Winter Steelhead

[Trout4lb]

I am a beginner to Steelheading and was wondering if their were any really good spots, I've been trying for about two years and never got one, any help is appreciated. If you don't want to post it on the board my e-mail is Trout4lb@aol.com. Thanks.

Tight Lines-Trout4lb

[dummy]

bobber and jigs is real rewarding for beginers driftfishing is hard to master get float fishing for steelhead by dave veder. good luck. and fish where the fish are.

I don't know where Covington, WA is Trout. You can ask some of the guys that work in the local fishing tackle stores about your area's good spots and what the best method is for those places. A centrally located hot spot is the Blue Creek area on the Cowlitz river. If you are bank fishing you can use the float and jig method that Dummy mentioned, but you should also practice driftfishing there with corkie and eggs, as well as using the floats to fish egg clusters or sandshrimp. Go back thru several pages on this BB and find a lot of good steelheading tips. Good luck. - RT

[This message has been edited by RT (edited 12-22-2000).]

[dawhunt]

HI,if your new at steelhead fishing and don't have a clue on how to jig fish or drift fish DON"T GO TO BLUE CREEK !!! its a zoo if your not big enough or have a big friend to go with you, go someplace else untill you learn.
Blue creek is a meat fishery and the guys up there are not all that friendly in fact they can be really crude and rude.You can drift fish up at the dam,I don't remember the name of the store up there but stop in and they'll tell you how to get there.I don't know where you live either but go to a sporting goods store and talk to them they'll help you.Blue Creek is no place for a novice unless your really a quick learner,VERY QUICK !!I don't mean to scare you off but I am telling you the truth.There are a lot of fish caught there,if you want to see a circus just walk back in and watch for awhile.Good Luck and DON"T GIVE UP sometimes it takes a thousand casts to catch one steelhead but once you do your hooked for life.
Bob Dawson


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Bob Dawson

[This message has been edited by dawhunt (edited 12-23-2000).]

[Trout,myster]

If you're new to it, I'd suggest starting your "education" and get a copy of Steelhead Drift Fishing by Bill Luch or Catch More Steelhead by Stan Fagerstrom. Both offer a wealth of knowledge for learning.

Biggest thing is don't get discouraged. My first steelhead trip was great. All I had was a Shakespear Ugly Stik rod and spinning reel filled with Golden Stren (my bass rod). Add to that my tacklebox which was a band-aid can full of rooster tails and a couple of "Steelies". That day I limited with 9 and 11 pound hens. "What's so hard about this?" I wondered. Well...it was a year and a half before I ever caught another one!

Just keep casting and watch where others are fishing and casting. Especially the others who are hooking fish! Good luck.

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Troutmyster

[dummy]

trout here is my rivers i like to fish kalama, wynooche, toutle, shucumcuk, nisqualy, salmon, and the queets.

[Steelheadman]

Covington is SE of Kent. Your real close to the Green River. Also try the Snoqualmie and Skykomish. Havn't fished there myself but would like to someday. I havn't caught a winter steelhead since I caught my first as a kid. Winter fishing is tougher than summer fishing for me. My first day out in the summer I hooked and landed two summer runs.

Take a look at these bbs. www.steelheader.net (has reports on your local rivers) and www.piscatorialpursuits.com.

[Sand Shrimp]

I would suggest buying the book Western Steelhead Fishing Guide,by Milt Kiezer.You can order it from STS magazine or it might be in some stores.It's an excellent book for the beginner and it lists catch totals for many rivers in OR and Wash.The book doesn't have any information about jig fishing but there's lots of good info on drift fishing and spinner fishing.Another book that has really good info on steelhead behavior is Spinner Fishing For Steelhead by Jed Davis.Even if you don't spinner fish the chapters on steelhead behavior are worth reading.Jed really goes into detail about where steelhead will hold in a hole under certain conditions.There are no short cuts in learning to catch steelhead consistently, you have to do your homework and spend lots of time on the water.I hope this helps and good luck.