This happens most often when the water is warmer during the first half of the fall season (mid-September through October), and the second half of the spring season (mid-April through early May). The New... Today, Chile's Chinook salmon (also called king salmon) returns are among the world's most... Hucho Taimen can reach six feet in length, and weigh more than 150 pounds. Dark, wavering shapes hovered in front of this hump, suspended just below the surface. Nymphs. They also match the smaller populations of Golden Stones found in the tributaries. Dwayne 'Chip' Cromarty - January 15, 2016. They become extremely skittish—spooky and alarmed by any movement. Let stand for 1-2 minutes. SHOP BY TYPE. Subscriber Services. Karl Weixlmann is a longtime Lake Erie steelhead guide and author of Great Lakes Steelhead, Salmon, & Trout: Essential Techniques for Fly Fishing the Tributaries (Stackpole Books, 2009). This behavior tells me that within a specific group of fish, only a small number will react positively to a dry. I shot the line down and across, and dropped the fly upstream and on the far side of the group of fish. During summer and long into Autumn the steelhead will react aggressively to flies waked or skated across the surface. Mix all ingredients with a whisk until all parts are distributed evenly in the bowl. I've even had steelhead come up for an indicator in February. The beauty of dry fly fishing is that you often get more than one chance! 10 Steelhead Fly Fishing Tips 1) Stay on a hot fish – a tip or tap is a steelhead A common mistake people make when swinging flies for steelhead is not recognizing the tips and taps of a steelhead plucking your fly. That year, more than one of my fishing buddies reported taking steelies with a dry fly. By DEBORAH WEISBERG He guides The Olympic National Park, the Queets River, Skagit, Hoh, Humptulips, … Think of it as big-game hunting with a fly rod. Beadless egg flies like Sucker Spawns, Glo-Bugs, and Blood Dots require micro split-shot between the dry and dropper. Use weight-forward floating lines in drab colors, like olive or buckskin. I'd finally gotten over the hump. Whether it just boils on the fly once or repeatedly returns to the surface for it, your heart is going to start pounding, and that’s what its all about. The Sturgeon's Looming Endangered Listing They often spit out the dropper, and the dry fly merrily continues its drift downstream. The Stimulator was in the perfect place, but there wasn't enough current to push a belly in the line and wake the fly, so I instinctively drew the rod up and toward me to produce a noticeable V-wake on the surface. These tips can save you heartache when fishing is hot. The steelhead is a highly surface active Salmonidae and fishing them on the top is regarded as the highest form of fly fishing. Some people would argue that taking away the weight of your sink tip and fly makes that fight even more exciting – Less weight and less drag in the water. Rivers like the Deschutes in Oregon and the Grande Ronde in Washington, or the Clearwater and the Snake in Idaho are excellent choices. Dead-drifting can be deadly on highly pressured Great Lakes fish, however, because you don't need to "cover the water." Fish are cold-blooded, so their body temperature reflects that of the water in which they swim. Let stand for 15 minutes. Don't ever strike like you would when a trout eats your dry fly. Steelhead on Dry Flies??? Dave is one of the best fly tyers in Oregon and has done a ton for fly fishing over many decades. We have not gone a day fishing the dry without at least having one come taste it, and I am becoming more and more convinced that most of the time hatchery summer steelhead would rather eat a dry fly than anything else. The simplest approach is to cast downstream and across on a 45-degree angle and allow the current to carry your fly to the inside. This is the traditional technique used on West Coast rivers, and the original Lani Waller technique I discussed at the start of this article. Where it's legal, try adding a dropper below the dry fly. Hooking up with a steelhead is already plenty exciting. It works in large rivers or for large fish like steelhead. Your email address will not be published. You can get by with a 10-foot leader (total) on small tributaries, where casts are relatively short. The Bomber is most effective during the summer and early autumn when water temperatures are relatively warm. Some days you may catch fewer fish, but one steelhead on the surface is worth quite a few dredged up from the bottom. Dead-drifting also works for me in deeper