Steelhead
fishing tips
If you haven’t
tried your hand at steelhead fishing, you don’t know what you’re
missing! This member of the trout family (Rainbow Trout) is one feisty
fighter, and its popularity among anglers is steadily growing. It may
just be the most popular sport fish after bass in North America now.
Before you can
catch the often-elusive steelhead, you have to know where they are.
It’s imperative that you study fishing reports religiously, or you’ll
find yourself in waist-deep cold water with nothing to show for it.
Keep in mind that a good steelhead day of fishing is often catching
one fish. Patience and a positive outlook are keys to enjoying
yourself.
An important
key to catching steelhead (and many other trout species, for that
matter) is to systematically fish as much of the stream or river as
you can in the time you have. Steelhead are best caught in a
downstream casting technique, so try starting upstream and working
your way down the stretch you’ve picked out. If other anglers are near
(a common occurrence), do your best to work around them or fish
another spot altogether.
Steelhead Fishing
lures
Like many
trout species, steelheads strike what are called ‘attractor pattern’
flies more often than other types of fishing lures. This means you
will want to fish with a variety of bright color combinations, and
ideally, you should look for those that mimic the natural steelhead
food of that season in that part of the country.
Steelhead
fishing tackle
In recent
years, there has been a resurgence among steelhead anglers of the long
double-handed casting rods (11-16 feet). The reason is simple – these
fishing rods promote faster and wider coverage of the stream.
Steelheaders can maximize their productivity using them.
Steelhead
fishing technique
Steelhead are
most often caught in the colder months in the Northwest and Great
Lakes. The fish will be lethargic with water temps barely above
freezing. The best technique is to drift a nymph or fly in typical
trout fashion, but slightly slower than the natural current. Even
normally aggressive steelheads won’t hit anything moving very fast
when it’s that cold.
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