What makes a good steelheader

[Deleted User]

I've often discussed this with various steelheader I've encountered over the years and thought it might be a good topic for discussion on this bb. So with that in mind I'll get the ball rolling.
1.Skill-You've got to be able to know what you are doing in order to catch fish. Reading water, expertise of the tackle you are using. You could live on the best steelhead drift in the state but if you don't know what you are doing you won't catch diddley!
2.Opportunity-When conditions are right you need to be there! I think someone living on or near a productive stretch of river is going to have the edge as long as #1 applies.
3.Luck - You know as well as I do this has got to play a part.
Okay so maybe this is all too obvious but in these slow fishing times we are going through right now it would be interesting to see what other theories are out there.


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Bigstew-----
RT and I were separated at birth

[rob allen]

I fished for steelhead for 10 years before I kinda gave it up in the late 80's. There just weren't any fish in the rivers I fished here in SW Washington. Since having started back at it over the last 5 years i have found it to be completely different than it was before.
The fish are different the fishermen are different and I dont like it now.
The fish are there one day gone the next they are unagressive it just isnt fun anymore.
What makes a good steelheader??
1. a boat
2. being first to the holes
3.being lucky (being there when the fish are*

[First Bite]

Good topic for discussion Stew. I agree with you especially on the luck category. The best steelheader will get skunked if there aren't any fish to be caught.
You have to know where fish like to hold and rest. I think that is the main skill to being a successful steelheader. Being able to read water is a must. Having a good presentation of whatever you are offering is the next step. Have complete confidence in what your using. And last, always be willing to try something different. Most important have fun while your doing it.
Mark

[jawbreaker]

What makes a good steelheader is PRACTICE...PRACTICE....PRACTICE. Luck has nothing to do with it. The more you practice
the "luckier" you will become. Create your own luck and get out there and wet your line.
http://www.ifish.net/forum/images/graemlins/smile.gif...A good steelheader will know where the
fish are most likely going to be and that is the number one thing when fishing for steelhead. Once you've found them, your chance for success is very good. The only way
to do that.....you got it....practice. There
is nothing you are ever going to read on this
board that will increase your experience and skill as a fisherman or woman if you don't get out on the river. If your waiting for somebody to give you a fishing report, then you will only succeed in lving vicariously through others. http://www.ifish.net/forum/images/graemlins/wink.gif

[SSPey]

I think the most important factor is the ability to arrange one's work schedule to be on the water when the rivers are in shape.

[Spooled]

Good question bigstew. Being fairly new to steelheading, I can say nothing has made a bigger difference than having a good teacher. I learned from an excellent steelheader and have done very well using what he taught me. When we first fished an Oregon river he was unfamiliar with, I was learning to use a baitcast reel while he was just talking to people learning what he could from the locals. I thought he was wasting good fishing time. It turns out, he caught 27 fish in the week we fished there. Even the game warden was impressed, as he said he watched from the brush as a lot of them were caught. Most of the fish came from a spot no one else even fished. It was hard to cast in this spot as well as hard to control a hooked fish in the fast water. I named it the Expert Hole as I could only catch tree limbs there.
Another thing he cautioned me about was fishing reports. When you get them they may be accurate, but only for the day being reported, which is usually over when you get the report. The next day could totally be a bust. Finally, I am sure luck plays a part, but knowledge can sure increase your luck.

[Phish_on]

brain damage

[THE REEL HEY_YALL]

What makes a good steelheader is what the fisherman does when no one is looking....ya know as in doing the right thing (like character). I think I am a good steelheader, but I haven't caught a winter run yet, but that's not my fault, I just blame the fish. http://www.ifish.net/forum/images/graemlins/grin.gif oh yeah and the nets http://www.ifish.net/forum/images/graemlins/frown.gif

[Osprey]

Being able to adjust to different conditions and knowing what you are doing.
I carry 3 rods on my Cat rigged and ready all different
1 float rod with jig or a ???
1 drift rod usually armed with b.o.e.
1 drift rod packin a spinner(color depends on conditions)
I have on more than 1 occasion workeda hole with one or the other and then come back with some thing different and...whammo...fish-on......Os


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Row quietly and fish a Cataraft !!---
Release all Wild Fish --<'))>><

[parker]

I may or may not be a good steelheader, but here's what I would consider to be very important in my steelheading success:

1 - Knowing the river and the steelhead in the river, on a seasonal basis. Every run of steelhead in every river reacts differently.

2 - Reading the water. If you don't know where the fish are hanging out, you might as well be fishing in your toilet.

3 - Don't be a Guru on one technique, rather be a Master at all/most techniques. On any one give day, I feel confident I will catch a fish using bait, drift gear, bait divers, plugs, floats/jigs, rags, or hardware. I use the most appropriate technique for the river conditions of the day.

You don't have to have the highest quality gear to catch steelhead. You don't have to have the worlds most perfect tie ups on your hooks to catch fish. You don't have to be in a boat to catch steelhead. All you have to be is in the right spot, at the right time, using the right technique.

Heck, it's easy! You all should be doing it!

Here's what I managed to do the last time I was out. That's DriftBoat standing next to me. Good luck to all and tight lines!

http://staff.washington.edu/parker/pics/fish51.jpg

Parker


[This message has been edited by parker (edited 01-03-2001).]

