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Steelhead Fever   

Author: Bob Artzberger

International Angler
 
 

This special article is dedicated to the mighty steelhead.  Steelhead fishing is addicting.  Marriages have been broken, jobs have been lost, all over the passion of the silver bullet.      In this article we will present a 5 part steelhead series, enjoy.

       

 

Steelhead Fishing - The Flies (Part 1)

     

Steelhead flies come in many sizes and colors.  Let’s talk!  I know many of you will not believe this, but steelhead are the easiest fish to catch under the proper conditions.  However, under low clear conditions, they can be extremely difficult.  How do we do it?  There are some basic flies that every steelhead fisherman should have in his fly box.  Once you have the flies two other factors can determine your success for the day.  They are, # 1, the type of water you are fishing and most important # 2, PRESENTATION. 

    

Back to the flies.  I wished I had a dollar for every time a client came into the store and gave us a steelhead report and proceeds to tell us that the only thing the fish would eat was a pink egg.  Two hours later another client comes in and tells us yellow or orange eggs were the ticket.  The bottom line is we all have one, our good luck color.  Our go to fly.  Our confidence fly.  We fish it harder, pay closer attention.  When you try a different fly that you’ve never caught a fish on, you mind wanders, you‘re checking out the scenery.  With that in mind, the following flies are tried and true.  They have caught a lot of steelhead over the years and are best sellers in the store.  These flies would make a great fly box for steelhead in the Lake Erie tributaries.  

   

Egg Patterns – it does not make a big difference what type of egg you use.  The infamous   sucker spawn, blood-dot, scrambled egg, crystal meth, glo-bug or one of the many others available.  It is important to have a variety of colors.  Pink, yellow, orange,   white, cherise and chartreuse would be a good representation.  

 

Woolly Buggers – a great all around fly, you can dead drift it and let it swing at the end of the drift or you can strip it in.  Best colors: black, white, olive, brown or a combination of those colors.  Chartreuse can be good especially in stained water.  

 

Zonkers – A white zonker is a must in your fly box.  Like the bugger, it can be fished on the dead drift and swing, where most hits occur or strip it in.  Other effective colors   are olive, black, gray and blue.  

 

If you want to keep it simple, that is all you need to catch your share of steelhead.  However some days more natural looking patterns work very well.  Here are a couple of suggestions:  

 

Stonefly Nymphs – the Erie tribs have an abundance of little black stones.  Fish a fly tied to imitate a stone or a black hares ear.  

 

Sparrows – a relatively unknown fly, this pattern originated by Jack Gartside is a great fly, not only for steelhead, but trout and smallmouth like it as well.  Fish it like a woolly bugger.  

 

Spring Wiggler – our pattern is a down sized version of the fly they use in Michigan to imitate   a hex nymph. Fish it like a nymph.  

 

Trout Nymphs – take your box of nymphs you use for trout.  After all, a steelhead is a glorified rainbow trout.   

 

With a selection of the above flies, you have the flies to catch fish under any conditions.  All you need now is how to rig and fish them. 

 

Steelhead Fishing - Techniques (Part 2)

       

In our last e-mail we discussed the flies used to catch steelhead.  Now we are going to show you how to rig them.  As mentioned in our last e-mail, steelhead are one of the easier fish to catch.  Now that you have the proper fly selection, let’s learn how to rig them.  To start off you need a leader to which you tie your fly, add some split shot and an optional strike indicator and you are done.  Sounds simple, but whoaaaaaa.  It’s not that easy.  

       

Let’s start from ground one, the leader.  The leader should be 9 foot or longer, tapered from butt to tippet.  The leaders we sell work great or you can tie your own to your specifications.  As to tippet size, a lot of fishermen use leaders with too light of a tippet.  In general, 1X, 2X and 3X should be used depending on the water conditions. I hear guys saying they use 5X and 6X leaders! Why?  Then you have fluorocarbon, yes or no.  We use it, it’s more abrasion resistant and because it has a lower refractive property than mono, it’s more invisible to the fish.  So here’s what we are going to do.  Buy yourself a supply of 7 ½ foot 1X and 2X leaders.  From there, buy a spool of 1X and 2X mono and a spool of 3X and 4X fluorocarbon.  When you can determine the water condition of the stream, tie on the appropriate tippet (approx. 3 ft.) using a blood knot or triple surgeons knot as follows:  

 

1X, 2X mono - slightly stained or green water  

3X, 4X fluorocarbon – clear or low and clear water  

 

O.K., you are now ready to tie on your fly.  We like tandem rigs or 2 fly rigs because every time you make a drift, you have two chances to catch a fish.  When sight fishing shallow water, you might want to fish only one fly.  What flies do you use as the front fly and the dropper fly?  For help, check out the following illustration.  

