Midwinter Mania

Steelheads are the hardest of all trout to catch. Some fishermen spend a good part of three winters wading hip-deep in streams, shivering in day-long chilling rain, before landing their first one. But of all the joys of fishing, few compare with the thrill of hooking one of the fighting, silvery fish. Last week thousands of Oregon and Washington fishermen braved gasoline, tackle and whiskey shortages to try their cold-reddened hands at steel-heading.

The West Coast discovered this mid winter sport only 15 years ago. Their steelheaders' tackle was homemade --from coffee cans and bicycle baskets. Now they use 15-ox. rods & reels with jewel bearings. Equipment includes cans of "goof" (salmon eggs) for bait, a spool of red thread (to tie walnut-sized gobs of goof on the hook), a whiskey bottle and a "gob rag" -- a fetid turkish towel for wiping hands after fixing the bait.

Well-Well-Laid Goof. Besides a postman's disregard for weather a steelheader needs a pitcher's eye. He must cast 100 ft. and more, often laying his goof within a foot of snags. His fingers must be sensitive and quick. A steelhead does not strike: he nudges the line as gently as a minnow. The expert recognizes the split second to jerk his rod and sink the hook. Then the whole river seems to explode.

Like duffer golf and taking alarm clocks apart, steelheading is insidious. Once a fisherman has felt the steelhead's gentle tap, has socked him and missed, he will never give up.

The fish are spawned in fresh water, head to sea in their second spring. Grown sometimes to 15 lb., they return to spawn in their fourth winter. Ideal fishing areas are shallow stretches of slow-moving water, where the bait drifts slowly over sandy bottoms. Best fishing is in freezing weather.

Spawning in the Green. With short ages of hooks, lines and gasoline, war has hurt steelheading. It has also made steel-headers more obnoxious (to nonfishermen) than ever. Hoarding "A" coupons, they haggle vociferously for weeks of delicious indecision as they plan trips together. This winter most are fishing the Green River, which flows near Seattle, the capital of the sport. Last week their cars were parked every 100 yd. along the best stretches of the Green.

The eating is not the least of steelheads' allure. They look and taste like salmon, are sometimes mistaken for them. But steelheads are definitely trout. Sliced into steaks and fried, or baked whole, their firm, pink flesh has the delicate flavor of fresh-caught rainbow.

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