STEELHEADER'S REFERENCE GUIDE: (WHEN and WHERE TO CATCH OREGON and WASHINGTON STEELHEAD). By Eldon Ladd.

1998 1st edition. 4to ring-bound paperback (246 x 279mm). Pp110. Not illustrated, tables of steelhead data.

"Steelhead catch information statistics for determining where and when to catch Oregon and Washington steelhead." "During the past several years, I gradually became aware of the facts and data contained in this text. I quickly discovered that I was fishing certain rivers at the wrong time of the year. For example, I made several trips to the Columbia River upstream from McNary Dam in September, only to get skunked. Oh, I graphed lots of fish and saw several fish jumping and rolling, but they seemingly had lockjaw and would not bite. However, once I began studying the catch data and the correlation to the fish counts at McNary Dam, I realized there was a delay in the peak passage over the dam and the peak catch months. Further study revealed that the average water temperature in September for this section of the Columbia was 68 degrees, while the average temperature in October was 60 degrees. My 'hours per fish' have since dropped significantly and I patiently wait for October before fishing this area." The author presents 100 pages of tables of such data for well-chosen venues in Oregon and Washington: Top 10 steelhead rivers in Oregon - summer runs and winter runs, ranked by number of fish caught; Top 10 steelhead rivers in Washington - summer runs and winter runs, ranked by number of fish caught; Peak catch month calendar for 100 Oregon rivers; Peak catch month calendar for 100 Washington rivers; Columbia and snake river Projects - map; Historical count of steelhead over Columbia and Snake River Dams (annual counts); Average steelhead catch by month - top 100 steelhead rivers in Oregon, alphabetical listing by river based on number of steelhead caught; Average steelhead catch by month - top 100 steelhead rivers in Washington, alphabetical listing by river based on number of steelhead caught; Steelhead smolt plants (i.e., spawning success) - Oregon; Steelhead smolt plants (i.e., spawning success) - Washington.