# Steelhead Fishing



## live2flyfish (Feb 14, 2008)

I am making a trip up to Northern Idaho next month for my first ever Steelhead trip. I am wondering if anyone out there could give me some pointers on equipment (rod weight, line type, etc) and some suggested generic steelhead fly patterns I want to make sure to have. 

Any help that anyone can give is appreciated. 

Thanks,

Doug


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## threshershark (Sep 7, 2007)

Several of the guys at High Country Flyfishers (801) 936-9825 do quite a bit of steelhead fishing. Give them a call I'm sure they'd be glad to help.


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## live2flyfish (Feb 14, 2008)

Thanks Thresher.. Will do


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## Grandpa D (Sep 7, 2007)

live2flyfish said:


> I am making a trip up to Northern Idaho next month for my first ever Steelhead trip. I am wondering if anyone out there could give me some pointers on equipment (rod weight, line type, etc) and some suggested generic steelhead fly patterns I want to make sure to have.
> 
> Any help that anyone can give is appreciated.
> 
> ...


My brother in law had me teach him how to tie a simple woolly bugger pattern.
This is what he uses for steelhead fishing and he has people that are fishing around him asking if they can buy some of his flies.
Give them a try in a couple of different colors.
As far as rod size, I would try at least a 7 or 8 weight 9' to 10' rod and reel combo.
You can buy them in a 4 piece rod for easy traveling.
If the ISE show is before your trip, stop in there and look for a good sale on rods and ask the folks at the booths for help with flies etc.
They are very helpful at the show.


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## live2flyfish (Feb 14, 2008)

Thanks Grandpa.


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## scott_rn (Sep 11, 2007)

Doug,
I lived in Oregon and fished the winter steelhead run for two winters and caught a few (landlocked steelhead) in New York last year. For what it's worth, I'll give you my perspective. I think my favorite thing about fishing for steelhead is the fact that they'll typically launch 3-4 feet in the air 2-3 times during a fight :shock: 
Rod size:
I have caught them on 5 weight and an 8 weight. If you hook into them with a 5 weight on a big river - you're done , but if you hook into one with a 5 weight on a smaller river (like the size of the Green) you're in for a great fight (they'll easily take you to the backing). With an 8 weight and strong enough tippet you can horse the smaller fish in, and you aren't as likely to be taken to your backing. I've always just used double taper floating line, plan on using a strike indicator, a long leader and a good assortment of weight to dead drift the bottom.
Flies:
Do you tie your own? Yarn eggs are very easy to tie and they work well. Rubber eggs work well too (orange and pink). Take some streamers - wooly buggers, egg sucking leeches and maybe some bucktail streamers.

Feel free to send me a PM if you want specifics on flies.
Good luck,
Scott


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## bauhaus (Dec 13, 2007)

scott_rn said:


> Doug,
> I lived in Oregon and fished the winter steelhead run for two winters and caught a few (landlocked steelhead) in New York last year. For what it's worth, I'll give you my perspective. I think my favorite thing about fishing for steelhead is the fact that they'll typically launch 3-4 feet in the air 2-3 times during a fight
> 
> you're in for a great fight (they'll easily take you to the backing).


Most of the fish in the system up there in ID will have entered the Columbia last summer and have swam hundreds if not thousands of miles over several dams and will have overwintered in preparation to spawn this spring. After this long in the river they have used up a lot of their body mass, and will be fairly scrawny and dark in color. Probably not a lot of acrobatics.

They will haven taken on more trout-like behavior, and will be more likely to take dead drifted nymphs than swung flies.

These fish will be spawning while you are chasing them. Be sure to release all wild fish and bonk a hatchery fish or two (w/ clipped adipose fin) to help the wild fish.


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## flyguy7 (Sep 16, 2007)

Good point, bauhaus. The Salmon River fish travel farther inland than any other steelhead in the world: about 700 miles. The fish will be looking for gravel beads to actively spawn on. Most anglers sight fish to them with a traditional inicator rigged set up with Eggs and various stonefly nymphs such as Jumbo Johns, Girdle Bugs, etc. etc.. a 7 or 8 weight (the longer, the better) with 10 pound Maxima should work just fine. Don't expect the same fight as summer run fish right from the salt.


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## catahoula cur (Jan 25, 2008)

http://www.westfly.com/feature-article/0608/feature_929.htm has some good info, including this nugget: "By February, both strains are on their spawning beds and should be left alone--although many thoughtless anglers continue to harass them." I'm not bashing on you here. Before I knew any better, my first steelhead was a dark February snake out of the SFCW. Get ready for combat fishing, low-holing, and fishing for something that is, at best, a shadow of a steelhead.


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## scott_rn (Sep 11, 2007)

flyguy7 said:


> Good point, bauhaus. The Salmon River fish travel farther inland than any other steelhead in the world: about 700 miles. Don't expect the same fight as summer run fish right from the salt.


Excellent point. I never fished for anything that had gone farther than around 200 miles. Although my avatar is a picture of a summer steelhead that I caught in the end of December. It still fought well but it was very dark. Steelhead in one hand, 6 week old son in the other 



bauhaus said:


> These fish will be spawning while you are chasing them. Be sure to release all wild fish and bonk a hatchery fish or two (w/ clipped adipose fin) to help the wild fish.


That's an interesting topic. While I was there there was some controversy because Bush wanted to include hatchery raised fish in the numbers to make it look like there were enough salmon that they, the wild fish, didn't need level of protection they were receiving. The fish and game pointed out that the offspring of hatchery raised fish that spawned outside the hatchery were producing would grow up with an adipose fin and be considered wild. They also figure it mixes up the gene pool a little for the wild fish. Fish politics, what can you do :?:


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