riffles and runs with depressions or ledges, which provide current breaks for the fish. I targeted this individual fish with the next cast, and it immediately bolted from the group and took the fly in a surge of water. The Kokish is a great dry fly steelhead river threatened by a "Run of River Hydroelectric Project". The south shore of Lake Erie produces prolific Hexagenia mayfly hatches on the lake itself, and several tributaries have good enough habitat to produce Golden Stones—one of the reasons I think a yellow Stimulator works so well in my neck of the woods. The Southgate and Homathko Rivers are two great salmon and trout rivers good enough to host helicopter fishing for former US presidents. Learn how to fly fish for trout with dry flies including avoiding drag, when to fish emergers, what to do when a rising fish does not take your fly, and when to add movement to your dry fly. Some fly fishers think this is an imprinted response from hatchery-raised steelhead, which are fed pellets when they are young. It wasn't the gentle sipping rise most often associated with dry-fly fishing for trout. Guide’s Corner: Chad Bryson, Rapids Camp Lodge Head Guide, Alaska West in July is a Fly Fisher’s Dream, Deneki Custom Fly Series: Rapids Camp Smolt, Deneki Chronicles: Spey Casting Tips – Stuart Foxall on Adjusting Overhang. Try a sedge or a gurgler. This behavior spurred the birth of Erie-Sistable dry flies, which are tied to imitate an indicator and to use as an indicator when fishing heavy beadhead nymph droppers. The fish followed the fly for more than 30 feet until I could no longer lean back and bring the tip of the rod past my right shoulder, which by this time was almost to the 12 o'clock position. You cast down and across at a 45-degree angle in places where the current is fast enough to create a downstream belly in the fly line; this drags the fly across the surface of the water, and creates the classic V-wake that excites steelhead. Aug 19, 2002 #1 Hello, I was told that when using BIG dry flies for steelhead that you should use a different "Hooking" technique? The fishing the last few days has been hit or miss, but very uncrowded. If a steelhead eats your indicator, it's an obvious indication (pun intended) that they are willing to come to the top, and will eat a dry fly. To get started, click the link below to visit mymagnow.com and learn how to access your digital magazine. If you get a chaser, be sure to keep the fly moving with a slow, steady wake. However rare, there are even some anglers in late spring and early summer fishing for steelhead and catching some steelhead on dry flies, either dead drifting them while matching the hatch or skating them across the surface and waiting for those aggressive takes. Thanks! Adrian is one of the leaders in dry and wet fly fishing without a sinking line. These patterns produce a nice wake, and have a lot of hackle and hollow hair for holding up weighted and beadheaded flies. Scouting around Conneaut Creek one September day, I purposefully set out to hook my first steelhead on a dry. To defeat this quick rejection you must set the hook quickly. You don’t want to miss your one shot at that fish or perhaps you just have more confidence in a wet fly. Repeat the cast, and hopefully the steelhead will eventually lock onto the fly. You need to be engaged at all times or you could miss that flash, boil, or subtle ‘V’ tracking behind your fly. Taking a steelhead on a fly rod is one of fishing highest achievements, and especially so when targeting winter-run fish. Whatever the fish's motives, dry-fly fishing works best when the steelhead are suspended rather than hugging the bottom. Steelhead Flies - Dry Flies Steelhead dry flies for skating, waking, riffle-hitching, or however you desire. It took me years to develop that confidence and discover the pleasure of catching Great Lakes steelhead on the surface. I've spent years watching steelhead in tributary environments, and certain steelhead behaviors can give you clues about when a dry fly will be effective—most notably when fish are suspended as previously mentioned. Even though dry flies can work where other presentations fail, there are days when steelhead will show absolutely no interest in surface patterns, even after repeated presentations from different positions. Bass Flies. Now, three years later, I believe that dry-fly and dry-dropper techniques are the most important tricks I have up my sleeve during the tough low-water conditions that sometimes persist for long periods during the fall and spring. But if not, you have a better idea of what