Newbie Tips For Landing More Steelhead

        Over the last couple years I have met many new fly fishermen for steelhead that were having trouble with their first hookup or just getting consistent hookups. I am far from an expert steelhead fisherman but Great Lakes steelhead fishing is not too difficult once you get the basics down. You will go from no fish days to consistent hookups in a short time. Here are some of the tips I’ve learned over the years from fishing with some good steelhead fishermen, paying attention what they are doing and asking questions.

        One of the most useful tips I could give to someone new to steelhead fishermen is to adjust your float, assuming you are using a float.  A steelhead strike can sometimes be very subtle, the use of a float will help you notice these takes as well as assist in getting a drag free drift. It is common for fishermen to set their float to one depth and not adjust it through out a days worth of fishing. Not all sections of a river are the same depth. The goal and key to steelhead fishing is to achieve a drag free drift. The strike zone for steelhead is not large; especially as winter water temperatures begin to drop. A method I like to use while fishing new water is to adjust your float until your are consistently hitting bottom, at this point adjust your float until you are just off the bottom.

        Reading water is a little advanced for this discussion and this is something that comes to you with time spent on the river.  The best advice I can give on learning to read water is to pay attention when on the water.  Pay attention to where other fishermen are catching fish, make note of the sub surface structures as well as the waters surface.  Don't just look for fish in the classic holes, with the shale streambeds that occur in NE Ohio fish are often attracted to anything that will provide protection / cover.  Cuts in the shale are often a great hiding spot for steelhead.  But as a general rule flat shale bottoms do not hold steelhead, look for veins of gravel.  Another classic mistake often made by steelhead fishermen is to walk up to a spot that holds fish and walk in above their knees and begin to fish.  Depending on water conditions a steelhead may not be sitting in the deepest part of a hole.  One and a half to two feet of water may provide more then enough cover for a steelhead.  Cover the entire pool and don't just fish one part of the hole (I know this may be difficult if your fishing is limited to weekends or holidays).  Steelhead that one day may be sitting in a tailout of a pool may be holding in the faster water or deeper section as the water clears.

        Fly selection, if you talk to 10 different fly fishermen you will get 10 different answers on their “go to” patterns.  On a good day it seems like you could throw anything and you will get hookups, but on other days steelhead seem to be quite finicky.  I strictly fish sucker spawn as my egg pattern while other guys go with glo bugs.  Some swear by the mysis shrimp while I have had great days with a simple maggot pattern.  I recently heard this analogy when talking about fly selection.  Look at your flies by shades and size.  Light, medium and dark and choose shade and size according to the water conditions.  The clearer the water the lighter shade and smaller size offering, while in stained conditions larger bolder colors will produce.  While this works most of the time this is not a fixed rule.  Sometimes on heavily fished streams something different or out of place will trigger a response.   Don’t be afraid to change your set up if you’re not getting hookups.  If you’ve covered the water you may want to start by changing your dropper fly if fishing a tandem. 

        For me, more fish are lost at the hook set or shortly after then any other time during the fight.  This can be corrected by paying attention while setting the hook.  A heavy hook set is not needed but just lifting up on the rod tip does not apply enough pressure for a good hook set.  More important than the muscle you put into the hook set is the direction of the hook set.  Being a long time dry fly bum, I have the tendency to bring the rod tip up into a casting position when setting the hook.  When steelhead fishing you need a good hook set.  This can be accomplished by setting the hook downstream and parallel to the water.  The problem that occurs with a vertical hook set is slack forms in your fly line when the fly line is lifted out of the water.  By using a hook set parallel to the water pressure is kept on the fish until you have a change to get it on the reel.  When a fish is located downstream of your casting position an upstream to your side and parallel hook set allows the current to keep pressure on the line allowing you to get the fish on the reel.

Many fishermen will fight a steelhead almost to complete exhaustion.  Normally this is not necessary.  A steelhead will normally only take one or two good runs (sometimes more).  The key when a fish is making a run is to keep your rod tip high with the rod to your side.  Allow the tip of the rod to absorb the shock of the headshakes.  Use the reels drag, keep your hands off the reel unless you are reeling.  By dropping the rod tip to your side and parallel to the water you can apply side pressure to the fish allowing you to turn the fish’s head. You want to keep your rod tip pointed in the opposite direction the fish is pointing to keep constant pressure on the hook set.  The most important tip I could give while fighting a fish is to get downstream of the fish, besides allowing you to gain control during the fight moving downstream eliminates having to fight the current as well as the fish.

        Get out and practice your casting.  Only fishing 5-10 times a year a year, it will take some time to get your skills down.  Get out in your backyard or at a local park and work on your cast.  Too often I see steelhead fly fishermen who can only cast fifteen to twenty feet.  If your only fishing the redds for spawning fish this may be acceptable, but to truly be effective learn to cast in the 40 foot range, learn to mend and roll cast, Mending will help you keep your drift down in the strike zone for a longer period. I have found that one large mend just after the cast hits the water is more effective than continuous mends thru out the drift.  Mending thru the drift often seems to result in the fly moving in erratic unnatural ways. Learning to roll cast will save your arm after a long day of steelhead fishing.