Chapter 8 Useful Tips for Steelhead Fishing
Coaching and tips are never a substitute for experience, but it does help to get a few pointers.
Catching a steelhead is about having some luck and lots of technique.
It will help to keep these tactics in mind when you are out there.
To begin with, always remember to cover a large area so you know you do not miss any probable
spot where you might find steelheads. Before you go wading in the pool, remember to carry a
wading staff fastened to your vest for safety. It is better to carry this staff when you have to wade
across the whole stream to get to a better holding ground.
Steelheads usually hold near the bottom of the pool, so make sure you sink your presentation deep.
You are most likely to hit a steelhead when your presentation sinks directly in front of it. If there is any
unnatural drift on your line, be sure you have hooked something. It might a rock, a log, or some
underwater object but could also be a steelhead. Chances are you might find this drift near the tail
end of the pool, an area where steelheads prefer to hold.
If you do manage to hook one, you will know soon enough that steelheads leap with considerable
pressure. This pressure is enough to snap your line. You must be quick to drop your rod at parallel
to the water surface to prevent it from breaking.
There are also times when you might be in situations where your line breaks. Therefore, it helps to
carry a Swiss knife or a tool like it with you on every fishing trip. You do not know how useful these
can be, from helping you prevent the line from breaking to carving out a makeshift rod, a Swiss army
knife can do it all.
Another useful thing to learn before you go fishing is mastering the primary knots. During dawn or
dusk, monofilament is hard to see, and it helps if you are a master with your knots, especially the
blood knot, the nail knot, and the clinch knot.
It is critical for every fly fisher to know how to the read the water. Water sections change
spontaneously and steelheads move along these sections in search of the most comfortable
holding area. The angler must know the best locations that might hold steelhead and should
master their ‘home river’ first.
If you have the location right, but are just not getting a hook on a steelhead, try switching to a drift
fishing method. A moving lure, colorful streamers and globalls are often effective, even for the
dormant winter steelheads.
When you hook a steelhead, it is a good idea to memorize the exact spot. Steelheads find the most
comfortable resting ground and prefer to hold there. It might happen that you detect a nip but miss
the catch. Let the area rest and come back after a quarter of an hour to try your luck again. If you hit an
effective holding ground, it can be a very productive season for you.
Do not waste your time on unproductive ground. It you have tried all the tricks of the trade and found
no fish, you are probably just not looking in the right spot. Move to another location that might yield
better results.
An angler must treat the hunt with pride and dignity. So, take pride in your catch and make sure you
release the fish gently in the pool, not on the river rock.
...
Chapter 10 River Drift Fishing Techniques
River Drift Fishing is a fishing technique that is gaining popularity amongst both amateurs and the
professionals. It increases the chances of success at fishing and therefore attracts more people to
try their luck. It is most popular in streams that have pools and rapids. These streams are full of
trout, steelhead and salmon that are migrating.
The technique involves casting the drift bobber and sinker upstream, which then flows downstream
with the current. Once it flows towards the riverbank, you cast another into the river. The bobber
bounces up and down along the bottom of the stream and thus attracts the attention of the fish. The
fish could be hungry, protecting itself or curious and may bite the bobber.
Drift fishing requires the right amount of weight while the bobber performs a tap-tap-skip action
involving the bobber touching the bottom then rising before touching the bottom again. The drift
bobber should have the right weight to make a sinker act.
There are many ways to add weight. The use of pencil lead has proved both successful and
economical. Pencil Lead could be either hollow or solid. It is available in coils to allow the user to
cut as much as desired. The most popular lead diameter in use is 3/16.
Another popular sinker is the Bouncing Betty which is round and made of rubber. It is available in
various sizes and best suited in slow, shallow water.
Due to the continuous action of the bobber, it is sometimes difficult to identify a fish take. A rule of
thumb for successful drift fishing is to set the hook at even the slightest tug. To make sure you know
every time that a fish mouths a bobber you can use sharp hooks and add yarn.
A sharp hook is an important part of your fishing gear. To keep your hooks sharp, you can use Luhr
Jensen’s Sharp Hook File that is available in different sizes. You just make one-way strokes on the
hook to make a point.
The light biting fish will not be able to get a super sharp hook out of its mouth easily and, thus, you
feel a stronger take.
Add the yarn ahead of the hook and below the bobber. The yarn adds color, which contrasts with the
lure you are using. The fish cannot spit out the hook easily because of the yarn as it entangles in
their teeth. To get rid of the yarn and the hook the fish will move even more giving you the signal to
set the hook.
An important tip for a successful drift fishing experience is to have the line close to the bottom. For
this, choose a line heavier than you use for lake fishing. An example of a good quality line is Trilene
XT or Berkeley Big Game.
Varied products are available for you to try out on your fishing spree. The following are a few
examples. Birdy Drifter is a bobber suited for both fast and slow water conditions. Bobtail is a drift
lure available in different colors. Gooey Bob is a drift lure that resembles a cluster of eggs and thus
attracts fish. It is very soft and feels real to the fish, resulting in a harder take. Fat and Fuzzy Yarn
comes with a reusable dispenser and in various colors.
Coaching and tips are never a substitute for experience, but it does help to get a few pointers.