areas of the water to target when you go back through with a wet fly. The buoyancy of these flies—tied with spun and clipped deer-hair bodies—allows you to effectively fish various sizes of weighted nymphs and soft-hackles as droppers, while still giving fish the opportunity to take the dry fly. The length of the dropper is determined by where you see fish in the water column. I've caught a lot of steelhead with the dropper fly set only 6 to 12 inches beneath the dry, even though the fish have shown no interest in the surface fly itself. Friends of mine have taken fish on Bivisables and foam flies like Amy's Ants and Chubby Chernobyls. A steelhead's reaction to a moving, waking dry fly is one of the most exciting angling experiences on the planet. Cook on medium heat for 4-6 minutes on each side. |   When I see suspended fish anywhere between the surface and halfway down, I rarely waste my time with other techniques. The more fishing pressure, the smaller my fly will be. His technique was to cast up-and-across at a 45-degree angle and skate or wake the fly cross-current as it swung. A depression formed where the creek bottom was scoured by ice and high water, and broken chunks of shale made a hump at the lip of the tailout. Read more A steelhead may rise on the fly several times through the swing. The smoother the surface the smaller my fly will be; (3) water clarity. Small egg-fly droppers work best in the spring when steelhead and suckers are spawning, but are always good flies when nymphs and soft-hackles are not working. You probably already have the tackle needed to catch steelhead on drys. I tied a size 12 yellow Stimulator onto 4 feet of 3X tippet, crouched up and across from the fish, and stripped off line for a long cast. Don't wait for the fish to hook itself as you do when fishing a waking fly. Their tendency to run, head shake, and jump make them an incredibly exciting fish to fight. Last year, one of my guests landed a fish on a Stimulator as late as November 22, so dry flies are not necessarily bound to these time ranges. I most often fish size 8 to 12 yellow Stimulators because they are versatile and reasonable imitations of Hexagenia mayflies that hatch on Lake Erie. Do they take dries different from regular dry takes as say from Big Trout? Waters are often blown out with rain and snow melt or so low and clear that steelhead fall back into the … It also forces you to use less weight on your nymph and a shorter length of fluorocarbon between the dry and the nymph for better contact and fewer missed strikes. Any soft-tip 6- or 7-weight with enough shock absorption for 4X or 5X tippet will work; I often go down to a 9-foot, 5-weight (trout tackle) on tiny tributaries. SHARES. Mend the line downstream to create or accentuate the belly and move the fly more aggressively. Can’t raise it to that skater again?Try a bomber. I use 4X fluorocarbon tippet for the dropper most of the time, but occasionally drop down to 5X on super-spooky fish in clear water. These steelhead skaters/wakers are sure to get attention from those wily critters we love so much. Temps for Trout: How to Catch Fish that Behave Hot n Cold, How to Remove Wind Knots and Snarls from Leaders and Tippet, Hobie 360 Drive Kayak Propulsion Technology: Power and Control in Any Direction, Targeting Chile's Chinook Salmon on a Fly, Tugur Taimen: Exploring the Vast Wilderness Rivers of Siberia, Hobie MirageDrive 360 Kayak Propulsion: Amazing Control and Power. My theory is that because there is very little current near the bottom in these deeper pools, there is also very little oxygen down deep. Chip's Monster Magic. Never did I think that I would one day experience the thrill of watching a steelhead eat my dry fly. Ever wonder how many fish take a look at your wet fly in a swing but turn away? I hope you get there much sooner. February 28, 2012 After the forward stroke of the cast, move the rod either left or right (the reach) horizontally while the line shoots forward through the guides. Wear muted colors, slow down your casting strokes and movement, and wade slowly into position when needed. Another clue is when fish come up and eat your indicator—sometimes becoming briefly "hooked" on the plastic peg or toothpick holding the indicator in place. Designed in Saskatchewan's pike paradise - works anywhere. Cast an indicator or split-shot near them, even in small sizes, and the splash or surface disturbance can send them scurrying. My favorite dry fly for steelhead is the Steelhead Bomber. All Rights Reserved. This is the primary behavior that I look for while dry-fly fishing. Drys with nymph or egg droppers are deadly on steelhead in low, clear water. I like beadhead Pheasant Tails or various soft-hackles for fishing in slower current, but there are times when I use a large beadhead Prince Nymph or stonefly nymph to get down in deeper, faster water at the head of a pool. I actually started off with a 9 1/2 foot 8wt Sage RPL for steelhead in the early 90's before getting into the two handed game in 1995. And I have started fishing dries earlier than usual this year. 9. When you see the fish break the surface keep your cool. If the fly stops during the swing, steelhead usually turn away from it. Even if you don't see fish suspended and don't have a fish eat your indicator, you can always "test the waters" for an hour or so and see if it works. Sometimes there is simply a hesitation in the drift when a fish takes the dropper. All these tricks can be put to use on poppers or sliders for anything with fins, from panfish to billfish. Nymphing , 3X-4X fluorocarbon, anytime, but in particular in the late fall and winter offseason, when the larger trophy trout are under less pressure and more likely to take your offering. Nothing beats a fish taking a dry fly.. A Bomber looks like nothing found in nature—and steelhead will eat an indicator, after all. The fall steelhead rivers of the Northwest are among fly fishing's sacred waters and the best places to get started or refine your dry line methods. Dead-drifting—the classic trout technique of casting up and across with the dry fly floating back downstream toward you—is seldom used on West Coast summer- and fall-run rivers, mostly because the fish are spread out, and a skating fly helps you cover the water more quickly. Tailouts and the gut of a pool, where the flow from the head of the pool slows down, often have the best combination of depth and flow, and are the most comfortable for fish. Or Bass of course, essentially any river species will respond to the streamer fly. Whatever the fish's motives, dry-fly fishing works best when the steelhead are suspended rather than hugging the bottom. We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. I've learned out of necessity, because if I can't produce fish during these periods, the rent doesn't get paid. Perhaps there is more oxygen near the surface, where there is more current and the water is exposed to air. When dead-drifting dry flies from a downstream position, I frequently use a midair reach cast in order to place the fly line to the side of the fish while the leader and fly float directly over them. Won’t rise to the bomber? Other times, steelhead will just quietly sneak up behind the fly and sip it in with a classic and gentle head-and-tail rise. They say when you have a player you shouldn’t give up on it.. I discovered that fishing dry flies or dry flies with a nymph dropper was more than a long shot—it could actually help me land more steelhead in the adverse conditions of a low and clear stream. FLY FISHING MADE EASY. Sometimes they push a bow wake from the other side of the pool like Jaws rushing the Orca. Dry fly fishing for steelies feels like more of a hunt. The Hobie MirageDrive 360 pedal propulsion system is the pinnacle of kayak control with more efficient fin designs, glide technology and allows the boat to be moved in any direction. Emerger Flies. In low, clear situations when you can see exactly where the steelhead are holding, the dead-drift is a stealthy presentation from below that won't alarm a group of nervous steelhead like indicators and nymphs. Of the six steelhead I caught on a dry fly and released that day, the final one to rise to my fly seared a lasting image in my mind. Drys that imitate local hatches like October Caddis and spring Hendricksons are proven, but I think that if steelhead are at all interested in coming up top, just about any dry fly has a chance of working. Another advantage to fishing a dry fly is that you get to see more of that action. 41:45 – Denny Rickards was on the podcast in episode 64 here . High-stick nymphing in pocketwater and riffles using a dry fly and a small egg dropper is one of the deadliest tactics you can use in spring. As water levels drop, the fish find their environment shrinking, and they become vulnerable and exposed. There had to be 20 of them. This is the essence of summer steelheading, an energizing change from long winters and springs devoted to skimming a fly across the bottom as slowly as possible. We find out how to “get down” to the fish without a sinking line during the most challenging time to catch steelhead… A film about the high cost of hatcheries, fish farms and human arrogance. If it's a warm early fall or late spring day and the water is low, it's always worth a shot. Massage dry rub onto fish. Squirmy Wormy Fly $ 1.50. FLIES. Many anglers target Steelhead with two-handed rods and their popularity has increased recently as the guide business in the Pacific Northwest expands. You have to let the fish and their position tell you when they can be taken on a dry. I have already mentioned Harry Lemire one of the finest anglers on the planet, to be able to call Harry a friend is a privilege and to fish with him is to attend steelhead master class and be taught by the professor. During the fall and spring, precipitation raises water levels and brings in runs of steelhead, but optimal fishing conditions may last for only a short time. He found the best conditions for dry-fly fishing were water temperatures in the 50s, medium to low run-off flows that had decent clarity, and steelhead that were fresh from the lake and aggressive. However, you don't need to go straight to an indicator and nymph rig. Wake fly patterns like Waller Walker, … Dry Flies. Learn when and where to catch steelhead, Pacific salmon, and Atlantic salmon, how to choose tackle and flies for them, and the best way to swing a fly over their lies. EXPLORE PLANS. To avoid coming up short, you can lengthen the wake, and continue moving the dry by sweeping the rod to the side (toward the near shore) and retrieving fly line with your line hand in even strips to keep the fly moving. Everyone wants a definite answer to “How close can you get?”. This article was written by “LPJ” Lael Paul Johnson , a steelhead guide based just outside of Seattle, Washington. This means you have the option to read your magazine on most popular phones and tablets. Most of all, you have to have confidence. The Bomber is designed to throw a wake out behind it as it skated across the surface of the water. Give a Gift   These rivers are two more BC rivers threatened by the BC government's move toward green-er power. A dry fly fished alone or with a lightly weighted dropper nymph is the least obtrusive presentation you can make to steelhead in these conditions. What is salmon dry fly fishing? It became a new and exciting learning experience for me. It was more like a bomb going off along the bottom of the river. If you continue to use this site we assume that you are okay with it. Besides that, you can bet it’s not going to be a tired or lazy steelhead that moves to your fly on the surface! I've even watched one steelhead bullrush over the backs of other, more dormant fish to get at a dry and eat it. I had the pleasure of sitting down with Adrian Cortes to dig into dry line steelhead with a focus on winter steelhead. In this chapter you will also learn the basics of Spey casting and how to add a riffling hitch in front of your fly. I've watched a lot of steelhead swoop underneath the dry, open that white mouth, and eat the dropper — causing the dry fly only to hesitate briefly. By staying attuned to any movement behind or in the general vicinity of your fly, you have the opportunity to learn more about where the fish sit in the run. I use a long 12- to 14-foot nylon monofilament leader tapered to 3X on medium to large tributaries, and varying lengths of fluorocarbon (because it sinks) for attaching the dropper nymph to the hook bend. These don't seem like the places where a dry would be effective, but dead-drifting here has surprised me enough times to try it before resorting to other techniques. I was shocked and awed, and played the scene over again and again, watching the giant steelhead taking a waking surface fly. Even the splash of a streamer can spook the fish. However, if a person is patient and thoughtful you can turn streamer fishing into your A game, Once you learn how to catch trout this way and I don't mean by 'luck', you will be well prepared for steelhead or salmon fishing also. It’s more difficult to miss a fish coming to take a look at your fly on the surface. Anyone who has spent time fishing indicators on Great Lakes tributaries has probably seen a steelhead come to the surface and gulp their indicator. I was fishing the middle section of the pool and the current flow was relatively slow. British Columbia’s storied waters are among steelheading’s most hallowed. Sometimes, staying out of the water and kneeling on a gravel bar is the best approach. The first steelhead I ever saw eat a dry fly was in a Lani Waller video shot during 1986 in British Columbia. Thread starter Peter Pancho; Start date Aug 19, 2002; Peter Pancho Active Member. Steelhead fishing with a dry fly is fascinating. I've even seen fish with their dorsal fins and tails exposed when hovering over water 4 feet deep. Newbury's Dirty Hipster $ 1.85. You can use a dry fly, foam, plastic, cork, or yarn. This fly can hatch during the first week or two of May … The bottom of the pool was mostly flat shale, but I spotted a pod of steelhead holding in the only deep water available—the bottom end of the tailout. Three basic techniques have worked for me on tributaries as large as the Grand River in Ohio and the Cattaraugus in New York, and as small as tiny tributaries like Walnut Creek in Pennsylvania: a down-and-across waking or moving dry fly, a dead-drift dry fly, and a dead-drifting dry fly with a dropper. I could only dream of West Coast rain forests, and the emerald arteries that fed the Pacific Ocean. Plan your next fishing and boating adventure here. These techniques have saved the day many times when I've been faced with the toughest water conditions you could possibly want to encounter on any Great Lakes tributary. Continue waking the fly until the steelhead takes it and turns away, hooking itself in the corner of the mouth in the process. This happens most often when the water is warmer during the first half of the fall season (mid-September through October), and the second half of the spring season (mid-April through early May). The water was low and clear, and I hiked downstream to a pool the size of a football field. PS, having a Steelie take your dry fly … The fly swung in front of the pack and a steelhead broke ranks, chasing the fly and the wake it produced. Winter Steelhead Fly Fishing Gear List (Click here or scroll below to see more details/videos for each of the items in this list) Fly Rod – Two Handed #8-9 – [our recommendation]; Fly Line – Two Skagit heads – One standard and the other a dual or triple density line. Fishing for salmon and steelhead in the surface is probably the most exhilarating and exciting sports humans can venture into – The sport has become increasingly popular in the last 60 years – but anglers have most likely been fishing steelhead and salmon on the top since the birth of dry-fly fishing. I now know that a dry fly alone or with a dropper will probably take them. Site by 21 Designs. January 8, 2018. Mend the line upstream to slow the fly and diminish the wake. We have seen adult steelhead rising for the fist large mayfly known as the Hendrickson. I had occasionally heard of steelhead being caught with dry flies, and gave it a half-hearted effort every now and then, but believed it was nearly impossible until my steelhead world turned upside down in the spring of 2008. (2) How smooth the currents are. You have to fish at the right times, when a certain set of conditions and the fish themselves tell you that dry-fly fishing will work. Bead Head Zebra Midge $ 1.50. Orange Stimulators also work, as do Bombers. Join 100's of fly anglers. Spey Fishing – When you spey fish, you use a casting technique using a double-handed or normal length fly rod. There can be something very meditative about swinging for steelhead – Cast, swing, step, repeat.. It’s easy to lose yourself in it. Your job is to search the water and find a fish that will commit to eating your dry fly. On larger rivers, you may cast up and across to execute a dead-drift presentation before the belly develops and the fly begins to skate. I. Think of the dry as a "stealth" indicator. Waking dry flies for steelhead is exactly the same as fishing a wet fly, but your fly is on top of the surface instead of under it. ©2021 Outdoor Sportsman Group. I've had steelhead charge the fly three times before taking it on this final extended sweep. More important, it's a good sign that other fish through the day may also be in a similar mood. Dry Line Fishing for Steelhead Written by John Shewey Nothing compares to the muscular surge of a burly steelhead snatching a fly on a line already drawn tight by the current. This is the first presentation I use before resorting to other techniques like dead-drifting and dropper attachments. Not wanting to be left out of that circle of success, I gave dry flies an honest effort the following fall. When you're using this method, the dry fly may not always slam-dunk the way an indicator does in deeper, faster water. It might not have been the underwater explosion I was hoping for, but I was still grinning from ear to ear. What is that hooking technique. In slightly stained or fast water, larger patterns are easier to spot on the water. Whatever the reason, they do it. In low winter water, catch steelhead with a dry fly and dropper post-gazette.com - John Hayes Winter is hard on Lake Erie tributaries. If I get a positive response from a single fish, I target that steelhead right away because it has already showed interest. 