Steelhead newbie..please help

[ironman]

I'm looking at trying for steelhead for my first time this spring. I have no idea where to start...what to use. Just a few things I've picked up in mags and such. Any info would be great. thanks.

[can it be luck?]

Ironman, Many rivers and streams experience spring runs of steelhead in Wi.. The Mennominee, Peshtigo, Kewaunee, Anahpee, and many others along the shoreline of Lake Michigan. Drifting spawn, yarn flys, as well as casting small spinners and spoons are primary baits of choice. I personally troll the lake in the summer and fall, also the fall river run fish. Spring time has me chaseing walleye for the most part. If you'd like, e-mail me and I'll give you some web sites that have current fishing reports for those areas. can it be luck?

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http://groups.msn.com/canitbeluck

[mwal]

Ironman,

I have been fishing the Brule and the streams mentioned by canit be luck and the northshore of Minnesota for over 20yrs. I used to drift fish yarn and flies only. Now I float fish 90% of the time and catch more fish. I use the sames baits yarn flies and spawn or wooly buggers. Only I use a float to suspend them and create a perfect drag free drift. I have tried spinners and spoons with limited sucess in the spring. If you have a 8 to 10 ft spinning rod with 8lb line you could fish floats or drift fish. Go to google and type in steelhead and you will find quite a bit of info. If you want more detailed info on equipment or technique email me.

Mwal

[FishRich]

Like Mwal, I started fishing steelhead in the spring (too many years ago) with flies. They weren't all that fancy, but I caught fish. I mainly sight-fished the Sheboygan River, Root River and a few smaller Lake Michigan streams for the spring (mainly March & April) runs driven by a good thaw. Egg patterns on a #6 or #8 hook did the job - especially if tipped with a tiny white plastic grub or curly-tail. Weight the leader to get the fly down to the fish. You can also swing these flies with a light spinning rod.

Since the season never closes up to the first dam on Lake Michigan streams, I’ve fished as early as January (during a thaw) and as late as early May if it was a cold spring.

When the North Avenue dam was opened on the Milwaukee I began to fish the fall run in late August or early September thru freezeup - even into December. My preferred method in the fall is to use spinners or spoons. I eventually graduated to assembling my own silver-plated spoons & spinners but earlier had just as good luck with inexpensive brass and nickel components. It pays to make your own because you will lose a few. I tend to use larger spinners - #3, 4 & 5. The larger blades can be fished more slowly and a sturdier hook can be used. I've had fish crush standard round-bend treble hooks on a #3 spinner but the lighter hooks do allow you to retrieve snagged lures more easily. Use 10# test line where you know the steelhead will not run much more than 30-34” and 12# test for larger fish or in snags or if salmon are present. I prefer using older fiberglass rods. They are more forgiving - I haven’t broken one yet. A graphite rod may be preferable for fly-fishing since it might give you a better feel of what is going on with the fly. Just remember not to abuse the rod and keep a spare in the trunk. I broke my main graphite salmon rod on a float trip in Alaska this summer but happily had a fiberglass rod along to use as a spare.

Fall fly fishermen seem to have good luck with black leeches and buggers fished slowly through the holding areas but, if I’m getting fish on my bright spinners and spoons, attractors might work well too.

Browse the bulletin boards for stream condition reports. What you want to see is a good thaw, better a warm rain immediately after a thaw. If the stream is heavily silted, fish a day or so later to allow the stream to clear a bit. A moderate discoloration with a foot or so of visibility is good. You could also wait for good fishing reports but it is better to be first on the stream when the fish arrive and it’s not as crowded.

So, you can start quite inexpensively, a few egg patterns and split-shot will do the job in the spring.
A few leeches or buggers on a fly rod -or- homemade spinners and spoons on a spinning rod will work in the fall. Don’t scrimp on your line, leader or hooks though. Sharpen your hooks and check your line & knots after every fish and after every snag. Fish the head, run, or tail of a deeper pool. Use polarized sunglasses and watch for a flash, wake, porpoising or tailing - it’s easier to cast to a fish than to fish blind. If there is a heavy salmon run in the fall, you will be less successful for steelhead. You may want to go to heavier tackle and fish for the salmon (not my preference)or do a little experimenting to find if the spookier steelhead still will hit. If the salmon are actually spawning, an egg pattern fished below them might work. I always carry some fly patterns even if I’m using spinning gear. - - - Sorry to write this much but it still doesn’t cover everything (bait, yarn, etc.) You can learn a lot by reading books by Trey Combs, Bob Linsenman, Matt Supinski, John Nagy, etc..

[can it be luck?]

Lots of great info there FishRich! Thanks a bunch!