High Water Plunking Winter Steelies

Some opportunities here soon, based on the current river situations. Don't even need a boat to do it. :grin:

When I was bank fishing I would be finding me a nice spot to Highwater plunk in the current with a Chart/Orange (anything major brite) spin-n- glow, hoochie skirt and eggs. Size it for the water conditions. Keep your weight dropper length short enough to keep everything right near the bottom.

I would hit it as soon as it started to drop good, even if you think it's still a bit too colored to fish, all the way through clear water. This is fish movin' water.

A hint for more hook ups with a spin-n-glow is to make sure you put some beads behind it (I use two to three based on size), so the fish can clamp down on the hooks, NOT, the body of the spin-n- glow, never having the clearance to find the hook in back when a fish hits it. Major important.

No duh, for you that know this already. Some new bank guys think the ONLY way to catch a winter steelhead is pure drift fishing.

It is not. If you just want to build a fire, relax and wait for your rod to go off, when you get tired of casting and re-tying sometimes. (Or you get real old and lazy) :grin:

You find a good spot where the fish come by and this method can get real productive. Make sure you don't do this while everyone else is drifting or drift fishing in a given spot. No duh again.

You too can catch winter steelhead even if you never have and/or just can't seem to hook one drift fishing your stuff through the riffles.

Oh yeah, don't forget your rodholder when you leave, like me, too many times. Someone has some nice ones of mine over the years. :grin:

Always had me a highwater hole to go try, when everything else was blown out, just so I could still go fishing somewhere.

Relaxing stuff.



[ 11-14-2001: Message edited by: ****** ]</p>

[nipper]

Thanks for the tip ******. Say, can you describe what kind of kind of location features make for a good spot for this style of fishing?

Nipper

[ampersat]

i'll chime in on this one.

meldrum bar, downstream end
sandy river, east side, just downstream from I84
sandy river, oxbow park, boatramp

of these, meldrum bar is my favorite (although, i have yet to catch a fish there). you can drive right out onto the bar and set up your fire before the sun comes up. lots of traffic there for winter steelies. get there early if you have a preference for your spot.

at meldrum, you don't have to cast out very far; more than twenty yards and you're missing all the fish. when the willamette is up, they run close to the bank, staying in the clearer water of the clackamas before they head up over the falls or up into the clack itself. a little bit of egg, sandshrimp or cured prawn on the hook can make all the difference sometimes. other times, just a straight spin-n-glo with some wd40 is all it takes.

good luck and see you there.

[Chris Nordling]

Hey amp-
If you ever need some help on getting that first fish at Meldrum, let me know. I've done very well for both springers and winter steelies down there. It helps that it's only 7 minutes from home. Most important things being angle of rod to the water, fish the right tides, and make sure your'e plunking and not drifting. Adding a 2nd and even third rig sometimes makes all the differnce as you can cover different water columns.

Good luck,
Chris

~ Team U.S.A. ~

[Bait O' Eggs]

Nipper, I have done a little of that fishing ****** describes.

I like to find a good side creek where the water runs clear before the main river cleans up. Get just below it, the fish will move over and lay in the cleaner water along the banks edge. They dont like to filter that muddy water if they dont have to. I wont tell you my favorite side creek, but there are several out there.

[TheRogue]

My experiences on the Rogue River, which is possibly the single best plunking river on the West Coast in terms of places to fish....

1. Fish will move regardless of how dirty the water is, they just stay shallower. I've fished at Huntley Park many times, which is a long bend in the river, with a giant (1 mile long) gravel bar. When the water is really dirty, you can see the fish coming....even to the point of their dorsal fins being out of the water. Be prepared to fish much more shallow than you would ever think of doing!!

2. Fish will generally cut the corners, especially on a larger river. Shortest distance bet. two points, I guess.

3. My favorite muddy water color is watermelon with BLACK wings. Don't be afraid of darker colors in dirty water.

4. Good tip about the beads, also can use tubing, also a fixed double hook rig can work well.

5. You can use up to 3 rigs in most rivers...take advantage of it. Rig a sliding spin-n-glow, or even a HotShot. Once your mainline is in the water and set, clip on your slider, and "walk" it down the line....done by gently jiggling your rod.

