PK Yi
I'm looking to try steelhead fishing for the first time. I've been researching on youtube about rigging and technique and gear, so I have a general idea there. but I'm unclear about the "when" part, in particular the best weather to target them.
is it better during a rain or after a rain? it's been raining buckets lately, so now the rivers are pretty full, is now a good time? or do you wait until the rivers start to drop?
I'm reading online siletz is a good place for them.
thanks.
- PK
First, completely wrap your entire body in Saran Wrap. Then, turn your shower on as cold as it goes. Get in there, and hold a fishing rod for 6 hours.
That's good prep for winter steelheading.
Weather doesn't really matter (unless it's a cold, howling east wind, then save yourself the trouble), river levels and color do. After a rise in the water, it's ideal to get there after the water drops back down, and the water turns "green."
Berg03 said:you are looking for "steelhead" green almost any video you find on youtube about steelhead will be that good green color. That green happens after it rains and dirties the water and it is trying to clear up from brown to clear. The green happens in the middle. Be ready to cast over a thousand times before you ever get a bite, not that uncommon for a new person to go a year or two without hooking up. Of course you could always be at the right place at the right time though. Learning where the steelhead hold in the river you are on will help a lot. You see a deeper hole after rapids and a solo rock in the middle, probably a steelhead right behind it. Colors can make a difference as well. Have plenty of gear to spare as you will lose gear. Most use a bigger main line (i use 20 braid) to a small leader (ive seen a lot of 8-12lb leaders) to save your bobber (if bobber fishing) when you get hung up on the bottom. Want to fish about a foot off the bottom in most cases.
You want to fish as the river is dropping. That being said with this much rain the rivers are going to take much longer to drop in to shape. Learn to read the USGS graphs and understand the optimal CFS for the river you intend to fish.
Before you go, and while you're waiting for the rivers to drop, you need to "practice" steelhead fishing beforehand...
First, completely wrap your entire body in Saran Wrap. Then, turn your shower on as cold as it goes. Get in there, and hold a fishing rod for 6 hours.
That's good prep for winter steelheading.
Before you go, and while you're waiting for the rivers to drop, you need to "practice" steelhead fishing beforehand...
First, completely wrap your entire body in Saran Wrap. Then, turn your shower on as cold as it goes. Get in there, and hold a fishing rod for 6 hours.
Let me give a slightly more positive experience of a first timer. 2004, everyone remembers 2004 as the "gold standard" return over willamette falls....anyway, I just moved back to Oregon and all I had was a 5wt fly rod with 5x leader. I decided to try for steelhead so I picked up a handful of egg sucking leaches, purple and pink, and headed to leaburg. Within 2 hours I'd hooked 5 steelhead and been broken off 5 times. Took me five years to have another 5 steelhead day.
It was total luck. Just happened on the right place at the right time. I hope you find the same luck on your first time out.
I'm unclear about the "when" part, in particular the best weather to target them.
- PK
Ouch. Thinking about this, I'm not sure if it's worse not hooking into any steel for a year, or what you describe. Oof!
Go fishing WHEN you CAN! If conditions happen to be perfect on a day you CAN go....great. If you wait for perfect conditions, or chase reports, get used to hearing "you should have been here yesterday".
Go fishing WHEN you CAN! If conditions happen to be perfect on a day you CAN go....great. If you wait for perfect conditions, or chase reports, get used to hearing "you should have been here yesterday".
Tanner you think you have it bad! try center-pin with those long,long drifts!!!!! bobber down eh! TonySteelheading is like cocaine. Just one more cast...Just one more cast... Set time limits, Daily Spending, Etc so you don't get consumed by it, and forget about everything else in life. I also hope you don't have a wife, or a husband.
I'm a full blown addict, that likes to share with others.
Good luck on your quest.
( PS. You can't overdose on Steelheading, so ignore the people who say you can. )