Stan Fagerstrom
10-15-2002, 12:17 AM
You've Got To Learn To
"Read The River"
Part 2
By Stan Fagerstrom
In my last column I wrote about steelhead fishing when the water is rising. This trip let's look at a totally different situation.
If water that's coming up and getting dirty is the worst time for winter steelhead, what's the best? It's just the opposite and it's something you want to be aware of anytime you attempt to "read" the conditions on a Pacific Northwest steelhead stream.
"The ideal time for steelhead is when the water is dropping and clearing," one of the region's top guides told me once. "I like at least three feet of visibility. That doesn't mean you can't have good fishing with less. What is really important is how many fish are around."
That long time guide also made another point that even experienced steelheaders sometimes forget. "How well you can expect to do when the water starts dropping," he said, "depends on how long the freshet has lasted. If the rain has been heavy and the river has been high for an extended period, you can bet the fish have moved right on through into the tributaries. If that's the situation, you probably won't get many fish even though you're there when a stream starts to clear and drop."
This same guide said the ideal situation is to have the river come up fast and drop just as quickly. That way if fish have moved in they will still be there when the water starts down. "Two days up and one day down is ideal," he said.
http://www.ifish.net/sfth.jpg
Knowing where and when steelhead are mostly likely to be in the rivers you fish will help you slide beauties like this up on the beach.
Something else you should consider in reading a river is having a good pair of polarized glasses. I've had more than one guide tell me they attempt to impress on their clients how important it is for them to be able to see into the water. I recall one who told me he put polarized glasses right up there with his rod and reel in importance.
Southwest Washington, the area where I hung my fishing hat most of my life, is smack in the middle of some of the Pacific Northwest's finest steelhead fishing. It's not hard to find to find guides there who are on the water almost daily. I remember one such man who ran a store and guide service not far from the Cowlitz River dams. He had established a deserved reputation as a cracking good steelhead catcher.
"When you set out to read a river," this man told me, "always pay special attention to where the boulders and rocks are located. But don't, as many fishermen do, fish only behind such cover. Though few realize it, you'll actually catch more fish in front of a boulder than behind it.
What happens, he said, is that water piles up in front of a big boulder and creates a dead spot. Fish can rest there and often do. This guide advised newcomers to river reading to always note what the current is doing because fish change locations in a river as the current varies. "Fish don't quit biting," he said, "they just move. If you're going to catch very many you have to move with them."
I've detailed how a veteran guide operated in high water, now lets talk about how another expert tackles a low water situation. "The first requirement for low, clear water," another guide told me, "is to use light tackle. I use a 4 or 6-pound test line and leader with a level wind reel. My sinkers are a ¼-ounce or less. I look for slow water alongside fast water. If there's a little drop off, so much the better. Always remember that steelhead are going to hold in water where they have the least resistance."
This same man also had sound advice for the steelheader when he does find an area that he knows has fish. It's especially important when the water is low and clear. "Steelhead have birds feeding on them when they are young and on their way to the sea," he said. "Then there are seals and sea lions trying to eat them when they return as adults. They are spooky. You simply can't run a drift boat or a jet sled through a hole with the motor roaring and expect to begin catching fish. Make a racket and it will take at least 45 minutes for the fish to calm down enough so they will bite. When you hook a fish the first time through a hole, you know your approach has been as quiet as it should be.
http://www.ifish.net/sfje.jpg
The river was dropping and clearing when the angler pictured here nailed this mint bright winter steelhead.
Careful fishing is a requirement whether you're fishing from bank or boat. I recall fishing with a fish biologist who loved his steelhead fishing as much as I did. When the river was low and clear he always sneaked up to a drift, sometimes on hands and knees, to see if he could spot holding fish before he made his first cast.
In the next issue of this column I'll share some thoughts on "river reading" from one of the best steelhead anglers I've ever known. Just who that man is might surprise you.
