About / History

Hello, my name is Chris Senyohl. I am a 4th generation Washington Steelhead fisherman and have been fishing the waters here for over forty years. The man in the picture at the top of the page is my great grandfather,  Duke Wellington,  with a steelhead he caught out of the Forks hole on the Bogachiel river on the Olympic Peninsula in January, 1951. He was one of the first members of the Washington Steelhead Trout Club, which was founded in 1928.  He was Club President in 1940 and 1941; my dad is the current President. When I am standing waist deep in a winter river, in the rain and sleet, it’s not my fault; it’s a genetic deficiency. I was lucky to have some great heroes and mentors in the outdoors; including my dad, Gordon Gracey, and George McLeod (he netted that fish for my great grandpa and was with my grandfather when he shot his first deer). Some of the flies that George tied for me and originated (Skykomish Sunrise, Purple Peril, Yellow Hammer, Mcleod Ugly) are among my most prized possessions. Gordy Gracey is a great friend and mentor in all things outdoors. He suffered a tragic accident in 2007 and doctors predicted that he would likely never breathe, eat, or walk again on his own. Through unbelievable toughness, strength and faith he has come a fair distance further than that. His wife Kim is one of the strongest people I know (and a heck of a fisherman). As people and a couple they are both such an inspiration. The other big fish on this page is one that Gordy, with the use of only one arm, one leg and one eye, cast to, hooked and landed all on his own. For every Steelhead caught in my boat, I owe a little to Gordy. My days on the river with them are some of my most cherished every year. Tom Wolf has taught me a great deal about Puget Sound Cutthroat. Nobody knows more about this fishery than Tom.  I learned a lot from these people and take great joy, in turn, from teaching and passing things along to others, about these great fish and the special places they live.

My lovely wife Laney, a couple spoiled Labrador retrievers and I live on the banks of the Raging River in Fall City, Washington. I’ve been fortunate to see some of the great fisheries in this world, from north in Alaska, to the southern tip of Argentina; I have fished four continents and seen some amazing sights and species. My very favorite places and fish though, are right here in Washington.  I look forward to showing you a few of them.  See you on the water.

Photography

Every picture on this website is from my camera (except the old picture at the top of the page) and from waters we fish here in Washington State. No Alaska, BC, or anywhere else photos, they are all from right here on the waters we fish. The only time you’ll see a picture on this sight twice, is a handful that are on the trophy room page and some of those fish might be worth two looks. More than just the fish themselves, fishing will take you places and show you things that may be the best part of it all. Hopefully some of the scenic and wildlife pages in the gallery will show at least a little of what makes this sport, this place and these fish so special.

*Any fish held out of the water was caught at a time, or in a place, where it was legal to do so. Please handle fish with care to insure the future of our resources.

Conservation

More than just careful fish handling. Please realize that everything we do in this world has an effect. Driving a car, turning on a light, it all effects our environment. Try to make good choices. We can’t eliminate our impact, but we can try to lessen it. I support these conservation organizations: