One method that I have found to be very productive during the cold winter months is to swing a streamer across and downstream. Depending on the depth and flow of the water, you may need to place some split on your leader to get the fly down to the fish (in deeper holes I like to use five or six of the smaller size). Fishing with a streamer like a muddler minnow or woolly bugger on a tight line downstream can produce good results. Also, I use the water clarity, color, and flow to help me when I determine the color and size fly I will use. If the water is clearer I will use a darker fly and if the water is tea colored I will use something with a small amount of flash, if it is faster I will use a larger size fly like a size 8 or even a 6, this will increase my chances of the fish seeing my fly as it passes through the hole. If the flow is slow then I will use a smaller fly like a size 10 or 12 this will still allow the fish to see the fly but the smaller fly will prevent the fish from seeing something that looks out of place or unnatural to them because the detail of the fly is smaller.
Cast upstream to dead drift the fly until it passes you, allow it to swing downstream on a tight line until it reaches the end of the drift. Then either strip it back upstream or you can let the fly swim in the current to entice a fish. One very important tip is to keep your rod at an angle so it is not in line with the fly. Sometimes, this will provoke a very hard strike and I have even seen where the hook was broken by the force of the strike, keeping your rod at an angle will absorb the force and prevent either the hook or your leader from breaking. For the most part however, the fish will take the fly so gently that you will hardly notice it, for this reason you may want to use a strike indicator to help detect when a fish takes your fly. Many times the trout will simply want to chase the fly out of their area by nipping at the tail. If you set the hook too soon, you will just pull the fly away from the fish. Just be patient, hold the fly right in the fish’s face and a majority of the time it will hit it again. The strike can be as little as a slow deliberate movement of the line upstream. Once you know that the trout has taken the fly (a strike indicator will help) then give the rod a short quick pump to set the hook. Then hold on! Some monster trout are landed each winter using this exact method. Do not try to horse the fish in right away, remember you are already fighting him against the current and you don’t want to make it harder on yourself than the fish. If I know I have a good hook-set, then once the fish stops its initial run I like to give it some slack, some times it will turn and head back upstream others it will stop and rest in the first deep hole it comes to. Either way, I use this opportunity to get downstream of the fish keeping the line tight but, not putting too much pressure on him until I get below him. If you are unable to get downstream of the fish then be ready for a long battle that could leave both you and the fish exhausted by the time you land the fish or it finally throws the hook. Either way you will have learned a technique that I have been using for years to catch hundreds of trout each winter!
The first and most important step is catching any type of fish is, of course, locating the fish. At any specific time the fish will react to conditions such as, water level, temperature, fishing pressure and light and these factors will all determine where you will find the fish. Steelhead will generally follow the route that offers the least resistance to the fish while maintaining a level of security from predators. For example at night or first light under the cover of darkness you may see a fish laying in shallow water with little cover while the same fish will hug the bottom of a deep hole during midday. For the most part you will generally find fish lying either in holes or along side of a hole where the river bottom is staggered rocks to offer some cover from faster moving water. I am forced to note however, that locating fresh steelhead is particularly difficult at times because of their excellent camouflage, they are almost ghost like the way you can see one only to lose it the by the time you tie a fly on. Other times you can walk right past fish and not even notice them. Personally, I go with the better safe than sorry approach and try to entice anything that I think is a fish. Yes, I have spent countless hours trying to get a rock or sunken log with some river grass to eat my fly but it has paid off other times when I might have just kept walking if I did not force myself to give it a try.
After you have located the fish, you will, need to determine where the fish are feeding. Steelhead generally feed at one of two levels at any given time. You may see them rising and taking flies off of the surface but normally, you will find them hugging the bottom of the river letting the current bring their lunch to them. You will rarely if ever see them taking flies from anywhere in between. These methods of hunting allow the fish to expend the smallest amount of energy per meal possible.
Once you have determined what level the fish are feeding at, you will need to select a fly that will match what the fish are eating. For this you will need to take some time to observe your surroundings and the situation. If the fish are rising you need to closely watch the water surface to get a good look at what type of bugs they are selecting. I can remember spending what seemed like hours on a warm fall day trying to figure out what a particular fish was rising to when, I finally, realized that a bush was hanging out over the water just upstream from where the fish was rising. I quickly tied on a number 12 brown ant and within two cast had hooked one of the largest steelhead I have landed to date. If the fish are sticking to the bottom (this is normally the case during the colder winter into early may) the fish will not be a selective and your fly does not have to match the food source as closely at with drys. As long as the fly selected is close in color and size you should have some luck. At first I almost always resort to a black or grey stonefly, if that does not work I will switch to a wooly bugger. Olive is an extremely productive color in the warmer spring months. Also, if the sun is shining, I will try something with a little more flash to catch the fish’s eye as my fly drifts by.
Something else to keep in mind is that as always you want to have good sharp hooks, most steelhead are hooked when they try to spit the hook and cannot. You will also want a good reel with a good disc-drag system. While you can land fish with a simple washer drag reel a good reel will allow you to more pressure on the fish and less on yourself. Lastly, you will need a good abrasion resistant leader. This will lower the chances of your leader breaking or fraying as the wild fish strips line and dances all over. You will want to check and possibly change you leader after every hooked fish to minimize damage to the leader. Nothing hurts worse that your leader breaking with a monster hooked only to realize that you forgot to check your leader for knots and abrasions.
Hopefully these simple tips will have taught you something that you can apply next time you go fishing for one of the most sought after game fish in the country. Good luck and good fishing!
Besides the possibility of hooking yourself or another member of your party, fishing in rivers and streams can be quite dangerous at times and caution should always be taken.
- Always be alert for sudden drop offs, deep pockets of water, underwater structures, slippery stones and rocks. These dangerous areas are hard to see when water is cloudy or muddy.
- When first entering the water, be sure the water is knee level or lower and choose an area where you can see the bottom of the stream.
- Whenever you feel out of breath or fatigued take a few minutes and slowly head to shore for a break. Accidents tend to occur more often when your muscles are sore and tired.
- Always bring an extra set of clothing to change in to in case your waders leak or you fall into the cold water while fishing. It is a good idea as well to bring blankets or towels in case your body temperature declines rapidly, causing hypothermia.
- Be prepared for the worst weather you might encounter when fishing. Bring a variety of clothing based on possible weather upsets.
- Play it safe and wear a wading belt with waist or chest waders to avoid your waders from ‘filling up’ if you accidentally fall into the water.
- Always carry a wading staff if you are fishing is an unfamiliar location. It will help you find the best footing and gives additional stability.
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