10-21-2009, 05:04 PM
Those little salmon river steelies are some rascally little devils, pair that up with some barbless hooks, and you have some potential for a very small hook to land ratio (especially if you hook them in deep water and/or have much belly in your line when you get the pickup). My remedy is simple, keep your line tight, and keep a good bend in your rod. I don't make a show out of it, I muscle them in as fast as possible. Make sure you're using gear that can handle it. I use 14 lb main line and 12 lb leader across the board for steelhead, but if you aren't in too snaggy of hole, and you aren't getting any nicks in your line (and you can tie good knots [:p]) 12/10 would be plenty.
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