Catching a steelhead is about having some luck and lots of technique.
It will help to keep these tactics in mind when you are out there.
To begin with, always remember to cover a large area so you know you do not miss any probable
spot where you might find steelheads. Before you go wading in the pool, remember to carry a
wading staff fastened to your vest for safety. It is better to carry this staff when you have to wade
across the whole stream to get to a better holding ground.
Steelheads usually hold near the bottom of the pool, so make sure you sink your presentation deep.
You are most likely to hit a steelhead when your presentation sinks directly in front of it. If there is any
unnatural drift on your line, be sure you have hooked something. It might a rock, a log, or some
underwater object but could also be a steelhead. Chances are you might find this drift near the tail
end of the pool, an area where steelheads prefer to hold.
If you do manage to hook one, you will know soon enough that steelheads leap with considerable
pressure. This pressure is enough to snap your line. You must be quick to drop your rod at parallel
to the water surface to prevent it from breaking.
There are also times when you might be in situations where your line breaks. Therefore, it helps to
carry a Swiss knife or a tool like it with you on every fishing trip. You do not know how useful these
can be, from helping you prevent the line from breaking to carving out a makeshift rod, a Swiss army
knife can do it all.
Another useful thing to learn before you go fishing is mastering the primary knots. During dawn or
dusk, monofilament is hard to see, and it helps if you are a master with your knots, especially the
blood knot, the nail knot, and the clinch knot.
It is critical for every fly fisher to know how to the read the water. Water sections change
spontaneously and steelheads move along these sections in search of the most comfortable
holding area. The angler must know the best locations that might hold steelhead and should
master their ‘home river’ first.
If you have the location right, but are just not getting a hook on a steelhead, try switching to a drift
fishing method. A moving lure, colorful streamers and globalls are often effective, even for the
dormant winter steelheads.
When you hook a steelhead, it is a good idea to memorize the exact spot. Steelheads find the most
comfortable resting ground and prefer to hold there. It might happen that you detect a nip but miss
the catch. Let the area rest and come back after a quarter of an hour to try your luck again. If you hit an
effective holding ground, it can be a very productive season for you.
Do not waste your time on unproductive ground. It you have tried all the tricks of the trade and found
no fish, you are probably just not looking in the right spot. Move to another location that might yield
better results.
An angler must treat the hunt with pride and dignity. So, take pride in your catch and make sure you
release the fish gently in the pool, not on the river rock.
...
Chapter 10 River Drift Fishing Techniques
River Drift Fishing is a fishing technique that is gaining popularity amongst both amateurs and the
professionals. It increases the chances of success at fishing and therefore attracts more people to
try their luck. It is most popular in streams that have pools and rapids. These streams are full of
trout, steelhead and salmon that are migrating.
The technique involves casting the drift bobber and sinker upstream, which then flows downstream
with the current. Once it flows towards the riverbank, you cast another into the river. The bobber
bounces up and down along the bottom of the stream and thus attracts the attention of the fish. The
fish could be hungry, protecting itself or curious and may bite the bobber.
Drift fishing requires the right amount of weight while the bobber performs a tap-tap-skip action
involving the bobber touching the bottom then rising before touching the bottom again. The drift
bobber should have the right weight to make a sinker act.
There are many ways to add weight. The use of pencil lead has proved both successful and
economical. Pencil Lead could be either hollow or solid. It is available in coils to allow the user to
cut as much as desired. The most popular lead diameter in use is 3/16.
Another popular sinker is the Bouncing Betty which is round and made of rubber. It is available in
various sizes and best suited in slow, shallow water.
Due to the continuous action of the bobber, it is sometimes difficult to identify a fish take. A rule of
thumb for successful drift fishing is to set the hook at even the slightest tug. To make sure you know
every time that a fish mouths a bobber you can use sharp hooks and add yarn.
A sharp hook is an important part of your fishing gear. To keep your hooks sharp, you can use Luhr
Jensen’s Sharp Hook File that is available in different sizes. You just make one-way strokes on the
hook to make a point.
The light biting fish will not be able to get a super sharp hook out of its mouth easily and, thus, you
feel a stronger take.
Add the yarn ahead of the hook and below the bobber. The yarn adds color, which contrasts with the
lure you are using. The fish cannot spit out the hook easily because of the yarn as it entangles in
their teeth. To get rid of the yarn and the hook the fish will move even more giving you the signal to
set the hook.
An important tip for a successful drift fishing experience is to have the line close to the bottom. For
this, choose a line heavier than you use for lake fishing. An example of a good quality line is Trilene
XT or Berkeley Big Game.
Varied products are available for you to try out on your fishing spree. The following are a few
examples. Birdy Drifter is a bobber suited for both fast and slow water conditions. Bobtail is a drift
lure available in different colors. Gooey Bob is a drift lure that resembles a cluster of eggs and thus
attracts fish. It is very soft and feels real to the fish, resulting in a harder take. Fat and Fuzzy Yarn
comes with a reusable dispenser and in various colors.
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| Learn How to Fish for Steelhead Successfully Learn the Steelhead Fishing Tips and Techniques |
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The above text is extracted from the book
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