[ 10-14-2002, 12:20 PM: Message edited by: Stan Fagerstrom ]
"Read The River"
Part 2
By Stan Fagerstrom
In my last column I wrote about steelhead fishing when the water is rising. This trip let's look at a totally different situation.
If water that's coming up and getting dirty is the worst time for winter steelhead, what's the best? It's just the opposite and it's something you want to be aware of anytime you attempt to "read" the conditions on a Pacific Northwest steelhead stream.
"The ideal time for steelhead is when the water is dropping and clearing," one of the region's top guides told me once. "I like at least three feet of visibility. That doesn't mean you can't have good fishing with less. What is really important is how many fish are around."
That long time guide also made another point that even experienced steelheaders sometimes forget. "How well you can expect to do when the water starts dropping," he said, "depends on how long the freshet has lasted. If the rain has been heavy and the river has been high for an extended period, you can bet the fish have moved right on through into the tributaries. If that's the situation, you probably won't get many fish even though you're there when a stream starts to clear and drop."
This same guide said the ideal situation is to have the river come up fast and drop just as quickly. That way if fish have moved in they will still be there when the water starts down. "Two days up and one day down is ideal," he said.
http://www.ifish.net/sfth.jpg
Knowing where and when steelhead are mostly likely to be in the rivers you fish will help you slide beauties like this up on the beach.
Something else you should consider in reading a river is having a good pair of polarized glasses. I've had more than one guide tell me they attempt to impress on their clients how important it is for them to be able to see into the water. I recall one who told me he put polarized glasses right up there with his rod and reel in importance.
Southwest Washington, the area where I hung my fishing hat most of my life, is smack in the middle of some of the Pacific Northwest's finest steelhead fishing. It's not hard to find to find guides there who are on the water almost daily. I remember one such man who ran a store and guide service not far from the Cowlitz River dams. He had established a deserved reputation as a cracking good steelhead catcher.
"When you set out to read a river," this man told me, "always pay special attention to where the boulders and rocks are located. But don't, as many fishermen do, fish only behind such cover. Though few realize it, you'll actually catch more fish in front of a boulder than behind it.
What happens, he said, is that water piles up in front of a big boulder and creates a dead spot. Fish can rest there and often do. This guide advised newcomers to river reading to always note what the current is doing because fish change locations in a river as the current varies. "Fish don't quit biting," he said, "they just move. If you're going to catch very many you have to move with them."
I've detailed how a veteran guide operated in high water, now lets talk about how another expert tackles a low water situation. "The first requirement for low, clear water," another guide told me, "is to use light tackle. I use a 4 or 6-pound test line and leader with a level wind reel. My sinkers are a ¼-ounce or less. I look for slow water alongside fast water. If there's a little drop off, so much the better. Always remember that steelhead are going to hold in water where they have the least resistance."
This same man also had sound advice for the steelheader when he does find an area that he knows has fish. It's especially important when the water is low and clear. "Steelhead have birds feeding on them when they are young and on their way to the sea," he said. "Then there are seals and sea lions trying to eat them when they return as adults. They are spooky. You simply can't run a drift boat or a jet sled through a hole with the motor roaring and expect to begin catching fish. Make a racket and it will take at least 45 minutes for the fish to calm down enough so they will bite. When you hook a fish the first time through a hole, you know your approach has been as quiet as it should be.
http://www.ifish.net/sfje.jpg
The river was dropping and clearing when the angler pictured here nailed this mint bright winter steelhead.
Careful fishing is a requirement whether you're fishing from bank or boat. I recall fishing with a fish biologist who loved his steelhead fishing as much as I did. When the river was low and clear he always sneaked up to a drift, sometimes on hands and knees, to see if he could spot holding fish before he made his first cast.
In the next issue of this column I'll share some thoughts on "river reading" from one of the best steelhead anglers I've ever known. Just who that man is might surprise you.
[ 10-14-2002, 12:20 PM: Message edited by: Stan Fagerstrom ]