  

The distance between the front fly and dropper fly is your preference, however I would recommend 12” to 20”.  The best knot to tie the tippet to the front fly is an improved clinch knot that you build in your fingers, slide it over the bend of the hook of the draw it tight.  It’s hard to explain, easy to demonstrate.  Stop in either store and ask for a demo!  

 

O.K.  We have the leader and flies ready to go, now what.  Let’s add the split shot.  How much?  Well that depends on the conditions and the type of water you are fishing.  Your goal is to get the fly in the strike zone of the steelhead as fast as possible and keep it there as long as possible.  Obviously you need more weight in a deep fast run versus a slow moving pool  The better you manage your split shot the more fish you will catch.  Your placement of the split shot is also important.  It should be placed 8” to 10” above the front fly.  When adding more than one shot, don’t place them together; separate the shot by at least an inch.  When you fish this fall, pay close attention to your weight.  If you make a couple of dozen casts without hanging up, you need more shot.  Now if you are hanging up every other cast, you have too much weight on.  You need to adjust your weight so you hang up occasionally.  Once you do this, watch out!!!  Fish on!!!!!    

 

A strike indicator is a fancy name for a bobber.  Indicators improve the visibility of your leader and help track the drift of the flies.  They are excellent when used properly to detect subtle takes.  You can fish with one or without.  Most steelhead fisherman use them.  But you need to fish them right.  There are various types of indicators, no one better that the other.  They are made from yarn, various types of foam, they stick on, some you can peg toothpick.  You need to experiment to see what you like.  They should be placed on the leader 1 ½ times to 2 times the depth of the water above the front fly.  You want to cast them with a mend cast or make an upstream mend as soon as the indicator hits the water.  The last thing you want is the indicator dragging the fly line and flies downstream.  This ends part two.  If you have any questions on the above, stop in either store and we will be glad to help.  

 

 

STEELHEAD FISHING – READING THE WATER (Part 3) 

       

On my many visits to the Erie tributaries over the years, I would estimate 80% of the guys are fishing the wrong type of water.  There’s an old saying, 10% of the fisherman catch 90% of the fish.  That means the other 90% of the guys are fighting over the 10% of the fish.  Are you in the 10% or 90% group?  If you are in the 90% group, here’s how to become a member of the 10% group.   

 

You need to learn to read the water and fish where the aggressive fish like to hang out.  Where is that you say? You want to fish fast water but not all fast water is good.  You want to fish fast water with structure .  In the Erie tribs, there are a lot of sections with fast water and shale.  Unless there is some cover on the shale, a steelhead won’t hold on it.  You can catch fish in slower water but day in and day out, faster water will produce more fish.  A lot of guys I see are fishing the slow water because they see the fish and it helps their confidence.  Think about it?  The fish in the slower pools can see your flies coming from a long way.  You have to get that perfect drift in order to catch a fish.  Not only can you see them, but the rest of the fisherman who fish the same type of water also saw them and unless you are the first person in that hole, those fish have already seen a bunch of flies and bait. The fish in the faster water are behind a rock or lying in a stream depression.  They know they have to eat instinctively and aggressively or the food is gone due to the speed of the current.  They usually will not turn and chase the food downstream, because they expend too much energy in doing so.   

       

For example, there’s a 10 pound steelhead sitting behind a rock in fast water and he sees what he thinks is food, but it’s really a piece of stick.  As it approaches he darts out and eats it and quickly rejects it and slips back behind the rock.  Now that you’ve joined the 10% group, you cast your pink sucker spawn and as it drifts downstream along the bottom because you put on the proper amount of split shot for the fast water you are fishing, Mr. 10 Pounder darts out and eats your fly and you set the hook when you notice your indicator has stopped.  FISH ON!!!!  A couple of minutes later you land and release your 35 th fish of the day.  How’s it feel to be in the 10% club?  

       

Steelhead are the easiest fish to catch under the proper conditions.  REMEMBER, fish fast water with structure.  Leave the rest of the water to the 90% group.  

