Fishing for steelhead is fun. Catching steelhead is even more fun.
Here are 6 ways you can can more steelhead on flies. Let us know how you catch more!
6 Ways to Catch More Steelhead
- Fish the near water first. Steelhead can hold in really shallow water, really close to the bank. Always fish the near water before you go tromping through it.
- Fight them hard. The longer the fight lasts, the higher the chances of the hook pulling or the leader breaking or the line getting wrapped around a root wad. Shorter fights are easier on the fish too.
- Keep your fly in the water. Don’t waste time constantly changing flies or tips or trying to hit the perfect cast. Especially that last one – if your cast doesn’t sail exactly as you imagined, just mend it out, fish it as best you can, and keep on moving.
- Be patient on the hang-down. Hang-down eats are tough – if you get a grab directly below you, it’s probably best to let the fish grab it and run. More here.
- Actively fish your fly. Don’t just wing it out there and wait. More here.
- Believe! Never, ever lose the faith.
What else do you do to catch more steelhead? Leave a comment and let us know.
Fish all casts out. Even if you make a bad cast, fish it out. Even if the presentation is totally wrong, fish it out. Steelhead don’t read books! What you swear looks really bad, may still tempt a steelie.
I totally agree. I had a recent experience of making a cast just as a HUGE gust of wind hit it head on. The belly of the line ended in a wad, the front 20′ of the line hung on a rock and the tippet and fly swung with the current. I was striping in line to fix my mess when I noticed that the tip if my line was headed across current. I guess the fish didn’t know how bad my cast was. 🙂 To quote Winstoin Churchill, “Never, never, never give up.”
100% in agreement. I would add, perhaps, that if you are going down, make sure you really go down and loose a few flies in the process. I think that nothing is more futile than fishing half way between to top and the bottom.
If you’re not 100% sure of your knot, tie it again. Carry a ceramic hook hone and use it regularly. If you hook up on a rock, don’t pull on it, throw a big loop of line and let it drift down below the snag. This will often free the fly. Always carry a loop when waking a dry and don’t set ’til the reel turns.