i will be heading to challis on the 21st to steelhead for the day then the next weekend i will probably be up in salmon or challis.
Most people here drift fish- three way or snap swivel with a few inches of 1/4 inch hollow core lead, and about 24 inches of leader with your fly and corky (or eggs, shrimp etc…). Lots more people are starting to float fish- bobber stop, float, jig or bait, and this is very effective once you get the hang of it. I still haven’t quite figured it out, so I pretty much stick with drift fishing. Everyone does it slightly different from the next guy, but I think all it takes is getting something right in front of the nose of a willing fish. As far as getting flies and corkies in bulk, I’m guessing you would be best looking on line- corkies come in hundred packs, and they’re getting expensive these days. Think about braided line… you lose less gear!
Stop by on the 21st- I’ll be working… you know, the elk on the roof…
Thats how i was taught to drift fish. 
Last year i was fishing next to a guy (who was catching quite a few fish while i was there) he use the two hook meathod, he would tie on a small single egg hook above his swivel and was catching every other fish on it. So I might try that this year… Never have tryed the bobber fishing tho. How hard is it to fish with ice in the river?
for the bobber set up try searching stealhead setup someone posted some good pictures explaining how to set it up a while back. I agree with everything (she?) said except the braided line. while you do loose less gear that stuff piss’s me off. when ppl do snag up then end up holding the entire hole up cause they cant break it off then when they do break off usualy they loose a ton of line and you snag up on it for weeks… with the ice on the river it depends on if there is a bit of ice or if the river is slush early in the morning you have to wait for passing ice more than you fish it seems but usualy as the temps rise you dont have many problems.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BiBHUu_wnUE a cool video of the bonneville fish cam.
Thanks. I always watch the fish cam, but it is still pics and this is the first video I’ve seen. The fish window is down for maintenance now but they way it will be back soon.
Jigs ill looking into the bobber set up. Thanks
it can be super annoying its hard to feel bights when there is ice bumping your line.
Ha never would have thought about that… Guess ill stick with drift fishing for now. But what about if you had braided line with just regular 12lb leader? then you could keep your shot and everything else but just lose your hook.or would that not work? And wheres a good place to buy online?
last year i ran 15 lb braid with 10lb mono leader and i landed some big steelhead last year that breaded is so sensitive there is no mistaking bottom and fish. but it does have its downsides break off a substantial amount off in a good hole and you can ruin the hole for a really really long time!!! and yes nine times out of ten the mono would break and not the braid. this year i switched to 10 lb maxima! and i love it its a super sensitive mono.
Have you lost any fish with only using 10lb test?
another thing i have ran into with braided is that if its cold the braided holds water and it will freeze in your spool i have had it break the line when i go to cast and have also had it ruin eyelets on fishing rods because its so ruff on them. as for the 10 lb leader i actualy think the lighter the leader the more bites this seems to be the case with steelhead or in my personal opinion anyway.
i never had one break me off last year. but i did lose quite a few fish. i dont know what was going on with me i just was having a period where i couldnt hold on to any fish i hooked for like three trips. but no breaks. a couple of my buddys only use 8 lb test line and they land big steelhead also.
8lb would be crazy. I am going to try a new line. Not braided tho. Im switching to maxima. Possibly the 15lb, but i want to try 12 lb. I know that sounds a little over kill but i havent caught a lot of steelheads, and when i hook a fish i dont want to worry about it breaking off. IMO might try getting me a casting reel instead of my old spinning reel to.
ive been looking at casting set ups also i know they make a full three day trip of fishing a little easier on your back and arms but im having a hard time getting away from my spinning set ups.
I have been looking on cabelas web site at the reels. I very tempted to just buy a casting reel, But i know my first time out i would be messing with blacklash problems more than i would be fishing, because thats my type of luck… ha And the money i would spend on a reel, Could pay for food and gas…! But now im trying to get some friends together and make it down to salmon or challis before the month is over.
10lb maxima ultragreen is all you need in idaho unless you are fishing some pretty heavy water. I’ve landed hundreds of b-runs on the clearwater with 10lb maxima ultragreen and have never lost one due to the line breaking. 12 lb main line and a 10lb leader is perfect for drift fishing in Idaho, braid is sensitive but not necessary for drift fishing. Save the braid for float fishing and fishing divers and bait. Another tip for driftfishing steelhead is not to feel for the bite but look for the bite in your rod tip. When I sit back and watch people fish for steelhead drift fishing or sidedrifting I will see the bite happen in their rod tip long before they feel it
Ok so im fairly new. and can use all the help i can get. So what do you look for when watching the tip? You can see the little bumps as it bounces off the bottom. Once it skips a beat is that a bite? I yank at everything that seems irregular..
Heres how we explain the steelhead bite to our clients. Basically as long as your not fishing eggs hooksets are free because you can set the hook on anything that seems fishy and not jerk your bait off unless fishing eggs. However if you learn to set the hook on fish you will catch a lot more steelhead because your bait is not consistantly being jerked out of the “zone.” Before I start explaining what the bite looks like the size of the lead you choose has to match the water your fishing. I have a box filled with precut pieces from 3in all the way down to about half in. I generally use the 1/4in and 3/8in diameters of solid core lead. You want your lead when your drifting along to tap the bottom once every three feet or so. Now your drifting along and every three feet you feel your weight tap the river bottom which is evident in your rod tip. Your lead may hang up on the bottom and this will be a dead steady pull and your rod will slowly bend over, lift up on your rod and try and free your lead to continue the drift or break off. So once again your drifting along feeling the bottom every few feet and your rod tip begins to pulse almost like you have hooked a rubber band stretching and contracting that is a fish! Set the hook hard once and begin to fight the fish. Another key component to successful drift fishing is to have your lead pre cut and punced and your leaders pretied. That way when you break off you can get back in the water as quickly as possible and maximize your fishing time!