6. As always, watch everyone else!!!

Kyle

[Smily]

Those are some great tips guys. I was wondering how big of a Spin and Glo would you reccomend and what colors?
Does anybody use Plugs as well in these conditions with any success?

:smile: Smily :smile:

[Jennie@ifish]

I thought about using a big old 8 oz weight, and plunking a wrapped Kwikfish.
I'm going to try that today, me thinks.
Anyone else try this?
Jen

[TheRogue]

Jen.... use a long lead dropper, with a short leader to the KwikFish, that way it isn't hung on the bottom all the time. I've tried it before, no luck, but have seen it work!!

kyle

[ampersat]

hey fwf1,
why yes, yes i do need help getting that first fish on the bar. you can share your secrets with all of us or just me. i normally run a double rig when fishing the bar, usually both spin-n-glos with either yarn or bait of some kind. my rod holder is close to straight up normally. what angle should i have it set in the ground at for maximum fishability?

[Uncle Bob]

This is one area I'm weak in.
******, ampersat, Bait O'Eggs, FWF1, TheRogue
Hey guys, Thanks for all the tips. I can tell you're not just yapping.

And for those of you who aren't taking a few notes, I think you're really missing out.
Thanks again!

UB

[Uncle Bob]

fwf1
Would you be interested in doing a little bank side clinic?
I'm sure there are those who would be glad to bring the coffee and doughnuts.

UB

Almost forgot. Much overlooked for Winter's. Ran out of eggs, don't got no eggs? Hang a great big fat nightcrawler straight out behind the same rig
in my first post. You owe me a post when it gets
hammered hard. :grin:

Rick

[Chris Nordling]

Ampersat,
I prefer an angle of about 45 or so to the river with the rod/line , and a little downstream too. Maybe 1:30 or 2:00.Almost to the pick-up point when you drift fish. The reason is if you're returning a call to nature, when your bell naturally goes off, you'd like the fish to set themselves. That way all you have to do is lift the rod and give one last quick set, then it's fish on.
Along with the other baits mentioned, I like pink worms (really off- colored water) and to run plugs as my top rig. It's pretty fun having a chrome winter fly out of the water holding your pink wiggle wart or whatever plug. I just try to match colors to conditions of course. Prawn tails also work well when pinned under a Thin Twin blade. Spin glo size is about the size of your first knuckle to the tip of your thumb. Some people use beads, some corkies, but you must space between the spin glo and hooks ! This will catch you more fish. Trust in ******. Vary the size of bead/corky to water height. Personally, I favor pink as a color, but many steelhead have come for me on orange too. Experiment and watch.
Rigging up can be quite interesting if you fish 3 rigs. Remember that each set of treble hooks counts as one hook. Therefore you might have to remove a belly plug if you run three rigs. Don't forget to place the corky stopper about 6"-12" above your first 3 way swivel, this makes it easy to keep things untangled when you reel up to check baits. Always try to maintain equal lenghts of leaders, that way the tree or lures is at least somewhat uniform to create a small blockade.
Try not to be too shy about pounding in close to someone. Of course it's nice to leave a little cushion, but if three or four guys plunk closer together, at the same angle, there is a better chance someone will get fish, and real possible for a double. Team fishing I call it. Most of locals are just that, and have spent years fishing there. I learned many ideas from lots of dudes and have been able to put together some respectable days. Just ask questions, and look out for the rod next to you. Sometimes it's a good idea to get a feel for how much lead people are holding with, that way you don't drift between two fisherman. Courtesy will go a long way down there, but if you can't get along, there are plenty of options below the mouth of the Clack.
Tides can also play a factor in fishing the Willamete. I like to fish after work, so I tend to favor the p.m. high, to help find schools of moving fish. I could go on an on about my favorite fishing close to home. So many little tricks and ideas to share, but I hate to ramble....

So Uncle Bob, I'm kinda partial to really good cookies and Mountain Dew since I don't really fish down there in the mornings. I would be more than happy to help you or anyone else catch more steelhead from the bank. Plunking or otherwise. If you like I can e-mail you when I start going there and we can hook-up for a bankside demo. Just send me your e-mail address, and I'll get in touch.

Chris

~ Team U.S.A ~

P.s. Sometimes scent and yarn is the only way to go. Powerbait works on sea-going trout as well. Those HATCHERY steelies still remember what kind of baby food they ate !

For Pete :grin: