August

Someone once said the greatest of all freshwater game-fish is the Steelhead. Mother Nature was in one of her better moods when she created this great fish. Besides being spectacular fighters often performing airborne acrobatics when hooked, Steelhead are one of the most beautiful fish on Earth.

Fresh-run Steelhead are nickel bright, but their coloration will change to resemble a non-migratory Rainbow, complete with red striping. This fish of a thousand casts can be very challenging to catch, but ever so rewarding. Persistence, careful casting, the ability to read water, and a little luck are the necessary ingredients for becoming a good Steelheader.

For those of us in Southern California, fishing for Steelhead has become even more of a challenge as most good Steelhead waters are in the Pacific Northwest, Alaska, Idaho, British Columbia and other distant waters. If you haven't had the opportunity to catch one of these sea-run Rainbows, the experience is definitely worth the effort.

This month's guest speaker is Jerry Kustich. Jerry grew up in Western New York near the Niagara River. He regularly fished its polluted shoreline and eventually became a conservationist. After earning a degree in chemistry Jerry became a high school teacher, but his path continued west to Utah and eventually to Montana where he worked for the Winston Rod Company for the next 21 years. In 2006 he started Sweetgrass Rods. Jerry, an avid conservationist, serves as Secretary on the State Council for Montana's 'Trout Unlimited'. In addition to writing and illustrating a weekly nature column for a major Montana newspaper, Jerry has published several articles as well as books.

Jerry's program, called 'Steelhead Odyssey', is a journey that travels from the Great Lakes to the Pacific West Coast to Kamchatka in search of the magnificent Steelhead and the shared spirit that connects all three fisheries. His presentation details places to go, with tips and tactics on how to improve your Steelhead fishing.

Hope to see you there!