rob allen
06-01-2004, 12:11 AM
I posred this on another site and was asked to post it here as well.. hope it helps someone
Steelhead are not trout, steelhead by and large stop feeding upon
entering fresh water. Many eat occassionally but only a few actually
feed. That is to say that only few go out actively looking for food.
Also steelhead differ from trout in the size of the overall
population. Where a trout stream might have 3500 fish per mile
there are few steelhead streams that even get 3500 per year and
thoes fish are not all in the river at one time and not all in the
same streach of river. You may be fishing a river with 2 or 3 fish
per mile and thoes fish are likely not looking for food. On a very
good river there might be 20-50 fish per mile but duch rivers are
the exception not the norm. This is the basis of understanding
one needs to realize when deciding to become a steeheader,
success will be limited.
Another thing to understand is that not all steelhead are created
equal. In nearly every case wild steelhead, thoes not raised in
hatcheries, are vastly more aggressive to a fly that there hatchery
rivals. This has also been scientifically documented through creeel
surveys on the Deschutes river in Oregon where hatchery fish out
number wild fish at ratios of 10-1 or even higer. During the study
period anglers reported catching wild steelhead at a rate of 2 wild
steelhead for every hatchery steelhead and this during prime water
conditions in September and October. What this means to the fly
angler is that they should focus there effors of rivers that are
known for having wild fish if ar all possible. It's not always a
possibility but if you have the ability choose a river with wild fish.
A great part of successful steelheading is knowing a particular
river. I have talked to numerous people who bounce around from
river to river chasing hot reports. Invariably they have poor
success. it's my belief that an angler is better off learning one river
well then branching out from there. it is with knowledge of a river
that an angler begins to learn how to catch fish. Then this
knowledge the angler can apply to other places with effectivness.
This also gives you another great advantage, confidence. Having
confidence in what you are doing is a essential. Without it an
angler will flounder and fail constantly second guessing themselves
and wondering if they are doing the right thing.
So I offer this to give you confidence. If you stick with it you WILL
hook a steelhead.
Start with a small selection of flies that cover the basic collor
ranges.
1. a dark attractor in black ( skunk)
2. a bright attractor in red or orange ( polar shrimp)
3. a dark attractor in purple ( purple peril)
4. a drab buggy pattern ( burlap)
5. a surface fly ( steelhead muddler)
Take these flies to your chosen river. They are all time tested
proven steelhead catchers they DO work! You now can have
confidence in the fly you are fishing.
Now we need to understand where in the river will a steelhead be?
The basic needs of any fish that determine it's location in a river
are: food, oxygen, comfort and safety. Now as we have already
discussed steelhead have no need of food so thats not an issue to
consider. Also most steelhead rivers sustain cool enough
tempratures that oxygen is rarely an issue, Cool water maintains a
higher level of dessolved oxeygen than warm water. therefore
oxeygen is only occassionally an issue for where steelhead hold.
that said steelhead are most comfortable and active in water
temps from 48-60 degrees. Water temps cooler than 48 require a
much slower presentation as the fis's metabolism slows making
them less active. Also water temps over 60 degrees have such low
levels of disolved oxygen that they start to become lethargic and
in temps over 65 they start going into sever stress while being
caught. therefore anglers should not fish steelhead in temps over
65 degrees.
not only will catch rates be poor but mortality rates of hooked fish
will increase.
So we are left with the primary considerations for finding good
steelhead water, comfort and safety. A steelhead could easily hold
in rapids their entire adult lives and have plenty of oxygen and
safety however such places aren't very comfortable for a fish and
they have to expend a lot of energy to be there. A fish could hold
right on the edge of a river in just a few inches of water and be be
there with no expending of energy at all but they are very
vulnerable to predators. Also they could just sit in the bottom of
very deep pools but for reasons i won't pretent to understand
they don't. Which is good news for us fly fishers.. Steelhead seem
to find comfort and safety in water from 2-6 feet deep with a
moderate current flow. The more broken or riffley the surface of
the water is the shallower the fish will hold. Often the most
exciting fishing is in shallow but broken water when the fish can be
reached easily with a floating line as water starts getting into the 5
and 6 foot mark sink tips become more effective, particularly in
areas where water temps are at the lower end a of steelhead active
range 45 and lower. it is my personal preference to fish exclusively
with a floating line in water temps above 53 degrees and rarely use
sink tips between 52 and 48 degrees.
