steelhead bait

[greenhorn]

Forgive a stupid question to you old fisherman but I just took up the sport. I have been trying to catch a steelhead for several weeks on jigs and have come to the conclusion I might as well be using my sock. Is there a bait that they actually bite on? I see them swimming all around me by the hundred and can't get a strike???????????

 

[FishFinger]

Welcome to the forum.

Bait wise I'd consider coon shrimp it's a perennial winner. cluster eggs in berries the size of your thumb perhaps.

How are you fishing your jigs?

What combinations and patterns are you using?

Don't loose the faith, the weather is changing, the action is about to pick up.

 

[osmosis]

coon shrimp, sand shrimp, shrimp from asian markets, crawdads, prawns, skein eggs (and sometimes singles), earth worms, steelhead eat many things.

if you can see them, they can see you. Maybe you arent being "stealth" enough with your body (clothing colors, movement) or maybe downsize your presentation.

 

[luv2fish]

if your fishing early morning, try a white head jig with black and white marabou or schlappen or something like that...if its later half of day, just switch to any dark jig mostly i fish red and black or black and white...and not more than 1/8 of oz or smaller.
or just put a nightcrawler ..nothing wiggles better than a nightcrawler

In my personal opinion, if your not getting strike even then, then the only way and ( for me its 99 % ..always works )...leader of 10# flourocarbon or 12 floro....say 3 feet long...under bobber...and just put a jensen egg on the hook ..either red or orange....i.e. if your seeing 100's of 'em swimmin around...

goodluck and catch your dinner

 

[RIVERFISHER]

mind tellin me were u see hundreds around u o ya when i see they are not biting much i use a lure maybe size three and put a little glob of worm on it thats wat works on the willamette when i see them and try everything.. must be the flash of the lure with the smell of the roe i guess but usually works.....

 

[greenhorn]

Riverfisher

Riverfisher

I'm seeing hundreds of steelheads in the Clearwater Rv. in Id. that's where I am fishing at present. I saw at least 200 swim by me on the north fork last night.

 

[greenhorn]

Thanks to all

Thanks to all

I will take all of this to heart thank you one and all for the help.

 

[Kodiak]

Shhhh!

Shhhh!

You really shouldn't say things like that on here. You could cause sevear drooling, panting, and hysteria...I've fished the clearwater a little, what section are you fishing and I might be able to help you out. Diffrent baits work better in different sections up there. For now I will assume you are hitting the B runs up by the hatchery. When I fished that section I did pretty well with a pink pearl corky and orange yarn. I saw a lot of guys throwing the larger sizes but seemed to do better with a single #8 (8mm) and a #2 owner hook. I was using pretty light line but I would suggest about 12lb Pline for a leader. You will have to watch your drag, PLine has a nasty habit of breaking under a lot of pressure.
You dont need to use bait, the idea here is that the fish have seen a lot of rigs and a lot of line by the time they are that high, your yarn shouldn't extend past the bend of your hook, small compact. It probably wouldn't hurt to try a glow bug in flame red, red, or pink all by itself.
Good Luck

 

[greenhorn]

jensen egg

jensen egg

could someone tell me what a "jensen egg" is??????

 

[greenhorn]

Kidiak

Kidiak

How do you rig this pink pearl corky and yarn. It seems to me a corky by the hook would make it float up, is that what you're trying to accomplish?
For Kodiak not Kidiak

 

[fish_4_all]

Small cheater, very small if possible. Long leader and cast across them and reel back so they see an across their path presentation instead just drift by them. Seeing them means unltra clear water, right? A small bobber black in color with a small egg sucking leech jig type works here.

Something to think about too is if these fish are flying by you then you may want to find a deeper rift/slot to get them when they are closer together or stopping. I have noticed with clear water here that if you find a deep spot with a back current or slow water with a fast water tail out you can get them to hit on the edges of both.

My best advice is to use the same jigs you have been but find a spot where you can't see them but you know they are swimming into. If that doesn't work then throw a small bait into the same area, spawn sack, roe, prawn, shrimp or whatever and you should be bale to coax something to bite.

 

[Kodiak]

let her float

let her float

How do you rig this pink pearl corky and yarn. It seems to me a corky by the hook would make it float up, is that what you're trying to accomplish?
For Kodiak not Kidiak

They ar not nearly as boyant as you would think. It does float and helps keep your hook out of the rocks. I tie my hook on to my leader, slide the corky down to the hook. Tie on your yarn and then push the end of a toothpick into the corky and break off the toothpick, this is refered to as pegging. Cast it with just enough weight to make it "tap" the bottom every 4 to eight feet of the drift. If It stops, taps when it shouldn't, goes back up river. starts swimming at you orstarts peeling your drag its a fish, set hook. Hook sets are free, if it smells like it might have been a fish set the hook!