The best thing I did when I moved here before I ever wet a line for salmon/steelhead besides the obvious Internet research reading, was to go down to a popular fishing spot and observe, then introduce myself and ask a lot of questions to the guys that were catching fish. Most are friendly and will give you good info. After a couple of days observing and chatting I had a real plenty of info on water to fish, best times per the tides, equipment and terminal gear, rigging, etc. I then started hitting the water 3 times per week, exploring, trying different setups, and eventually caught my first steelhead and salmon all by my lonesome. Then went on a few guided trips to learn new water and techniques.
Do whatever you can to increase the learning curve. I enjoy fishing away from the crowds but learned a lot faster in the beginning by fishing near "catchers".
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