The actual fishing takes more commitment, discipline and tenacity
than it does a high level of skill. cast are made across and down
stream. The fly is then mended or followed across the stream as
slowly as possible. Sometimes it's not slow at all due to the
current but as slow a swing as possible is usually a good way to
go. I will however on occasion with a very slow pool or very
aggressive fish , try to increase the speed of the fly by leading it
across the run. after each cast simply make a step or two down
river and repeat until your at the bottom of the run or until the
water no longer seems like good holding water. Often the heads of
good steelhead runs are too fast and shallow to be good holding
water. Inspite of that i encourage people to start very high up in
these runs simply because it's good to get a few casts in before
you get to the good water. This ensures that you'll be covering all
the good water and it gives you a good sence of what the run is
really like.
Now there are a couple theories both of which have a great deal of
merit. this is regarding how long to spend in a certain piece of
water. The first theory says never leave fish to find fish. These
people will fish a run and if they know there are fish there they will
fish through it with several flies before going onto the next run.
On the contrary other people thing that you are after only the
most aggressive fish and the better method is to cover as many
runs as you can and therefore show your fly to more individual fish
instead of the same fish over and over again. This theory, to which
i happen to subscribe, forgets to take one thing into account. That
is that steelhead are always moving. By staying in one good spot
and fishing it several time you could possibly be showing your fly
to new fish that just arrived in the pool each time you fish it.. The
truth is I just get bored and prefer to move from run to run... The
choice is yours both theories work fine..
Now for a little ettiquite (sp?) One should never enter a run below
another angler. It's ok to go into another run below an angler but
never below them on the run they are fishing.
If the run is large enough it is ok to go in behind another angler,
that is Upstream of another angler. Doing this is ethically fine
however it's always very nice when someone asks if they can share
your run so always ask. Now if you are the one fishing the run,
fish through it in a timely manner. After all it's a public stream and
it's good for all of us to share. Also if you have hooked a couple
fish and someone is waiting to fish the pool invite them to jump in
below you, these kinds of acts always promote good
sportsmanship.
Then there is the obvious stuff, pack out your litter and if you can
the litter left behind by others.
Catch and release is a great ethic to have, however in light of
recent scientific studies catch and release shouldn't be universally
applied. Hatchery raised steelhead are a great hinderance to the
restoration of our wild runs. Add to this that the purpose of
hatchery steelhead is for harvest. These two combine to create an
exception to the catch and release ethic. Keeping a hatchery
steelhead is not only acceptable it is a good thing because in doing
so you just may be saving a few wild fish. In terms of steelhead
we shouldn't talk about catch and release ethic but have an
understanding of the entire conservation ethic. Part of that is
removing hatchery fish from the breeding population as often as
you have use for the food. I do not endorse wasting these game
fish.
On occasion you'll have the opportunity to sight fish to a
steelhead. if you can get into position without spooking the fish
there are a couple things you can do to catch an otherwise
uncatchable fish after they have ignored more traditional
approaches. the first and my favorite is to fish a large bright
intrusive shrimp pattern like an orange General practitioner in size
2/0-5/0. This fly i will cast just beyond the fish and give it a fleeing
strip and twitch retrieve. This rarely works but when it does it is
very exciting as the fish will come charging for the fly mouth
agape.. the hard part is waiting for the fish to close it's mouth on
the fly and turn before setting the hook. The second method and
one I never use anymore is to use a nymph pattern and dead drift
it by them very often this will produce strikes when nothing else
will. I urge great caution with this method. It is easy once a fish is
sighted to continue to fish and fish and fish for it. at some point
this becomes harassment and very often will lead to foul hooking
of the fish. This is not at all sporting!
Steelhead fly fishing is a wonderful way iof life. Some call it sport,
some call it hobby for me it's way beyond any of that, it's a
relationship with the river and with the fish. Each time a fish grabs
my fly i am having intimate fellowship with that fish and with the
river. each time i release a fish i do so with a great sence of
satisfaction and thankfulness. each time a fish spits the hook back
at me i just smile and am thankful for the brief thrill it gave me. I
wish all these same things on all of you and for everyone who ever
casts a fly for these magnificent creatures who'd great nobility far
surpasses mine.
