[FishinBC]

I'm a bit of a newbie when it comes to the world of steelhead fishing and i'm stacking the odds against me even more i'm thinking by trying to catch my first on the fly. I'm an avid fly fisherman and wanting my first steelie to be on the fly though so i'm willing to put in my time. I've been fishing the vedder and have now tried both upper and lower ends of the river and was wondering if its worth my time right now to even bother heading up to the upper in search of the illustrious steelie or should I focus my time more in the lower. The bulk of my time i've spent in and around the vedder campground area and have seen some success there but am ultimately wondering if my setups maybe off, should I be using a full sink to get down low or should I float in some calmer shallower waters. Was out this weekend and saw some nice chrome steelhead brought in, good on ya all who had some luck, its definately making me hungrier.
Cheers

 

[eimaj]

Lines like the RIO versa-tip are the most usable and practical around here. As far as location goes, they are through-out the river now, so wherever you enjoy most. Lower river tends to have more fly suitable water.

What sort of rod/line set-up are you using right now?

 

[anthony]

Fishinbc

First off I would like to welcome you to the forum !!! :thumbup:

As for Winter Steelhead the lower is your best bet, but its very busy , this year is my first year targeting them with the spey rod and have landed one nice one so far.

Myself and a few others on here will probably be back out next weekend im sure it wouldnt be a problem to meet up somewhere to share some stories and pound the river on the fly.

As for flies I like allot of marabou and rabbit flies, intruder type flies,steelie nightmares,GP's as for colours any combo of blue/purple/black/pinks/orange etc

as for sink tips you can buy form a bulk roll of T-8 and T-14 any where from a 5,8,10 ft peice of each and your set to go these fish will be resting on the bottom, as the water gets colder the more they get lathargic and have to get the fly pretty much in front of them.

The Rio Wincutter is a good line comes with all your Versa Tips. For my Spey i use a 500 grain Rio Skagit then bought a clear tip for it then bought lots of T-8 and T-14 all different lengths so far my favourite length to controll is a 8 ft section with a 2 ft maybe 3 ft leader

Im more then willing to hook up with you for a day of fly chucking

If you have any questions shoot me a PM

 

[FishinBC]

thanks fellas for the reply, very informative. I've been fishing for awhile now but back home in the okanagan for trout, so river fishing for salmon is pretty new to me, especially on the fly. I have put in some time the last couple years since being down here and am looking to devote serious hours in this year. I've now fished all the major systems in the lower mainland and grew up fishing the vedder and know a few of the good spots to go to but i'm thinking now its more a matter of honing proper technique for a steelhead.. I'm actually using a 6wt. right now and i'm sure I already know my answer that I should upgrade to an 8 or 10, do you think thats a viable option to go with?? I'm also considering on making the switch to a spey as well, love the distance you can get on those rods. I live in Vancouver and have multiple tackle shops around, any ideas for places to hunt for a new spey?? I was also reading an article from a buddy I go fishing with that steelies only strike a fly for .5 of a second then move on, is this true??
Cheers again fellas for the response and good luck, was at freds the other day and they just weighed in an 18 pounder, was a beaut!

 

[Eric]

you would only need a 8wt in a single hander, 10 would be an overkill.
If u are considering a rod for only steelhead fishing a double hander is the best. M&Y, Pacific Angler downtown could hook you up if u want local help.

Far as a steelhead only strike a fly for .5 seconds, totally false, had many steelhead nipping at the fly for almost the whole swing before taking it or just swimming off.

 

[mcameron]

And don't forget to ask about the used rods at M&Y. Some of them have barely been touched and are much cheaper.