       

 

 

Steelhead Fishing - Equipment (Part 4)

When it comes to fly rods and steelhead fishing, it is of our opinion that the longer the rod the better.  The longer rod offer better line control and mending capabilities which can result in longer drifts and more steelhead to the hook.  As to line weights, we have fished rods from 6 weights to 8 weights.  Our favorite and recommended line weight is a 7 wt. for our Great Lakes steelhead.  However, it also depends on your situation.  If you're on a budget and looking for a rod that will be good not only for steelhead, but you would like to use it for bass and some light saltwater use, definitely buy a 9' 8 weight.  If you're in this situation stop in either shop and we will help you through the confusion.  But if you are looking for a rod for steelhead only, there are two rods currently on the market that are steelhead machines.  The Winston BIIX 11' 7 wt and the Sage Z-Axis 11' 7 wt.  I have fished both and as rods go, these are the best two steelhead rods on the market.  Both rods fall into the category of switch rods.  They can be fished as a single handed rod or as a two handed rod for the more traditional swinging of flies.  Not for everyone especially those of you who like to fish smaller streams, but if you are in the market for a new rod and you like to fish Elk Creek and the bigger streams in Ohio and New York, you owe it to yourself to check out the two 11' rods.  If you need a more versatile rod, both models come in an 10' version, which are also fantastic rods for steelhead. 

Reels, large arbor or standard arbor.  What's the difference?  A large arbor reel is currently the hot reel on the fly market for obvious reasons.  With a true large arbor you get a faster retrieval rate which is good when you have a fish who takes long runs and changes directions during a fight like a steelhead.  Also due to the larger diameter of the reel, the drag co-efficient, or start up drag is less thus you have a smoother more consistent drag pressure and you will have less line memory due to the larger diameter of the reel.  We like large arbors for the above reasons for our steelhead fishing. 

Fly lines come in many tapers, shapes and sizes.  For steelhead fishing where most of your fishing is done with indicators, split shot and 1 or 2 fly rigs, you want a fly line designed to cast or better known as chuck and duck the heavy rigs.  We currently carry lines from Scientific Angler, Rio and Orvis.  Our recommended lines are the Steelhead,  Expert Distance and the Nymph tapers from Scientific Angler and the Nymph taper from Rio.  

Now for the most important piece of gear for the dedicated steelhead fisherman. The breathable rain jacket!  You can fish on some very ugly days, all day rain, snow, sleet.  There's nothing worse and dangerous than getting wet and cold.  Hypothermia is nothing to laugh at.  We carry the rain jackets from Simms, Orvis and Redington.  The Simms jackets with the Gore Tex® Extreme Wet Weather ratings are the best, but at $299.95 and up, you'll pay a premium price.  The Orvis Tail water jacket is a great jacket for $198 and the Redington Stratus jacket is an awesome jacket for just $99.  Remember, a hoodie or padded flannel shirt may be comfortable, but they are not a technical piece of clothing and should be left to the bait guys on lower Walnut and Elk.  Just kidding!

Now that you are dry on the outside, lets look at another very important item of clothing.  Most everybody is wearing breathable waders these days as the neoprene waders are going the way of the dinosaur.  But to take advantage of the waders breathability, you have to wear the proper clothing underneath them.  Sorry guys, no more blue jeans.  Your base layer or the layer next to your skin should be the most technical garment you wear.  It's not an insulation garment.  This layer should first of all be comfortable and dry quickly.  Most importantly is should have good wicking properties in order to wick perspiration away from your body.  For those of you who perspire heavily, some even have long lasting odor control antimicrobial finishes.  Your next layer if necessary is your insulation layer.  It should offer breathability and superior warmth.  With the right under wader wear, you can laugh at the cold.  Your feet are another story.  If you are prone to cold feet, the only way to keep those feet toasty warm is with an insulated boot foot wader.  Check out the Simms boot foots now available at both stores.

Last but not least are gloves and hats.  Did you know on a cold day 80% of your body heat is lost through you head.  Cover your head with a wool hat or better yet, I am a big fan of wind stopper products.  When added to fleece  it's 100% windproof, thus they can produce fleece that is not as bulky as a cheaper fleece and still be just as warm. 

Steelhead Fishing - Where and When to Go  (Part 5)

I could tell you where to go but that would take all the fun out of it.  The heart of PA. steelhead fishing is Elk Creek and Walnut Creek on the west side of Erie and 16 and 20 mile creeks on the east side.  There are other streams to fish, smaller streams that can get decent runs of steelhead with the proper conditions.  For a complete list of fishable streams, check out John Nagy's book on steelhead fishing.  There are also fishable streams in Ohio like Conneaut, Ashtabula, Grand, Vermillion, Rocky and the Chagrin.  In New York, there is the Chautauqua, Canadaway, 18 Mile and the Cattaraugus.

More important than location is conditions.  Timing your trip can mean the difference between hooking several fish or an obscene amount.  Ideally you want to time your trip so you fish on falling water after a heavy rain.  You're trying to catch the water as it turns from brown to dark green.  And if you're fortunate enough to be there during a major run, look out, fishing can be awesome.  I'm sure you've all heard of 50, 60 and even 70 fish days.  This is when it happens.  Pay your dues, keep an eye on the weather and conditions and if you're doing everything right, lookout, you're going to have a day that memories are made of.