Steelhead are not trout, steelhead by and large stop feeding upon
entering fresh water. Many eat occassionally but only a few actually
feed. That is to say that only few go out actively looking for food.
Also steelhead differ from trout in the size of the overall
population. Where a trout stream might have 3500 fish per mile
there are few steelhead streams that even get 3500 per year and
thoes fish are not all in the river at one time and not all in the
same streach of river. You may be fishing a river with 2 or 3 fish
per mile and thoes fish are likely not looking for food. On a very
good river there might be 20-50 fish per mile but duch rivers are
the exception not the norm. This is the basis of understanding
one needs to realize when deciding to become a steeheader,
success will be limited.
Another thing to understand is that not all steelhead are created
equal. In nearly every case wild steelhead, thoes not raised in
hatcheries, are vastly more aggressive to a fly that there hatchery
rivals. This has also been scientifically documented through creeel
surveys on the Deschutes river in Oregon where hatchery fish out
number wild fish at ratios of 10-1 or even higer. During the study
period anglers reported catching wild steelhead at a rate of 2 wild
steelhead for every hatchery steelhead and this during prime water
conditions in September and October. What this means to the fly
angler is that they should focus there effors of rivers that are
known for having wild fish if ar all possible. It's not always a
possibility but if you have the ability choose a river with wild fish.
A great part of successful steelheading is knowing a particular
river. I have talked to numerous people who bounce around from
river to river chasing hot reports. Invariably they have poor
success. it's my belief that an angler is better off learning one river
well then branching out from there. it is with knowledge of a river
that an angler begins to learn how to catch fish. Then this
knowledge the angler can apply to other places with effectivness.
This also gives you another great advantage, confidence. Having
confidence in what you are doing is a essential. Without it an
angler will flounder and fail constantly second guessing themselves
and wondering if they are doing the right thing.
So I offer this to give you confidence. If you stick with it you WILL
hook a steelhead.
Start with a small selection of flies that cover the basic collor
ranges.
1. a dark attractor in black ( skunk)
2. a bright attractor in red or orange ( polar shrimp)
3. a dark attractor in purple ( purple peril)
4. a drab buggy pattern ( burlap)
5. a surface fly ( steelhead muddler)
Take these flies to your chosen river. They are all time tested
proven steelhead catchers they DO work! You now can have
confidence in the fly you are fishing.
Now we need to understand where in the river will a steelhead be?
The basic needs of any fish that determine it's location in a river
are: food, oxygen, comfort and safety. Now as we have already
discussed steelhead have no need of food so thats not an issue to
consider. Also most steelhead rivers sustain cool enough
tempratures that oxygen is rarely an issue, Cool water maintains a
higher level of dessolved oxeygen than warm water. therefore
oxeygen is only occassionally an issue for where steelhead hold.
that said steelhead are most comfortable and active in water
temps from 48-60 degrees. Water temps cooler than 48 require a
much slower presentation as the fis's metabolism slows making
them less active. Also water temps over 60 degrees have such low
levels of disolved oxygen that they start to become lethargic and
in temps over 65 they start going into sever stress while being
caught. therefore anglers should not fish steelhead in temps over
65 degrees.
not only will catch rates be poor but mortality rates of hooked fish
will increase.
So we are left with the primary considerations for finding good
steelhead water, comfort and safety. A steelhead could easily hold
in rapids their entire adult lives and have plenty of oxygen and
safety however such places aren't very comfortable for a fish and
they have to expend a lot of energy to be there. A fish could hold
right on the edge of a river in just a few inches of water and be be
there with no expending of energy at all but they are very
vulnerable to predators. Also they could just sit in the bottom of
very deep pools but for reasons i won't pretent to understand
they don't. Which is good news for us fly fishers.. Steelhead seem
to find comfort and safety in water from 2-6 feet deep with a
moderate current flow. The more broken or riffley the surface of
the water is the shallower the fish will hold. Often the most
exciting fishing is in shallow but broken water when the fish can be
reached easily with a floating line as water starts getting into the 5
and 6 foot mark sink tips become more effective, particularly in
areas where water temps are at the lower end a of steelhead active
range 45 and lower. it is my personal preference to fish exclusively
with a floating line in water temps above 53 degrees and rarely use
sink tips between 52 and 48 degrees.
