NW steelhead tips

Utah Fishing Reports & Discussion Utah Fishing General
1

I posted this earlier on the flyfishing board but figured I might get some more help here too since the ut board is so active…

I am heading out for a week long trip to the Pacific NW for a little R&R and a lot of fishing. We’re meeting up with a friend who regularly fishes for steelhead, but uses spinning gear. I would love to get one of them on my flyrod (even if I can’t bring it in!), but have no idea what to use.

I don’t imagine most my regular techniques for Utah Rivers will be too productive. I’m thinking clouser minnows and other large streamer type flies. Anybody have any advice. Hardware, lines, flies, etc etc etc.[:)]

2

:sunglasses:You didn’t say what part of the Pacific NW you would be fishing. There are many steelhead rivers from northern California up through Washington and into British Columbia. And, each river can be quite different than the next one up or down the coast. Even the locals sometimes have a tough time deciding which one to hit. Hopefully your friend is on top of things and can get you into some fishies.

The big issue, this time of year, is the weather. Once the winter storms start coming in, most of the rivers run much higher and usually muddy. That makes them mostly unfishable, even with lures or bait. When a river is running high and muddy, forget about flies.

The best fly fishing for steelhead is for the summer run fish, in lower and clearer water. However, you can sometimes get lucky and hit a river several days after the last storm, when it is dropping and clearing…and the fish are both more accessible and can see your fly better.

When it comes to flies, lines, presentations, etc., that is where there are local diffeerences too. If you are fishing summer fish in small streams, with low clear water, you can get by with a six weight outfit and long leaders with small dark pattern flies. In the big raging rivers you need at least an 8 weight setup with fast sinking lines and short level leaders. A lot of winter fly flingers opt for cannonball shooting heads.

Most areas have favorite fly patterns, but there are lots of flies that will work on most streams. In high, cold “colored” water, you need to fish big bright stuff to get the fishes’ attention. Almost any pattern with hot red, pink, orange or chartreuse will work at times. Blacks and purples are good too. HERE IS A LINK to a website with some patterns to look at. If you go to your favorite search engine and enter “steelhead flies” you will find a lot more to look at, along with more good info on fishing them.

You can also research the areas or the rivers you plan to fish. It is amazing how much good stuff you can find online if you spend some time looking for it.

One other note. When the rivers are too high for fishing flies, you can sometimes dredge a few fish out of the quieter holes and runs by casting big spinners or spoons. However, since most steelhead rivers are snaggy, you can leave a lot of “bling” on the bottom without anything to show for it.

Good luck. Even if you do not catch a single steelhead (or any married ones) a trip to that area is always a spiritual experience.

3

Thanks TubeDude. I will be fishing the Siletz River, not sure what part exactly. Our friend fishes it regularly and he’s saying it should be good conditions. He has been sending out emails on an almost weekly basis with pictures of the steelies he’s been catching.

At the beginning of the week he said it was running a little high but there haven’t been any big storms out there recently and if that holds, it should be very good. He says ideal is between 3.3 and 2.7 ft. On the NOAA website that reports and predicts the stage height on the Siletz, we should be at about 3.5ft for the most part while out there.

The Siletz has two runs for Steelhead and I think we’re catching the end of the summer run.

I’ve been doing a lot of research and have bought a few flies, tied a few and plan on hitting up a local fly shop once there. I’ve also read a few articles on different presentations that I will try out.

The goal is to get one on a fly. But if conditions dictate, I’ll throw some spoons and lures out too. Our friend usually fishes a spinning setup and he said if we find a good deal on ‘little cleos’ to stock up.

Attached is a picture of our friend’s son with a nice fish from about a week and a half ago.

4

:sunglasses:Looks like you will be hitting the river when it is fishable anyway. I have fished the Siletz, Wilson, Trask, Nestucca and Salmon Rivers in that area. Also the Alsea. Used to have a good run of silver salmon about this time of year but I hear that is a thing of the past.

You are right about the two runs. The winter run of bigger fish is usually not until about January, but there will almost always be some fish there.

You are a lot better off being able to fish with someone who knows the river than to just go “chuck and chance it” on your own. Here’s hopin’ you go bendo on da steel. You will never be the same.

5

Good luck to ya, I’m jealous as hell!. I usually fish the Salmon River for steelhead, and I agree with Tubedude on this one, Steelheading can become quite habit forming… you will never be the same…

Now while the sections i fish are generally deeper darker water we use spinning rods with a rig with quite a bit of weight at a 3 way swivel and a leech pattern in black or dark purple body with a black maribou tail, and a chrome corky on about a 3 foot leader. Can be quite the deadly rig.

Again good luck, and start saving up for what will more than likely become an obsession at least a couple times a year.