a fly for a gigantic Christmas steelhead

‘Twas the night before Christmas, the year nineteen hundred and thirty-six. Unfortunately, California’s North Coast had not received any significant rainfall since the previous April. As a result, lower Eel River stream flows were less than 100 cubic feet per second. Fortunately, a light rain was beginning to fall. The rain continued and on Christmas day Eel River flows had doubled to about 200 cfs. The rain continued and on the day after Christmas flows had increased to 400 cfs. Fortunately, in the first half of the 1900’s, road building and logging had not yet had a major negative effect in the watershed and it took a substantial storm to muddy the river and make it unfishable.

The Eel River has historically supported a popular winter steelhead fishery. And throughout years a number of record size steelhead have been caught by anglers. Winter steelhead begin to migrate into the river soon after Thanksgiving with the majority of fish arriving in December and January. Fishing had been good earlier during the 1936 season and the Ferndale Enterprise newspaper reported in early December – “The expected run of winter steelhead has invaded Eel River and many fine catches are being made every day. The fish range in weight from nine to twelve pounds with a few weighing over fifteen pounds. All of the fish are terrific fighters and have given the fishermen plenty of excitement during the past week.”

Early photos and reports indicate prior to major floods in 1955 and 1964, the lower Eel River banks were lined with trees including stands of coast redwoods. The pools were large and deep. In 1922, California Deputy Fish Commissioner W.H. Shelby, wrote on the status of the lower Eel River in an article printed in the California Fish and Game Quarterly titled A history of fish cultural operations in California. He reported “The water of the river from the mouth of Price Creek to the ocean flows through deep pools, with very little current.  The salmon fry find perfect conditions in this stretch of water, and enter the ocean with very little loss and in fine condition”. At that time a number of county and local roads provided ready access to the lower river. However, due to the depth and size of the lower river pools, many anglers fished from small wooden row boats. 

early steelheader

Walter J. Thoresen (1898-1988) was a local Eureka steelhead fly angler who often fished the lower Eel River. He participated in community projects and was a member of the Eureka Chamber of Commerce. On Christmas Day in 1936, Thoresen enjoyed the holiday at his home in Eureka with his wife Ester and their son Robert and daughter Mary Jean. 

Reports indicate Thoresen made plans to fish the lower Eel River the day after Christmas with Fred Blair and Frank Toby, both local residents. Pools on the lower Eel River are influenced by the tides and high tide at the mouth of the Eel River was about 9:30 AM the day after Christmas. Thoresen hoped the increasing river flows and early morning high tides would bring more fresh winter steelhead into the river.  Thoresen’s fishing tackle included a nine-foot 3-piece H. L. Leonard fly rod, Hardy Perfect reel and Ashaway silk fly line.

In 1936 lower Eel River pools were named from the mouth upstream – Dungan, Cock Robin Island, Fulmor, Ellery, Early, Snag, Singley, and Fernbridge. The latter is located near the Famous Fernbridge, about 12 miles upstream from the mouth. Thoresen and the others first stop was at the Dungan Pool. This pool is the site of one of the earliest ferries operating on the lower Eel River and less than a mile from the river mouth. After fishing the pool and having no success, Thoresen moved upstream to the Fernbridge Pool. It is unknown if Blair and Toby accompanied him.

Due the size and depth of the lower Eel River pools at that time they were most often fished from wooden row boats. There were several boat liveries operating on the lower river at that time and it is likely Thoresen rented one at Greig’s Fishing Tavern. The tavern is located near the Fernbridge Pool and boats could be rented for $.50 per day. 

the local fly tier

Included in Thoresen’s fly box was a new pattern created by local professional fly tyer C. Jim Pray. The fly featured an orange hackle tail, red chenille body, dark brown or mahogany hackle and a white bucktail wing. According to William B. Sturgis in his book Fly-Tying (1940), Pray tied his steelhead flies on a No. 1 short shank hook giving the fly the appearance of a size No. 6 fly but with a wide gape. It was suggested this allowed the fly to ride with the wing upright, the barb and bend acting as a keel to prevent the fly from turning over.

Pray was originally from Michigan and move to the Humboldt Bay area in the early 1930’s. He tied and sold flies and tackle at his shop in Eureka. Pray passed away in 1952 leaving a north coast fly tying legacy.  He is credited with popularizing the Gold Demon and Silver Demon patterns brought to the West Coast from New Zealand and the Optic series, a fly tied with a large brass bead head with painted eyes.

After rowing out from Greig’s dock riverside dock, Thoresen anchored the boat near the opposite shoreline. He began casting with the Leonard rod making casts across the pool and sometimes slightly downstream. With little current he allowed the fly to sink and slowly retrieved it through the pool. It is unknown which big steelhead first grabbed the new fly. Eel River winter steelhead are strong fighters and not easily landed. Thorsen may have rowed to the shore to land the fish or used a net or gaff. It is also unknown how long he fished or how many steelhead he actually caught that day. Nonetheless, a local newspaper reported he kept a 5-fish steelhead limit with a combined weight of 60-pounds.  His limit included one fish that weighed 18 pounds while the other four fish weighed between 10 and 11 pounds.

the big catch

Thoresen later submitted his 18-pound steelhead catch in the 1936 annual Field and Stream Western Rainbow Trout (steelhead) Fly Casting Division contest. The fish won first prize for the largest steelhead caught that year.  His prize was $75.00 which today is equivalent to about $1,500.00. Pray later named the new fly the “Thor” after the first four letters in Thoresen’s last name. The fly eventually became an Eel River favorite and continues to be a popular North Coast winter steelhead fly.

It is unknown if Thoresen or his fishing friends fished the river in the days following the record catch. Stream flows continued to increase with the rain to over 1,000 cfs day after he caught his 18-pound steelhead. The storm was not excessive and flows soon dropped back to about 500 cfs. However, reports of good Eel River steelhead fishing are absent from local newspapers in the following weeks. Stream flows subsequently increased again with winter storms and exceeded 2,000 cfs later in the month likely making the river unfishable.

for more information

For more information on California winter steelhead and the Eel River, check out his blog on:

Early California Winter Steelhead Flies – Some Unique Information; and also his 2nd book:

California Winter Steelhead, Life History and Fly Fishing