The actual fishing takes more commitment, discipline and tenacity
than it does a high level of skill. cast are made across and down
stream. The fly is then mended or followed across the stream as
slowly as possible. Sometimes it's not slow at all due to the
current but as slow a swing as possible is usually a good way to
go. I will however on occasion with a very slow pool or very
aggressive fish , try to increase the speed of the fly by leading it
across the run. after each cast simply make a step or two down
river and repeat until your at the bottom of the run or until the
water no longer seems like good holding water. Often the heads of
good steelhead runs are too fast and shallow to be good holding
water. Inspite of that i encourage people to start very high up in
these runs simply because it's good to get a few casts in before
you get to the good water. This ensures that you'll be covering all
the good water and it gives you a good sence of what the run is
really like.
Now there are a couple theories both of which have a great deal of
merit. this is regarding how long to spend in a certain piece of
water. The first theory says never leave fish to find fish. These
people will fish a run and if they know there are fish there they will
fish through it with several flies before going onto the next run.
On the contrary other people thing that you are after only the
most aggressive fish and the better method is to cover as many
runs as you can and therefore show your fly to more individual fish
instead of the same fish over and over again. This theory, to which
i happen to subscribe, forgets to take one thing into account. That
is that steelhead are always moving. By staying in one good spot
and fishing it several time you could possibly be showing your fly
to new fish that just arrived in the pool each time you fish it.. The
truth is I just get bored and prefer to move from run to run... The
choice is yours both theories work fine..
Now for a little ettiquite (sp?) One should never enter a run below
another angler. It's ok to go into another run below an angler but
never below them on the run they are fishing.
If the run is large enough it is ok to go in behind another angler,
that is Upstream of another angler. Doing this is ethically fine
however it's always very nice when someone asks if they can share
your run so always ask. Now if you are the one fishing the run,
fish through it in a timely manner. After all it's a public stream and
it's good for all of us to share. Also if you have hooked a couple
fish and someone is waiting to fish the pool invite them to jump in
below you, these kinds of acts always promote good
sportsmanship.
Then there is the obvious stuff, pack out your litter and if you can
the litter left behind by others.
Catch and release is a great ethic to have, however in light of
recent scientific studies catch and release shouldn't be universally
applied. Hatchery raised steelhead are a great hinderance to the
restoration of our wild runs. Add to this that the purpose of
hatchery steelhead is for harvest. These two combine to create an
exception to the catch and release ethic. Keeping a hatchery
steelhead is not only acceptable it is a good thing because in doing
so you just may be saving a few wild fish. In terms of steelhead
we shouldn't talk about catch and release ethic but have an
understanding of the entire conservation ethic. Part of that is
removing hatchery fish from the breeding population as often as
you have use for the food. I do not endorse wasting these game
fish.
On occasion you'll have the opportunity to sight fish to a
steelhead. if you can get into position without spooking the fish
there are a couple things you can do to catch an otherwise
uncatchable fish after they have ignored more traditional
approaches. the first and my favorite is to fish a large bright
intrusive shrimp pattern like an orange General practitioner in size
2/0-5/0. This fly i will cast just beyond the fish and give it a fleeing
strip and twitch retrieve. This rarely works but when it does it is
very exciting as the fish will come charging for the fly mouth
agape.. the hard part is waiting for the fish to close it's mouth on
the fly and turn before setting the hook. The second method and
one I never use anymore is to use a nymph pattern and dead drift
it by them very often this will produce strikes when nothing else
will. I urge great caution with this method. It is easy once a fish is
sighted to continue to fish and fish and fish for it. at some point
this becomes harassment and very often will lead to foul hooking
of the fish. This is not at all sporting!
Steelhead fly fishing is a wonderful way iof life. Some call it sport,
some call it hobby for me it's way beyond any of that, it's a
relationship with the river and with the fish. Each time a fish grabs
my fly i am having intimate fellowship with that fish and with the
river. each time i release a fish i do so with a great sence of
satisfaction and thankfulness. each time a fish spits the hook back
at me i just smile and am thankful for the brief thrill it gave me. I
wish all these same things on all of you and for everyone who ever
casts a fly for these magnificent creatures who'd great nobility far
surpasses mine.