Dead drifting for steelhead is without doubt the most effective technique for probing Northeast Ohio steams for Erie steelhead.  Once steelhead enter our area streams, they tend to hang close to the bottom of the river.  The most effective way to present a fly in the strike zone of the steelhead holding near the river bottom is to use a popular technique called dead drifting.  Unfortunately, many fly fishers never understand the necessary gear, components, and techniques used to dead drift flies and therefore, are missing an incredibly effective weapon in their fishing arsenal.

      Timing: Anglers seeking to dead drift for steelhead must time the runs of these fish correctly in order to optimize their chances for success when fishing.  Although our area rivers have different sized watersheds and other factors which can influence runoff severity and length, a good general rule of thumb is that once river water starts to look greener instead of brown anglers begin to have a decent chance of running into some steel.  I personally believe visibility in the 12-24 inch range to be optimal for fly fishing, particularly for dead drifting nymphs and egg patterns.  However, fish can be caught from the time the water starts to green to even when the water seems “gin clear”. Although optimal conditions are nearly impossible to predict perfectly, the fly fisherman that puts in the time to study and record river patterns after periods of precipitation or melt will have a greater probability of timing the push of fish correctly and capitalizing on this opportunity on the stream.

      Gear and Rigging:  Drifting for steelhead can be accomplished with a wide variety of gear.  Most anglers who dead drift for steelhead use a rod in the 9-10 foot range.  This length gives the anglers a great deal of line control which is necessary to make the mends required to achieve a drag free drift and get flies into the strike zone.  These rods should be in the 6-8 weight range.  Anything lighter than a 6 wt. will not have the strength and backbone needed to control and fight these large fish, whereas anything heavier is unnecessary and does not have the sensitivity and flex required to handle the blistering runs of fresh steel.  Rods in the 6-8 wt. range provide a good blend of both backbone and sensitivity and are the idea weight for Great Lakes steelhead.

            The fly fishing reel is perhaps the most important gear component when angling for steelhead.  Although many anglers have success with a wide variety of reels, a large arbor reel with a solid drag system is a great choice for these fast and furious fighting fish.  A large arbor component to the reel allows for faster line pickup which can be absolutely critical to managing the runs of Great Lakes steel while keeping line tension and pressure on the fish.  Also, since the reel has a larger diameter, the problem of line memory is somewhat reduced, which can reduce tangles and other line problems that can result from kinked or coiled line.  Lastly, the reel is still a single action reel which means that for one complete turn of the reel handle, the reel will rotate one full turn.  On the other hand a multiplying fly fishing reel will turn the turn the reel more than one time for each rotation of the handle; therefore, a multiplying fly fishing reel will retrieve line faster than a single action reel.  The large arbor component seeks out a happy medium between the two types of actions; it still retrieves line quickly, yet lacks the numerous parts and complicity associated with the multiplying fly reel.  It will also allow an angler to add a large amount of backing to the reel, which is necessary when fighting fresh, strong steelhead.  When choosing a fly fishing reel for steelhead, anglers would be well advised to go large arbor over standard reels.  In addition, anglers should seek a good drag system to go along with their large arbor reels.  Our local steelhead can put on quite a fight especially when rivers are at higher flows.  A reliable drag system will allow an angler to put pressure on fish, and properly fight them with minimal effort to the point where they can be landed and released.

          Line is another critical component of the drifting rigging for steelhead.  When drifting flies, anglers should seek lines that are designated as “floating” meaning that they float along their entire length.  Since anglers will likely have to turn over weighted flies and bulky indicators, a specially tapered line is best.  Anglers should look for a line that matches their rod specifications, and also has an abrupt taper at the head which will allow for turnover of heavy presentations.  Good choices for line are Rio’s “Clouser” or “Nymph” series lines but other weight forward lines will do the job as well.

           The last part of terminal tackle that we will discuss is the leader.  The leader is an essential part to steelhead fishing.  It must be designed or made in a way that allows it to transfer energy from the rod and line to the heavy indicators, weights, and flies at its end.  This energy transfer must be smooth and efficient so that these heavy and aerodynamically inefficient items can be turned over even in the face of strong winds that are somewhat common in Northeast Ohio.  Leaders and tippets should be strong—I rarely dip below 2x strength.  Steelhead are particularly effective at using the current to their advantage; that 8 lb. steelhead turned broadside in the current can weigh close to 20 lbs.  Anglers fishing tippet on the lighter side of the “X spectrum” will experience break-offs quite frequently; even during the lowest flows and clearest conditions there I will never fish lighter than 3x fluorocarbon (around 8lb test).

      Fly Selection: Many anglers spend far too much time worrying about fly selection for steelhead.  In my experience steelhead are not selective; more focus should be on the presentation rather than the fly itself.  With that said there are still certain flies and trends regarding flies that steelhead anglers should consider when choosing a pattern to tie on.

            When dead drifting most anglers fish with a two fly rig which has many advantages, but is not always the easiest to handle especially for the beginning angler or steelheader.  When fly fisherman are deciding which rig to go with, the angler should take into consideration their skill level, the stream and type of water they plan on fishing, and the water conditions on that particular river.  Egg patterns and nymphs are the normal fly types that anglers fishing for steelhead should consider.  It never hurts to have a wide selection of patterns in all different colors, shapes, and sizes to optimize opportunities at success in varying water conditions. 

