Steelhead season may be over for Santa Cruz this year, but further north it is still going strong. Mike Baxter took advantage of this last week with his annual trip to the Olympic Peninsula in Washington State. Along with drift boat companions Jimmy Davis and Jason Young, Baxter drifted the Solduck River near Fork WA, on what he describes as a "magical" fishing trip where each of the experienced anglers caught steelhead in the 20-25-pound class.

Baxter is host of the The Let's Go Fishing Radio Show and is well known from his 13 years as skipper of the Wild Wave out of Shamrock Charters in the Santa Cruz Harbor. Despite thousands of fish landed in his career, a giant wild steelhead had always eluded him until now. "I've spent the majority of my life steelheading and I've always looked for a steehead over 20 pounds. I have always dreamt of catching one. When I finally caught it, it was even more unbelievable than I could imagine. And even cooler was letting that fish go." The trophy steelhead was 40 inches long, 22 inches in girth and estimated at over 22 pounds.

Fishing the Solduck is not for amateurs. The area is nearly a 20-hour drive from Santa Cruz, and the waters are treacherous. "You're only going to catch these fish in the large boulder-strewn, heavy rapid, white water type rivers. These steelhead are a whole different breed of fish. Unique to the Olympic peninsula, they are a precious genetic strain that grows fish over 20 pounds. We discovered the monstrous buck steelhead were territorial and aggressive. They favored large profile, and annoying lures or baits and they were definitely on a hot bite for the 6 inch pink Mad River Worm.