The quality of your steelheading trip is typically based on expectations. We often see anglers get so dejected from the sport that we have to put them on suicide watch, hiding all ropes, knives and pills.
To avoid depression while steelheading try to stay away from terms that can send you down the wrong path on your trip. Trust us, an excellent method to avoiding the pitfalls of steelhead depression is to follow our list of the top 5 words to never say when fishing.
1. “Just”
The word “just” does not add real value to your catch and is a detriment to your pursuit. If you use the word with a guide it will surely tick him off. Remember, there is no rhyme or reason to which fish will bite, so try to avoid ever saying “oh ‘just’ another 7lb steelhead”.
2. “Guarantee”
A fisherman will never be able to truly “guarantee” a fish so let’s drop the term when fishing. Sure you can have some very likely spots, and I’ve even seen guides win money betting their sport will get one in a specific hole. However in the end it is just probabilities and like vegas the river always wins. If you try to guarantee yourself a fish on any given day you are setting yourself up for disappointment.
3. “A lot”
There are several issues with the phrase “a lot.” How much is “a lot”? no one will ever know. Simply replacing the phrase “a lot” with specifics will eliminate a lot of BS in the fishing world.
4. “Opportunity”
A common misconception in steelhead fishing is that we have to talk about every single look we get from a steelhead and add them up to falsely boost results. ‘We hooked 2, boiled 1, saw 2 follow it, 1 lick and 2 sniffs. These guys will say we had 8 opportunities in total. Steelhead isn’t about numbers so let’s just drop all that talk and stop with the competition vibe. Besides, anglers do not want opportunities they want to feel the tug! Draw the line at grabs and hook ups and move on.
5. “Sort of”
The use of the phrase “sort of” is a very elusive one in steelheading. Once again, let’s stick to exact descriptions. Did you hook one? ‘Sort of’, the line stopped, I set the hook but nothing was there. Well than you ‘sort of’ didn’t hook one.
You will gain great mental strength by calling a spade a spade in steelhead fishing. Don’t dance around the realities, this is a very difficult sport. Numbers don’t make or break your day so there is no need to inflate by insinuation. We all know there are a lot of ways to get beat in this game so you will find no judgment here if you just straight up got skunked. Honesty will set you free!