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One of the skills essential to a consistant steelheader is learning how and why to cover water. Some steelhead will sit in one spot for days if undisturbed, while others will move around frequently. Steelheaders who catch a lot of fish in a season do so because they know their river well and have developed what is called a Steelhead Circuit
To develop a steelhead circuit requires two things - an understanding of the type of water that steelhead prefer and the time to explore your river regularly to find spots that hold steelhead consistantly. In late march large portions of runs will produce fish because there are so many fish available but in the mid of January you will need to narrow it down to the spot within a spot. This is the exact location where fish prefer to hold in a given run or pool.
These spots will regulerly produce fish as long as the water conditions remain favourable. Once you have located about 5 to 7 of these core areas, you have established a Steelhead Circuit. To take full advantage of this circuit, you must cover all of these spots every trip out. That may mean you have to do some serious hiking, but I never said this would be easy. If you want to catch winter steelhead consistantly, you have to put the miles on.
Another important point to note is that river conditions will affect where the fish hold. For example, when the river is running high fish will tend to hold lower in a pool or run and will slowly move up as the water levels drop. When a river's clairty is poor, steelhead tend to sit very close to shore and when the river runs gin clear steelhead will hold farther out in the deepest water.
What is the best bait? They pretty much all work, but how you fish is more important than what you fish. Your bait does matter, but where you fish and how you present the bait is crucial! This seems to be the least understood componant about steelheading (by most anglers). Changing up your bait makes a major difference in your success rate, no questions asked!
The one characteristic that all good steelheaders have in common is that they have the abilty to interpret all the different variables and make the right decisions on how, what, and where to fish effectively. To be a good steelheader you have to have the right attitude, you must have a game plan and be willing to put in the time and you need to be attentive to what the river and the fish are trying to tell you.
To develop a steelhead circuit requires two things - an understanding of the type of water that steelhead prefer and the time to explore your river regularly to find spots that hold steelhead consistantly. In late march large portions of runs will produce fish because there are so many fish available but in the mid of January you will need to narrow it down to the spot within a spot. This is the exact location where fish prefer to hold in a given run or pool.
These spots will regulerly produce fish as long as the water conditions remain favourable. Once you have located about 5 to 7 of these core areas, you have established a Steelhead Circuit. To take full advantage of this circuit, you must cover all of these spots every trip out. That may mean you have to do some serious hiking, but I never said this would be easy. If you want to catch winter steelhead consistantly, you have to put the miles on.
Another important point to note is that river conditions will affect where the fish hold. For example, when the river is running high fish will tend to hold lower in a pool or run and will slowly move up as the water levels drop. When a river's clairty is poor, steelhead tend to sit very close to shore and when the river runs gin clear steelhead will hold farther out in the deepest water.
What is the best bait? They pretty much all work, but how you fish is more important than what you fish. Your bait does matter, but where you fish and how you present the bait is crucial! This seems to be the least understood componant about steelheading (by most anglers). Changing up your bait makes a major difference in your success rate, no questions asked!
The one characteristic that all good steelheaders have in common is that they have the abilty to interpret all the different variables and make the right decisions on how, what, and where to fish effectively. To be a good steelheader you have to have the right attitude, you must have a game plan and be willing to put in the time and you need to be attentive to what the river and the fish are trying to tell you.
,Thanks