[Kwiky]

The main factor has to be reading water. You could be the luckiest bugger in the world, but if you are fishing empty runs you won't catch squat. I've fished with several guys who fish on the right drift under primo conditions, but just can't read water so they don't catch much. On the other hand, I also fish with guys who read water extremely well, and hence do very well even under poor conditions. I try to fish with these guys the most http://www.ifish.net/forum/images/graemlins/smile.gif

Kwiky

[Spooled]

Hey Osprey. You said a drift rod armed with B.O.E.! I guess thats what I did wrong when I fished with B.O.E. Sunday. I never thought of drift fishing him, I just had him row. I am sure I don't use the same drift rod as you. Judging by his size, I don't think I could have cast him very far with my rod. Do you use a slinky or lead when drifting B.O.E.? http://www.ifish.net/forum/images/graemlins/wink.gif

[Snagly]

Not to flog a dead horse, but reading water is the hardest thing. I fished new river systems unguided this past Sept in BC. The rivers had fish throughout them -- no stack holes. (OK, there were a couple of stack holes.)

I'd get to a stretch and say to myself, "OK, where are they laying?" On those big Skeena system rivers, the runs are often 300-400 yards. To tell the truth, I didn't know where they would be lying -- head, gut or tailout -- so I'd start at the top and pound my way through. I caught some nice fish but I kept thinking "If I could read water better, I'd be doing a lot better!" I also caught several fish out of areas I would consider marginal at best, but by being thorough I hooked up.

So in the absence of experience, I'd suggest that a willingness to get up early and fish hard all day helps, too.

I also liked Osprey's (and others') comments about being flexible. If I was in a spot where I could walk in with multiple rods, I had a fly rod and two drift rods pre-rigged. I often used all three in a good looking run.

Finally, I'd like to think that respect for (and care of) the fish and the environment helps define a good steelheader. I don't care how proficient someone is, he (or she) won't have earned any respect from me if they drop their trash streamside, mis-handle fish or otherwise behave in a way I wouldn't want my kids to witness.

[smilesforu]

Lets see what rookie traits you can spot.

1. Carrying a trout net for steelhead
2. Carrying a net while bank fishing
3. Wading out in the water as far as your boots/waders will allow.
4. Casting upstream on the otherside of the boulder
5. Yellow rod
6. tackle box while bank fishing
7. Not carrying a hook file while fishing
8. reeling a level wind with it upside down
9. reeling a spinning reel upside down (If you don't know guess what)
10. Fishing the boat launch all day because thats where you see the most people and fish
11. Matching outfit that says ORVIS
12. No rain gear while in FORKS
13. Reeling in with your rod pointing up stream
14. Not watching to see what the guy who is catching fish is doing differently
15. Fishing the same hole on the same river everyday all year
16. leaving your trash when you leave
17. I would say yellow rain jacket but I wear one to throw people off http://www.ifish.net/forum/images/graemlins/grin.gif
18. 5 ft leader with two foot water clarity

I am sure there is a bunch more. If all else fails fit in with the ones who look like they are catching fish so they will talk to you.
Tight Lines


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Marty M
Steelheader.net (http://www.steelheader.net/)

[LIPPEE]

A understanding wife or girlfriend

[Jellyhead]

#1 has to be learning to read water (sound familiar)

#2 has to be not getting in a rut w/one techinque

#3 has to be the most imortant one, fish every cast with the confidence that you WILL catch a fish! I know latley this has been a hard one for me, but when I do this I swear my catch rates go up. I get in tune with the river, I see pockets of holding water that will hold fish, and sometimes, I even catch one.

Aaron

[rags]

Patience and remembering it is fishing not catching and all of the above.

[RichH]

I would have to say be willing to learn from other people, sometimes even rookies. Can you imagine the looks some of the first people to use pink rubber worms got? Now it seems to be all the rage.

I have a love of drift fishing and tend to prefer corkies an spin glows. I like jigs for summer fish and never really used them for winter fish but after reading some posts here I have been breaking out the jigs as well. Its been said here before but pay attention to what other people who are successful are doing and adjust.

[SpinnerMan]

What makes a good steelheader:

1. Someone who knows where the fish will be if they are there. http://www.ifish.net/forum/images/graemlins/wink.gif

2. Someone who has the capacity to put their presentation in front of the steelhead consistently. http://www.ifish.net/forum/images/graemlins/smile.gif

3. Someone who actually catches fish a good share of the time when they are fishing -- about 10% or less of steelhead fishermen. http://www.ifish.net/forum/images/graemlins/wink.gif

SM http://www.ifish.net/forum/images/graemlins/smile.gif


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Just my spin again.

[Tanner]

Being able to adapt to all different water conditions would definitely be up near the top of my list.
Understanding what colors to use in different water conditions
Being thorough when working a strtch of water.
I spend a lot of time on a fairly short drift on the upper Nestucca. Most people do this drift in 4 - 5 hours. I am usually on it from dawn to dusk and it pays off for me everytime. It has been three years since my boat has been skunked on that drift.

[David Johnson]

There are a lot of very good things on the board that will make you a good steelheader.

Reading water, practice, versatility.........

Also having a network of sources to get up to date info and having a good memory.

Remember were you or others catch fish and at what conditions and what technique. That is a big one for me. I can tell what I am going to use and were I am going to fish before I even get on the water if I know the river level and water color. I can look through my picture albums and tell you were and on what nearly every fish was caught.

[Mr. Fisherman]

What's a Steelhead? images/icons/confused.gif