Can I get a little "guidance" pleeeeeeease

[Danny662boy]

Ok so im new to fishing for steelhead in oregon (what's odd is that there is no size for a steelhead in the rules and regulation book and also that it's open year round?) so i've been heading to Riverside Park and Milo Mciver State Park, the only places that i've been ... ... I live in beaverton and have been making the trek down to the clackamas river more times at Mciver than riverside due to the sheer beauty of Mciver, and the fact that riverside gets kinda ghetto... dudes drinkin beers at 1030 am? not fishing, just lounging by there car drinking some beers.. anyway!

i just got in from Mciver, saw some salmon jumping (they sounded like huge rocks getting thrown into the river), but no steelhead.. i've been bobber fishing using drennan clear float, 1/8 inline sinker, then 8lb flurocarbon leader 36-48" long and then used those BeauMac jigs which i've heard so greatly about... i've used the pink heads with white feather, pink on pink, black head on black and purple feather, pink head with black and purple feathers, and nothing.... no bites.. nada... i've caught trout at this spot using the same setup with a hook and night crawler (no jig obviously)

I've used the pink worm's as well... i've used sand shrimp and nothing... no steelhead.. i know its summer, water's clear, they may be skiddish... what to do, what to do...

are there also any places closer to beaverton, somewhere on the Willamette? (clean spots on the Willamette)?

 

[Casting Call]

Welcome aboard Danny! Throw some hardware at em! CC

 

[troutmasta]

Welcome aboard Danny! Throw some hardware at em! CC

X2
Ive got three fish in 2 days right near Mciver all on spoons and spinners.

If you do go jigs go small and dark. but dont go jigs cuz hardware is hot right now.

 

[Danny662boy]

Spoons and spinners huh? Anything particular?? Colors??

 

[ChezJfrey]

Spoons and spinners huh? Anything particular?? Colors??

See the one on the right...in 1/3 oz., that look has hooked my last 4 steelhead at McIver within the last month or so.

 

[Danny662boy]

Interesting. I'm gonna pick some spinners and spoons up and will see how that goes next time im out! Excellent and thank you!!

 

[ChezJfrey]

Two fish bit that style just last night at McIver, but I lost them both

 

[Danny662boy]

Would you recommend keeping braid and using a barrel swivel to some fluorocarbon leader?? Or just spool up another spool with 6lb mono??

 

[Leon Fish]

I think most guys go with 10-12lb mono for a main line.

 

[hydropsyche]

I know that switching to fluoro leaders has sure improved my catch rate nymphing flies. The brown in my avatar was caught on 4# test fluoro with a small size 12 nymph. I have also caught a nice steelhead on 4# while trout fishing. I don't Know if it would be much of a difference fishing spinners and spoons though. Big ups on using single point hooks.

 

[steelhead_stalkers]

Fish what you have confidence in! The fish will bite most anything if it is presented properly. Hardware works well to cover water quickly especially in larger rivers. If you do locate fish with hardware then you can key in on them with jigs and floats. In general you will catch higher numbers of fish with floats and jigs/bait than hardware. Most of the time you will get the most aggressive fish in an area with spinners/spoons and will have to work a little harder to get the less aggressive fish with other methods. Good luck!

 

[Casting Call]

DB to answer ur ? "what to do, what to do?" As "I see it" the outside of a spinner blade is for "FLASH" the inside of the blade is what the fish follows and sees last just be it strikes. I color-up the inside of the blade with a dot of neon orange cut with a paper punch or a triangle/diamond cut of chartuse color. The inside of the blade acts as a parabolic and sights in on the fishs eye from all angles when being followed. Can't tell you how this fills-up tag log every seasons. Good luck. Oh yes! forgot to tell you string a fish oil pill down to the top of ur spinner. It will desolve as the blade fans out the fish oil. Let us all know how you do. CC

 

[ChezJfrey]

Would you recommend keeping braid and using a barrel swivel to some fluorocarbon leader?? Or just spool up another spool with 6lb mono??

I fish hardware with braid tied to a mono leader and swivel; leader is 8 to 10 lb. in summer, 15 in winter. But it's mostly because that's what I'm used to by now.

 

[Danny662boy]

Awesome stuff! I plan to either head out tomorrow or Sunday and see what happens. I will keep this posted after giving it a legit attempt tomorrow! Thanks for all the replies

 

[troutmasta]

I run 12 pnd all the way down when the water has some color or 12 with 10 pound or 8 pound leader with a blood knot.
I have caught many more steel on hardware then bobber and jig, but I fish hardware more-

 

[Mad dog]

Fish what you have confidence in! The fish will bite most anything if it is presented properly. Hardware works well to cover water quickly especially in larger rivers. If you do locate fish with hardware then you can key in on them with jigs and floats. In general you will catch higher numbers of fish with floats and jigs/bait than hardware. Most of the time you will get the most aggressive fish in an area with spinners/spoons and will have to work a little harder to get the less aggressive fish with other methods. Good luck!

Presentation.....is everything!!!

 

[Danny662boy]

there ya go! thats the catch today.. just silly

 

[troutmasta]

Its not a skunk.....just sayin

 

[Danny662boy]

Sucked. Going to look into fishing the sandy river somewhere next up. Moving to north Portland soon so that may b closer...

 

[halibuthitman]

I think the system your using sounds perfect, as for the worm i would drag it wacky rigged on the bottom under the float.. I would ditch the jig until the water dirtys up a bit and i would switch to a peach or cream 10 mm pegged bead and make sure its hitting the bottom.. And fluoro is a must in my book for summer fishing.