trip into a ditch after avoiding a deer on my way home. This year all I'm looking for is a tug and a photo of a wild steelhead.