# steelhead



## lehi (Sep 13, 2007)

Going for steelhead this weekend near challis. Just want to gather a few tips as to wich methods, tackle i should use. I already have a good idea of what to use, and some good fly patterns too. I just want everyones input on this. thanks.


----------



## scott_rn (Sep 11, 2007)

We had a little discussion on Idaho steelhead earlier this year: viewtopic.php?f=5&t=4264
I've only fished for them in Oregon and New York - apparently it's quite a bit different in Idaho. Have a great trip.


----------



## Guns and Flies (Nov 7, 2007)

I have never fished for them, but good luck. Let us know how you do and take some pics!


----------



## Chaser (Sep 28, 2007)

A guy I work with was up there 2 weeks ago. He was the only one in his party that managed to hook up, and he didn't land either one. Good luck!


----------



## svmoose (Feb 28, 2008)

I used to fish the upper salmon when I was younger. I haven't been for probably 10 years. I hear it is pretty crowded. All we ever used were streamers. Seemed like black bodies with a red or green or yellow tail, with white as the streamer section worked. I would just spot and stalk fish, try to bounce it off their nose. It's difficult fishing, but a lot of fun and very rewarding when you land one. good luck.


----------



## wovenstonefly (Apr 9, 2008)

I fished it two weeks ago. I was with two other guys and we fished for three days. I hooked one on a balck Egg Sucking Leech, one on a shrimp fly and one on a small orange Glow bug.I dont know if the one on a shrimp fly really counts it was only there for about three seconds but i did see it. I didnt land any of them and the two guys i was with didnt catch anything either. The fish are late this year and the water is cold, 38 degrees when we were there, the water needs to be 48 before the fish start moving good however the river is low and clear. We fished all over, above and below Challis but the three fish I hooked were all above Challis in section 19, about ten minutes past the east fork. If your going to swing flys, I would use a black or purple egg sucking leech and get it down deep. the fish are on the bottom. You can also nymph it. I would use a glow bug and a stone fly or something like that. But use the glo bug for shure. Good luck


----------



## GaryFish (Sep 7, 2007)

After the steelhead kick your butt, go to the Village Inn in Challis and order up the Finger Steaks. Great, greasy, home cooking. I grew up in Challis. It is a good place. For the steelies, we always fished upstream from town to avoid all the Utah people . We fished at Torey's quite a bit. Then you get could get a great grease burger and milkshake at mid-day if you wanted to. Way back in the day, we'd have more luck using general trout techniques than the accepted steelhead approaches. I caught more than one steelie on a mepps spinner. By the time they get that far, they've swam past every steelhead contraption out there and rejected it. Its a good place though. Plan in a evening trip to the hot springs to warm the soul. And spud nut doughnuts from the bowling alley are great too.


----------



## utbowhntr (Sep 11, 2007)

Hi. GaryFish, when I was a young boy I used to go with my parents to a place called Boundry Creek/Dagger Falls area on the Middle Fork of the Salmon and we'd fish for the Chinook Salmon. it was a blast to go, but I was to young and small to fish myself, although my dad would let me try to land a few he hooked into. (I'd almost get pulled into the river, the fish were almost as big as I was at the time. They would run about 32 to 35Lbs.) I know that my dad would always use fresh rowe so maybe there is some type of fly that resembles that that would work on steelhead. Anyway, the big treat when I was up there is when we would all drive back down to Stanley and get ice cream and a big burger. Thanks GaryFish for invoking those memories. Some of the best times in my life. Utbowhntr


----------

