4-22 SS Steelhead

 Fly fishing for steelhead. According to fly fisherman Christopher Claunch, flyfishing is the only way to go after steelhead. This is an emotional guy, he feels that he is emotionally invested in every fishing trip he makes. A different perspective on fishing.

 I met Claunchy five years ago in the locker room at Qwest Arena while I was playing hockey. He’s a hockey player but the way that he got introduced to the game is that he is a culinary genius. All of the great hockey players in town wanted him to play, not because of his great skills on the ice, but because of his great cooking that followed all the games. Oh did I mention that he’s also a very serious outdoorsman. Here he is: “I love to eat steelhead but I only eat it if I catch myself or somebody in my group catches it. We don’t always come home with steelhead, if it were easy I probably wouldn’t be doing it. But I love to cook fresh steelhead or salmon, I do not eat store-bought steelhead or salmon. Because why? I really believe if you are emotionally invested in the catch it tastes better. I can’t tell you why but I can tell you that when I am emotionally invested in the hunt or in the fishing, and we get one, you pull it out of the river and you cook it on the sand right there, the food’s better and the experience is better. It’s great!”

 Doesn’t that sound like a consummate hunting or fishing experience? There you are in the great outdoors, make a harvest, gourmet cook what you caught under the stars around the campfire. Call me a fool but that’s pretty close to heaven on earth. Do you think?