If the fish has the strength to wiggle its tail, let it kick out of your hand and swim free, do not hold it back. Many different ways are used to angle for these fish, but my favorite way is float fishing from the drift boat. I can cover all five miles and 22 pools with ease, although it does take about eight hours of the day. The only time I go to shore is to land a fish. Most of the time I use tiny egg bags, the size of a dime, looped onto a size two barbless Gamagatsu hook.
Some folks have it in for the bait fishermen.
They think that every fish swallows the bait. This is simply not the case. Ninety-five percent of my Steelhead caught this way were all hooked in the upper jaw. I highly recommend Dave Vedder s book Float Fishing for Steelhead. Some highlights from his book are published in Fine Fishing.