            There are many different options available to the fly fisherman looking to fish egg patterns for steelhead.  Perhaps the most well known pattern is the standard single egg pattern, more commonly referred to as a glow bug.  This pattern works especially well in lower flows and imitates a single egg.  I have found that most of my success when using these single egg patterns has come when fishing smaller sizes; the 12-14 range is a good bet with these flies.  Probably the most frequently fished pattern for Erie steelhead is the sucker spawn.  Many tributaries get runs of suckers in the spring; like the steelhead, the suckers are looking to spawn and as a result steelhead are exposed to a great deal of these smaller sized eggs.  The sucker spawn aims to imitate a cluster of these eggs, but is effective all season, not just when spawning suckers are in the streams.  Many other effective egg patterns exist.  Oftentimes patterns that are slightly different than those normally seen by steelhead will produce results especially on heavily pressured fish.  As I mentioned before, steelhead are not particularly selective, and therefore fly fisherman should not be afraid to experiment in their fly choices.  As far as these patterns go popular colors include orange, pink, red, chartreuse, and white.  Other colors that can produce on occasion include yellow, purple, and even blue.  In stained water conditions I prefer to use more fluorescent colors that stand out in the water; bright oranges, reds and chartreuse flies are my go-to colors in stained flows.  As flows drop and the water clarity increases I will fish more subdued color schemes: pastel pinks, as well as lots of white and subdued orange egg patterns. 

            Nymphs and streamers are another fly option available to anglers when dead drifting flies for steel.  These patterns are typically much more complex and thus, have much more variability than egg patterns.  Our steelhead rivers are relatively shallow and thus have a high variability in temperature.  Since they are not based on groundwater, but instead rely highly on runoff, the water is not very fertile and often will dirty up filling with silt and other debris.  Thus, although our Erie streams are healthy they do not have a lot of aquatic macroinvertabrate life; however, caddis, mayflies, stoneflies and other types of insects do inhabit the streams—just not in the population densities nor reaching the sizes one would find in a more fertile stream such as many of Pennsylvania’s famous limestone creeks.  Flies that imitate these different invertebrates are good choices for steelhead, especially during spring when spawning activity will dislodge them from their homes along the stream bed.  As far as streamers go flies that imitate dace, darters, or any of the other smaller fish found in the streams will often draw strikes.  Wooly buggers, leach patterns (particularly egg sucking leeches), and brighter colored “Alaskan style” flies will also appeal to steelhead.

     The Technique: The quartering-upstream technique used while dead drifting for steelhead is very similar to the technique used for fishing a dry fly on the surface.  The presentation is cast upstream and across; the line mended in such a way that allows the rig to sink and float along with the current but is also retrieved at the same time.  When the presentation first hits the water, the rod should be pointing at the indicator or presentation.  As the rig presentation comes closer to the angler, the rod tip should be raised higher (think high-sticking) which will pick line off the water which will make achieving a drag free drift easier.  Once the presentation passes in front of the angler and travels downstream of him or her the rod tip should be lowered, allowing line to travel out and the drift to be extended.  The movement of the rod from horizontal to vertical, and back to horizontal will be dictated by current speed; it is important that this motion on the rod is not too fast or too slow as either will effect the presentation and/or degree of line control the angler has.  Once the rod tip is again pointed at the presentation (this time downstream) the angler should pause and allow the rig to swing and move up through the water column.  Oftentimes steelhead will strike at the flies at this point in the technique, especially in warmer temperatures.  Throughout the entire drift it is important that the fisherman keeps as little slack in the line and also as much line off the water as possible.  Keeping these two ideas in mind will lead to better drifts and better hook-sets should a steelhead take.

            There are an infinite number of variations that can be made to the dead drifting technique.  The previous paragraph outlines the essential parts of the correct dead drifting method.  As a steelhead angler spends more time on the streams putting this technique to use they will develop their own feel for the drift and will make individual adjustments and variations.  Experimentation within a standard method is often the key to success.

           Another concept that should always be in the dead drifting anglers mind is the mend.  Mending is undoubtedly the concept that separates the effective anglers from those who are not as successful.  Water in streams is always moving at different speeds in both planes of the river.  Mending and constant line adjustment will allow the angler to manage these different currents and achieve a drag free drift.  However, these actions will differ with every situation on the river; just as every fishing situation on the river is different, every approach and action taken by the fly fisherman should be unique as well.

          Overall learning the subtleties of dead drifting flies requires persistence and relentless practice.  Spending time on the water is simply the best way to nail down these techniques; there is no other way around it.  However, once the angler has mastered dead drifting they will have the most deadly weapon for Great Lakes steelhead at their disposal which will result in more effective fishing and thus, more steelhead brought to net.  Good luck and tight lines.

-Brett

Readers with any questions should feel free to contact the author: local steelhead guide Brett McCrae at brett@flyandfloatfishing.com

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