Casting wiggle warts from bank for steelies

[Cosmic Lazy Susan]

Does or has anybody done this?

How about the Luhr Jensen side planner? Given the right water is this a viable method for fishing (errrr....make that catching) steelhead?

Dale

[rob allen]

casting them works well and so do side planers. Use heavy mainline for the sideplaner though they can be tough on line.. Hardest thing is having the room to get it set up and in the water

[Born to be Wild]

As you already know they work great for catching coho by casting off the bank. Guess they should work well for steelies also in the right water.

I didn't fish winters last year and only for a few minutes this year so I really haven't tried them myself.

We did catch an early winter in the lower Cowlitz last year accidentally while fishing late coho and that was by casting wiggler's (BW-29) but out of a boat that day.
Same difference though, we could have caught him off the bank casting also.

Dano

[Fish_N_Russ]

I would worry about loosing them to snags, its bad enough to loose 3-4 spoons or spinners........I can't imagine doing that with $3-4 plugs :shocked:

[Silver Ghost]

I have used wiggle warts casting from the bank for summers with great success. I have never tried this technique for winters, but don't see why it wouldn't work for them also.

I just fished them as you would a drift rig, throwing it upstream and setting the bail immediatley to get the line taught and make the wiggle wart dive.

If you get hung up just flip the bail, or let some line out, wait about 30sec. and they will usually come loose on their own as they float and the current will push them out.

[TYEE-FISHER]

I have used the Wiggle Wart quite a bit on the Deschutes (from the bank) with great results. I don't seem to have the same success other places. Then again I don't know if I fish them with the same confidence I have in the summer!!

[Mad Mikey]

It works. I use it in desperation only.

The problem is getting hung up up on the retrieve when it swings to the bank. I try to pop it to the surface and reel it in fast.
I change the hooks to a siwash from the belly of the plug with a series of split rings that make the hook point riding topside to avoid hang-ups but usually the snags occur when the bill dives behind an obstruction then I have to slack line it and pop it off.
For fun I use a 9wt fly rod with a long leader and "plug" small slots on little streams, backing it down very carefully from the bank. I can mend the floating line to keep the plug in place and it is very effective. I get some weird looks when I do this, it ain't purist by any standard but it gets fish on the bank.

[David Johnson]

Sounds like a good use for a fly rod Mad Mike. Personally I've caught more fish on eggs and my fly rod then I have on flys :grin: :grin: :grin:

[fast catchin]

works awsome on the deschutes sor summers.

[north coast kook]

I got my very first steelie on a hot shot from the bank. I didn't really know what the hell I was doing back then (not that I do now either) so I just cut the knot at my hook that I had been drifting eggs with, and tied on the very smallest hot shot they make, it was chrome color. Second cast, fish on! It dosen't work all the time (nothing does) but if they wont hit anything else, its worth a try. I was using the smallest one they make and it doesn't dive into the rocks when you bring it in. I was using that thing on the NFL last summer and people were kinda laughing at me to themselves. Until I hooked (and later lost) a HUGE summer fish!
I have tried the side planer as well, never got any thing with it. I get kinda antsy sitting there with my rod in a holder. As someone stated above, yopu do need quite a bit of room to do that. Its ok to have guys above you, but you can't have anyone below you.
-KooK

[Jet Drifter]

:smile: It works for Winter Steelhead with Side Planers on the Middle Rogue River using Original Storm Wee Warts in high brown water right next to shore, to mid-flows clear water tailouts. Locals call it Kite Fishing.
I believe the Wee Warts are lighter and have a smaller bill so that they don't dive as deep as the bigger Storm Wiggle Warts.
Assemble the Side Planer using the smaller of the two planer boards at first. Thread the 16-20# mono mainline from a casting reel through the Side Planer following the directions on the Side Planner package, ( that you don't want to throw away, but belongs in your tackle box 'cus I need the directions each year). Then tie on a barrel or snap swivel at the end of your mainline, then tie on a 12-15# leader, then a durosnap to connect to the Wee Wart of choice, ( Bone, Blue Scale Red Lip, Black Glitter among the standards).
Position yourself on the bank upstream from your fishing water at a 45 degree angle, then walk upstream another 10 feet. Place the Planer in the river current and start flying the Planer sideways away from you in the current from the shore, just like flying a Kite up in the wind. Once the current takes the Planner away from your rod tip and the Wee Wart you're holding in your other hand, carefully underhand toss the Wee Wart to the outside of the planner without crossing up the pair of treble hooks while still working the Planner into deeper water down stream at a 45 degree angle. The Wee Wart will continue to float until the 10 feet of line behind the planer is under tension as it flies out into deeper water.
Winter steelhead will hook themselves by striking the Wee Wart in anger, tripping the Side Planer loose to drift down the mainline to the barrel swivel to play the fish to shore.
When I lived in Rogue River, 1980's, I was introduced to Kite Fishing in a streambank line of a dozen fishermen in the snow, all Kite Fishing together during high off-color water conditiions. The line of bank fishermen had set up a gauntlet of Wee Warts set just 4 to 10 feet from shore with Side Planers. The bank side gauntlet of plugs is equivalent to the curtain of plugs from a hog line. It's a real fire drill when the middle plugs get hit. I thought it was very productive way to fish with plugs from the bank in high water contitions, enjoyable just about this time of year, I might add

[ 01-06-2004, 07:29 AM: Message edited by: Jet Drifter ]

[Sturgeon]

CLS, I am very familiar with the Hood and would suggest not casting those Wiggle warts unless you want to lose them. I have lost lots of $$$$$$$ throwing them at the tranny. Although they work well some less exspensive gear works well also. Try a 18' leader with slinky to match current. On the end off the leader slip on a marbled pink corkie, then a red/pink bead (small,tie on some white yarn and keep it sparse. then tie egg loop on shank of hook. place about a fingernail size bait(prawn/egg, sand shrimp)These fish like small presentations when the H2O temp drops. This gear cost about $0.20 a rigg and you can lose them all day and go home happy. Fish about 6-8 lbs line and drift relatively fast. not so fast your bait floats but you want to just feel a slight tick of the bottom once and a while. This presentation is a time bomb and will exsplode with production.
Rip some lips
Fish-on :grin: :grin: :grin:

[Mikeymoto]

Used to work very well on the upper Siletz way back in the early 80's. Cast and retrieve, if they hung up, most of the time a slack line would let them pop up to the surface then continue on with the retrieve. The fish would sometimes follow and strike them right at the waters edge. You would have to see it to believe it then the fish would :blush: and flop around a LOT!
Give it a try, you really wont loose many plugs.
Mike