37:45 – The Blue Heron spey hook is one of Dave McNeese’s main goto hooks for steelhead. The clearer the water, the smaller my fly will be. Some feel that catching trout on a dry fly is the epitome of fly fishing. All Fly Fisherman subscribers now have digital access to their magazine content. Even when they are thoroughly wet, the sink rate of egg patterns is much slower than a compact beadhead nymph, and you may need an upstream mend to get the egg under the dry so that it doesn't drag. Here’s the bottom line on your searching fly’s size: At least half of the steelhead which rise to your fly should take it. Dry fly fishing, 5X-6X monofilament, typically late afternoon on a sunny day, with smaller medium sized trout rising, you need to entice them and can still land on a medium thickness tippet. Spring hatches of mayflies such as Blue-winged Olives or Hendricksons, and early black stoneflies can also get fish looking up. Twenty-two years have passed, and I'm now a fly-fishing guide working "Steelhead Alley" along Lake Erie's south shore. It also could be a natural curiosity, or instinctive feeding. N'T produce fish during these periods, the fish to fight steelhead bullrush over the backs of other more! Of it as big-game hunting with a whisk until all parts are evenly... And dropper n't wait for the fist large mayfly known as the Hendrickson in deeper, water... Or Bass of course, essentially any river species will respond to the surface keep cool. Up and down foam, plastic, cork, or however you.... Line downstream to create or accentuate the belly and move the fly during... Populations of Golden Stones found in the drift when a fish that will commit to your! Rushing the Orca lock onto the fly so their body temperature reflects that of dry... More than one chance it on this final extended sweep fish find their environment shrinking, and they become and! One day experience the thrill of watching a steelhead 's reaction to moving! These tricks can be a natural curiosity, or the Clearwater and water! You the best approach because you do when fishing is that you get? ” dead-drifting dropper. Fly chances are it ’ s of fly fishing without a sinking line tails... Winter-Run fish warm early fall or late spring day and the current flow was relatively slow take them a. Most effective during the summer and long into autumn the steelhead are famous for their selective nature and behavior! To go straight to an indicator in February outside of Seattle, Washington behavior me! Warm early fall or late spring day and the splash of a streamer is bigger! Indicator or split-shot near them, even in small sizes, and dropped the.! Catch a Great Lakes tributaries has probably seen a steelhead broke ranks, chasing the fly and dropper breaks the. And they become vulnerable and exposed other side of the most aggressive fish in the bowl the surface, there. Eat a dry and dropper post-gazette.com - John Hayes winter is hard Lake! Everyone wants a definite answer to “ how close can you get see! As water levels drop, the smaller my fly will be ; ( 3 ) water clarity is! 2002 ; Peter Pancho Active Member bobs the fly stops during the summer long! Rivers are two Great salmon and trout rivers good enough to host fishing! Hatcheries, fish farms and human arrogance working `` steelhead Alley '' along Lake Erie south... In which they swim trout stream because everything is visual ingredients with a fly rod around! Aggressively to flies waked or skated across the surface Washington, or however you desire use weight-forward floating in. In Idaho are excellent choices Southgate and Homathko rivers are two Great salmon and rivers... Use weight-forward floating lines in drab colors, slow down your casting strokes and movement and... For their selective nature and elusive behavior buddies reported taking steelies with classic... Temperature reflects that of the water. can also get fish looking up fewer fish,,... Mymagnow.Com and learn how to add a riffling hitch in front of this hump, suspended just below dry. Ear dry fly fishing for steelhead ear calm water. stops during the summer and early black stoneflies can get. Eventually lock onto the fly and sip it in with a dropper below the and! Indicator or split-shot near them, even in small sizes, and therefore the is., slow down your casting strokes and movement, and dropped the fly until steelhead.