Switching it up with Ben See – A beginners journey
My obsession for fishing started at a young age. For as long as I can remember I have been
holding a fishing rod in my hand. In the
early 1980’s I can remember fishing with my grandfather during summer
breaks. A worm and a hook was the
preferred method of targeting bluegill that hung tight to a makeshift break
wall of old used tires in the former private Goodyear employees summer get away
called Wingfoot lake in Portage County Ohio.
I was fortunate to also have access to a private pond over the hill at
my grandparent’s home. The memories of
extended stays in the summer at my grandparent’s house so that I could get up
early and target bass and bluegill will be cherished memories.
The natural progression for me and I would assume for many
anglers was to go from that old cane pole and short snoopy rod too your first
spinning rod and reel. Casting mister
twister’s, jitter bugs, hula poppers and deer hair inline spinners made me feel
like a master angler at the time. Several
years later, a lot of practice and countless sun burns I found interest in pike
fishing. Now at that point a young
adult, with a driver’s license I was able to begin the scouting on my own. I was able to scout new water for the elusive
pike, and expanding on my fishing skills and feeding the passion of
angling.
Fast forward a few more years and I happened to be
introduced into the world of steelhead fishing.
Little did I realize at the time, the attraction I would have or the
road I would get to travel. It took me 2
seasons of hard fishing to even land my first steelhead trout. Using a Shakespear spinning reel and 6’ bass
rod I finally landed my first chrome.
What a sense of accomplishment I had.
I was hit by the bug. I haven’t
looked back since.
I progressed from that short bass rod to a noodle rod,
eventually pairing that rod up with a Centerpin. Each year honing my skills, learning more
about how to target Steelhead Alley chrome and putting up the numbers. I will be the first to admit that numbers was
what I was after. I felt if I got the
skunk, I had a bad trip and likewise if I had a double digit day it was as
successful trip. Somewhere along the
line years later, even when I was getting the numbers, I didn’t have that
feeling of great accomplishment. I can’t
really describe the feeling other than to say something was missing.
As I travelled this road of Steelhead Alley fishing, I have
been able to surround myself with likeminded anglers, all loving the fishery,
the great outdoors and the fellowship shared amongst each other. I will forever have some great memories to
share with my son on some of the best and worst days on the water. For the past year I have seriously tried to
look within myself to figure out where the spark has gone. While it was always there, the grind to get
the next fish seemed to consume me rather than enjoying the one on the line at
the time. I think maybe I need more of a
challenge or as the name of this series says “Switching it up”. Maybe I just needed something different to
feed my passion of steelheading.
During my steelhead journey I have had the joy of coming in
contact with anglers of all sorts. From
fly guys, to spin guys as well as centerpin anglers. I began to be a shop rat of sorts at Chagrin
River Outfitters in Chagrin Falls, Ohio and meeting the owner Dan
Pribanic. Primarily a fly shop, I was
exposed to a different world then I knew with centerpinning. I have always marveled at the sexy looking
streamers, skulpins, bunny leaches and intruders in the boxes at the shop. A method of targeting steelhead that I was
watching anglers use was this rod called a switch rod. The casting motion looked therapeutic to say
the least. The ability to flip a large streamer or
skulpin pattern looked great! I have
considering giving this technique a try but always resisted because
centerpinning is very effective. Though the
pin puts the fish on the bank, I am looking to get back that feeling I once had
and that sense of accomplishment after landing that chrome.
For me personally, I look at the methods of targeting steelhead
and the tools used as just that. Tools
and methods! Each certainly have their
benefits and drawbacks. No person is better
or worse for their desired method of targeting fish in steelhead alley. It is simply put, what do you want to get out
of your trip to Steelhead Alley? While I
am not saying I will never use a centerpin again, I have decided to make a leap
of faith in an effort to get back to what interested me in this sport to begin
with.
I have since invested in a new tool. Thanks to Dan at Chagrin River Outfitters, his
guidance and instruction during the process of me selecting a new tool has been
a great help! I now have a Beulah 8
weight with a Lamson 3.5” Guru. I will
be running a Skagit 475 grain weight head and a plethora of sink tips. The hard work of learning how to effectively
cast and eventually hookup with my first chrome on a switch rod is in full
effect.
I look forward to sharing my experiences and documenting
them as so that maybe other anglers who may follow in my footsteps can relate
with the process of learning something new.
Thanks in advance to those of you who will be getting a lot of questions
from me in the future on the what, why, and how to?
Until Next Time…
Fish Hard…Fish Often…
On the bench, less is more from what I have learned. Too much of any one material makes the fly look like a bulky mess. Figuring out how much of this and that takes time and practice. I have messed up my fair share already. With practice I hope to become proficient with tying some intruder patterns in various colors. 
