The SYB Trophy
If you thought winning the Stanley Cup or the Lombardi Trophy was prestigious, guess again. The SYB Trophy is the holy grail of trophies, the Mount Everest of the fishing world and what each of the Steelyard Boys goes to bed dreaming about at night. The rules are simple, yet more complicated than you could ever believe - Whoever catches the biggest steelhead has rights to the trophy until someone catches a bigger one. Easy, right? Well, biggest fish is defined by weight and carrying a scale with us is often an afterthought on our pursuit of steel. You can measure a fishes length and girth to get a fairly accurate representation of its weight, however being "off" by a half inch can cause a big fluctuation in the total weight. West coast steel are, of course, off limits as these brutes can easily outgrow the Great Lakes steel. Lastly, while the Steelyard Boys are all honest and fine gentlemen, its amazing how big a fish can grow through "fish tales" over cold beers.
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If the Steelyard Boy could talk, oh the stories he would tell. He who lands the largest steelhead holds not only bragging rights over the rest of the boys, but also the freedom to bring the Steelyard Boy Trophy along on any and all adventures. From business meetings to road trips, happy hours to formal dinners. A touring rock star sees a lot, the Steelyard Boy has seen more.
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He’s been spotted buckled in tight surrounded by fishing gear and good company speeding across state lines on through-the-night salmon drives. He’s traversed the likes of the Rocky, Cascade, and Olympic Mountains. The SYB has felt the salty breeze of the coastal Carolinas, been covered in the grease of an Angelo’s Pizza in Cleveland, and done Lord only knows what in D.C. The SYB Trophy is a legend in his own rite, and to hold him is a high honor. It is the duty of the Steelyard Boy that possesses the trophy to uphold the core values of the boys, Honesty, Integrity, and an unwavering dedication to the search for Steelhead.
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Scroll below to see the hands that have held him, and the fish that have earned his glory.
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The Christmas Minnow
December 2014
The SYB Trophy first saw the light of day on a snowy and cold morning in 2014. Santa was prepping his reindeer for flight when Captain landed a sleek and sexy chromer from the Grand River. The fish, while not a monster, tipped the scales at 7.5 lbs and earned Captain the honor of holding the SYB Trophy first. Captain, living in Seattle at the time, would bring the SYB across the country, where he would stay for the next two years as the bond between Captain and SYB was practically inseparable (and b/c he selfishly hoarded him).
The Silver Bullet
October 2015
LRD, taking advantage of a week off before being deployed, absolutely crushed his home waters of the Chagrin River. He hit the fall run perfectly and did what he does best using a fly rod... landing silver bullets. After a few of his usual "long releases," he started bringing in fish after fish. One happened to be a silver freight train that tried swimming back to the lake. LRD successfully put the breaks on this chromer and brought in a 7.7 lb. beauty of a fish. Unfortunately, the trophy never made it to him before he had to go out and defend our country.
The Spring Whale
March 2016
On a cold Spring day in 2017, the Fishmonster set off with his apprentice, Marky Mark, in search of chrome. It didn't take long for the two of them to start hammering steel on an empty Chagrin River. Using his trusty fly rod and Wooly Bugger/Egg dropper rig, the Fishmonster eventually hooked into what he thought was Free Willy. After an incredible fight, he landed a silver bullet that topped the scales at 8.5 lbs. The SYB thus embarked on a trip to the nations Capitol and the desk of the Fishmonster.
Miss Piggy
April 2018
The following year on the Fishmonster's and Marky Marks annual Spring outing, they were back to their old antics. Once again, they were hot into chromers and were seemingly banking them left and right. Fishmonster started swinging a fat intruder and that's when Miss Piggy decided it was time to eat. In a fight that brought them 50 yards down river and even had Marky Mark falling in trying to net the beast, the fish was eventually landed by Fishmonster holding the net and the rod. She crossed the tape measure at 31 inches and tipped the scales at 9.5 lbs.
Silver Friday Unit
November 2018
In what would become known as "Silver Friday," Branches, Captain, and LRD put on a clinic the day after Thanksgiving. The Conny was flowing perfect that day and before it was all said and done, the boys put more than 30 fish to the bank. By far, the highlight of the day was Branches landing an absolute unit of a steel. It easily crossed the 30 inch mark and tipped the scales at 10.25 lbs. With Branches taking ownership of the Trophy, it returned to its home on the shores of Lake Erie.
The Winter Warrior
January 2019
As Bigwater had done many times during the Winter 2019 Steel Season, he prodded along the banks of the iconic Pere Marquette River on a clear March Day. He spotted a timbery slide, perhaps only 15 feet of drift-able water before one of the riparian wood piles of the PM would derail his baits’ travels downstream. The cast was graceful, landing about 5 feet above a swift drop from shallow sandy substrate to the dark abyss where Winter Warriors are known to lay. 10 feet into the drift, the float plummeted and mayhem ensued. Bigwater prevailed after a battle that led this monster 11 lb buck into and out of woodpiles, up and back downstream, and finally into the waiting hands of Bigwater for a grip, grin, and a quick release.
