How do you like to fish for steelhead?

Bobber fishing
Drifting on the bottom
Plunking
Pulling plugs
Throwing lures

As this is my first season for winters, I have been using spoons because that is what I know from my trout fishing. I do want to learn bobber and drift fishing also.

I like to lay gill nets across travel lanes.

jamisonace said:

I like to lay gill nets across travel lanes.

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:sad: Fibber...

Done them all, except the gill net Depends on the water and whether I bankin' or floatin'.

Swinging flies.

Dupont spinner

Toyracer38 said:

Done them all, except the gill net Depends on the water and whether I bankin' or floatin'.

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includeing flies. Tony

Whatever the conditions dictate, mostly a bobber and jig/eggs or drift fishing along the bottom. Never have learne dhow to use a spinner or spoon with any profiecency

I gotta love my bobber and fresh cured eggs... But I do know that in different conditions its better to use different things. I challenge you to rather do what you usually do, do something different for a change.

I carry two poles. One with a spinner and on set up to drift. Trying to drift fish more cause I hear it's effective but I seem to do better with spinners.

jkyser01 said:

I carry two poles. One with a spinner and on set up to drift. Trying to drift fish more cause I hear it's effective but I seem to do better with spinners.

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Everything is effective under the right conditions, to be an effective fisherman you need to learn what method is most effective in any given water condition or hole. The best advice I was ever given was to learn one hole, learn it with high water and low water, then learn the next one, and the next one until you know them all in a certain section. I still have a buddy who refuses to switch techniques even when it is clear the river conditions aren't conducive to that one.

Fished most ways.
Drift--litters the bottom with line and toxic lead
Eggs--messy
Plunking--so heavy!
Plugs--boat?
Casting lures--I build my own spinners. Fun to catch fish on your own creations.
Float and jig--can be deadly, very few snags or gear to lose. Been very successful with it.
Fly fishing--swinging flies or throwing egg patterns under indicators. Really fun and pure way to fish. Takes practice to master casts. Almost never lose flies/tackle littering the river and fighting a fish on fly rod is really awesome.

jamisonace said:

I like to lay gill nets across travel lanes.

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Gave up on dynamite did ya?

Lowe standards for sure.

Native Fisher said:

Everything is effective under the right conditions, to be an effective fisherman you need to learn what method is most effective in any given water condition or hole. The best advice I was ever given was to learn one hole, learn it with high water and low water, then learn the next one, and the next one until you know them all in a certain section. I still have a buddy who refuses to switch techniques even when it is clear the river conditions aren't conducive to that one.

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Dead on!

Native Fisher said:

Everything is effective under the right conditions, to be an effective fisherman you need to learn what method is most effective in any given water condition or hole. The best advice I was ever given was to learn one hole, learn it with high water and low water, then learn the next one, and the next one until you know them all in a certain section. I still have a buddy who refuses to switch techniques even when it is clear the river conditions aren't conducive to that one.

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Yes.

I've got one particular summer spot that nearly always holds fish. It is like a funnel of lava rock and if a fish is tucked up next to a certain far-side rock, a spoon or spinner cast just ahead of it, and allowed to drop in, a fish will hit it within about a second. However, if the fish are camped out on the bottom of the sharp ramp of the tailout-like section, no amount of hardware cast up and dropped to the bottom will entice them. The very fast top-water pulls the belly of the line and starts ripping the lure too fast by the fish and they just move out of the way. Throwing a drift rig with enough weight will slow things down enough that they will grab it. Both me and a buddy figured that out and it just works...we have both gotten the fish by that rock with hardware, never hooked the fish in the ramp section with hardware, but have both hooked those bottom-ramp-dwelling fish on drift rigs.

Same with another section where float/jigs is king. I've hooked exactly one fish on a spoon there, but between me and dozens of other anglers I've witnessed there, hundreds of fish take jigs and a few on flies. Some spots, drift, jigs and hardware, flies work equally well. It all depends on various factors.

Dynamite still works in a pinch.

troutmasta said:

Gave up on dynamite did ya?

Lowe standards for sure.

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jamisonace said:

Dynamite still works in a pinch.

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:lol: :thumb: