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While on a trip back from turkey hunting Monday morning I stopped along the Little Salmon River and noticed quit a few stack into a pole just below a small falls. Steelheads are known to stack up in this spot and I like to check it when I am fish, it is usually a good indicator as to how the fish are moving and if they are in the river.

When I noticed so many fish stacked in there I decided to give Steelhead fishing a try for a while. This turned out to be the best decision of the day as the only turkey I saw I managed to spook of before I got him to respond to my calling. Anyway There is a small seem just down from the falls I was talking about that I decided to give a try and on the first cast I hooked into a nice buck that may have weighed 10 lbs. this fish had been in the river for quit some time and was close to spawning. But he did but up a pretty good fight for this time of year. Two casts latter I hooked another fish at the very tail end of this drift and this fish came out of the water shook it’s tail at me and headed down the river like it was being pushed by a freight train it was not long before it came off but it got me wondering what put such a fire under his tail.

After fishing for less then twenty minutes more I hooked into another nice steelhead and this fish was acting like an early fall fish it jumped four times and gave me a very good tussle before I was finally able to tail her and get a good look at her. She was a nice silver colored spring steelhead and was in excellent shape and a nice firm body. Now I do not know where these fish have come from and usually this time of year they are spawning and pretty well beat down but this one well I just could not believe the shape she was in.

I guess that may be I gave up on Steelhead fishing to early as it appears that there are quit a few fish in the river most are tired and spawning or nearly ready to spawn. There are however some of these fish that appear to be fresher and you while know as soon as you hook one if it is fresh by the way they want to take off.

I fished this hole for the rest of the day and while I never kept a good count I know I caught over 12 and probably closer to 15 fish some of them really gave me a good fight and a couple I’m sure are still headed back to the ocean just from the way they blew out of the hole.

So if you’re looking for something to do the next couple of weeks you might want to give it a try the Steelhead are still there and some of them are in very good shape for this time of year.

By: RR Smith
Looking to save on your next purchase of Fishing Gear Please visit my Store at Steelhead Gear.Com I’m sure you will find some of the best prices available anywhere for your Salmon, Steelhead, and Trout Fishing Gear wants and needs.
http://www.steelhead-gear.com

Once again Idaho Salmon are facing another man made obstacle on their migration back home. Bonneville Dam is seeing large numbers of Sea Lions and California Seals again that are feasting on our Salmon runs. While state and federal agencies have been monitoring this situation for years and have decided that they need to take action the Humane Society of the United States has step in and are trying to prevent their efforts.Look at some of this information posted on the Free Republic Website

*”Salmon and sea lions are protected species. But California sea lion numbers are booming, while many northwest salmon species are struggling. The sea lion population, about 1,000 animals in the 1930s, now numbers about 238,000 along the West Coast. Biologists think the animals have maxed out available breeding sites and habitat.

The number that could be killed under the initial federal proposal is about one one-hundredth of the number that biologists estimate could be removed without undermining the overall population.
Anglers and biologists have grown increasingly frustrated with sea lions that swim up the Columbia to Bonneville Dam, where they feast on salmon gathering to climb fish ladders upriver. Last year, monitoring crews counted sea lions eating more than 4 percent of the salmon run, although biologists suspect they probably ate more.

Hudson said state and tribal biologists estimate sea lions may consume 13 percent to 17 percent of spring Chinook salmon passing through the dam.”

* http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1987633/posts

Now I do not know about you but I’m tired of my tax money being used to feed a predator that by all accounts have over populated their natural environment and are now seeking to find an easy meal on the very same fish that we as sportsmen, tax payers, and even as consumers have been trying to protect and improve their numbers so that we can continue to enjoy fishing for these magnificent fish.

Have you heard the answer to the problem from the Humane Society of the United States as stated by spokes woman Sharon Young “agencies should look to cut back fishing before looking at sea lions”

I’m all for protecting wildlife and I believe that I do my part I keep very few of the fish I catch and most of the time I catch a release my fish just to insure that the will be there tomorrow and for the next generation to enjoy as I have. But when you see articles like this it makes you wonder way we spend billions of dollars ever year on salmon recovery programs have numerous agencies work for their recovery and then when they decide it is time to take a corrective action we do not allow them to do anything. They do not want to eliminate the seal population only take a control measure and reduce their numbers. I say load the seals up in a box and ship them to Sharon Young and the Humane Society of the United States and tell them that their seals are in our rivers and they need to do something with them.

By: RR Smith

Looking to save on your next purchase of Fishing Gear Please visit my Store at Steelhead Gear.Com I’m sure you will find some of the best prices available anywhere for your Salmon, Steelhead, and Trout Fishing Gear wants and needs.

http://www.steelhead-gear.com

With the Chinook Salmon Season opening today here on many of Idaho’s rivers it would be a good time to take an inventory of your salmon fishing tackle. While the salmon have not actually made it into our river systems yet they are on their way and this season is promising to be one of the best in years. Taking time to make sure your salmon gear is in order can mean the difference between spending the day on the river our spending your time trying to locate a replacement rod or reel. 

As most of you know having plenty of hooks, line, sinkers, swivels, yarn, bait-sacks, lures, and what ever else you plan on offering to the river Gods in exchange for one of Idaho’s most powerful fish is essential in having a successful trip. There is nothing more frustrating then to just lose a nice salmon and then in the next cast or two lose your rigging and not have what you need to replace it when you go to tie back up. 

With the snow staying in the mountains the way it has this year I expect we are going to be fishing in some of the highest river flow condition that we have experienced in years.

I for one know that high river conditions seem to make the river gods angry and will be taking a lot more  of my gear before giving up one of their salmon.

It is also a good time to make sure your rod and reel is ready a good cleaning and oiling may need to be done. You want to make sure your drag is operating properly (nice and smooth) even if you crank down on it trust me you will need a good drag system if you plan on land a salmon especially this year with the expected high flows. You take the power of these fish and add the additional power they get by utilizing the river currents to their advantage and you will be glad that you took the time now to clean and oil things up.

Having plenty of line on hand would probably be a good thing also since fighting these fish does take its toll on any line and after awhile you will notice quite a loss in the effectiveness of your line.

By: RR Smith

Looking to save on your next purchase of Fishing Gear Please visit my Store at Steelhead Gear.Com I’m sure you will find some of the best prices available anywhere for your Salmon, Steelhead, and Trout Fishing Gear wants and needs.

http://www.steelhead-gear.com

While I’m sitting here today thinking about the Chinook salmon season that is suppose to be one of the best in years, I find myself thinking back to my youth. It was back in the early 1970’s when after talking with my best friend Randy that I discovered he had never fished for salmon before. I found this odd as are love of fishing had taken us on many different and exciting adventures while chasing fish every time we had a chance to take off and go. Yet I never mentioned any thing about steelhead or salmon fishing and we had never been salmon fishing together how we could have missed doing this together before now was something that I could never really under stand since this is my favorite type of fishing.Oh well back to the main thought I was having. When I talked to Randy about this he got very excited about going so we planed a trip for the following weekend and since our work schedules had us both off at the same time it would work out perfectly. Little did I know how perfect this trip would turn out at the time?

The rest of the work week seemed to drag on as time normally does when you have something that you are looking forward to doing, but soon it was Friday after noon and we both had gotten off work late adding to the excitement to get going. But finally we were on our way to meet up with my folks who had left earlier in the day to setup camp down at Riggins Idaho along the Little Salmon River where we would be fishing.

On our trip down Randy was full of questions like how hard does a salmon hit, what size hook do you use, are these fish hard to land, what should he use for bait. On and on this went he was really getting worked up about this. I told him that salmon fishing once you learn the basics and where the fish might be laying is really like any other type of fishing the big difference is the battle these fish give you once you hook into one. I told him that he should not plan on being able to land every fish he hooks into, as the power of these fish is unmatched by anything he had fished for before. He told me that he had heard they did fight hard and that you needed heavy line he had purchased some 60 lb. test line and asked if he needed anything heaver. I assured him that the line he had was way more then he would need and that I just used 25 lb test and that was more then enough to handle them as long as you let them play out before you try to force the issue with them.

We arrived at camp late but the folks had kept dinner for us so we ate and sat around for awhile telling stories to the folks about some of our adventures many of which that got me a look from my dad that only a dad can give; you all know the look I’m sure, (the one that says what the heck were you thinking)? It gets late and we decide to turn in, now being a young teenager at the time the excitement of the day to come makes the night seem like it will never end. I remember Randy waking up numerous time through out the night and having a flash light click on and off again after awhile the light would click and randy would say are you awake is my watch working is it really only 1:00 am. or has my watch stopped. This continued for most of the night and I began to wonder if maybe I made this salmon fishing out to be more then it was, (No there’s no way I could do that it is all what I said and probably more).

Finally 4:30 arrives and we crawl out of or sleeping bags and start getting ready to walk up to this hole I had found a few weeks earlier. All week long I had told Randy that this hole has produce a Salmon on the first cast every time I had been their and that it was well worth the walk to get there and in the pre-dawn light we set out to get to the hole before some one else. Back in the seventies we didn’t have the crowds we do today and you cold still get in a hole first if you left at early dawn. Any way I give Randy some last minute pointers on the way to the hole and we arrive to find that we were indeed the first ones to arrive. Standing above the hole I point out where he needs to cast and what he should expect when a salmon hits. We bait up and start down to the hole. Now until you have been around Randy for awhile and know him a little bit it is hard to explain what happens next but I’ll do my best to explain this.

Keeping in mind Randy has equipped his reel with 60 lb test line, the following takes place. Since Randy has never taken a Salmon before I decide that I will get him started before I start to fish. There is a lot of brush along the river bank so I tell Randy to strip off a little line and just flip it out along the seam of the current and be ready for the explosion as the salmon takes his hook. I remind him that I have caught a Salmon here on the first cast every time I have fished here. Randy decides to move down just a few steps before he cast and when he goes to move down he stumbles on the slick rocks that are covered in the morning’s dew. While trying to catch his balance his line that he striped out dips into the water as he falls back on his butt and at the same time he is falling back he jerks the pole back over his head trying to catch his balance. As I’m watching this his line comes back out of the water and here comes a 14 lb spring Chinook salmon that some how had managed to get a hold of his hook the motion of Randy falling back literally jerks this salmon strait out of the river and onto the bank now Randy and this Salmon are both flopping around on the bank as Randy somehow manages to get a hold of the salmon before it gets back into the river. Once Randy get a hold on the fish and his feet back under him he looks at me and says your right this hole does produce a salmon with the first cast. Well that is how Randy got his first salmon we still fish together to this day as hard as this is to believe it actually happen just like I said you should have been there. Randy Still has the same type of luck I know he could truly catch fish in a mud puddle.

By: RR Smith
Looking to save on your next purchase of Fishing Gear Please visit my Store at Steelhead Gear.Com I’m sure you will find some of the best prices available anywhere for your Salmon, Steelhead, and Trout Fishing Gear wants and needs.
http://www.steelhead-gear.com

I found some more exciting news about the expected Chinook salmon run for us here in Idaho. The following came off the Columbian News Website:

“[Thursday, April 17, 2008
By ALLEN THOMAS, Columbian staff writer

The hottest spring chinook salmon angling in the lower Columbia River in decades comes to a close Monday to avoid exceeding the sport-fishing allocation.

"It appears there's a whole wall of salmon charging up the river,'' said Carmen MacDonald, an Oregon sport-fishing activist who predicted the run will be even larger than the forecast of 269,300.]” You can find the complete article “HERE“

(http://columbian.com/news/localNews/2008/04/04172008_Chinook-sport-fishing-season-to-end-soon.cfm)

If this all holds true and the run makes it to Idaho we should be have one of the best runs since the record breaking run in 2001. For those of you that were able to experience this run you know what this means for us here in Idaho. Those who did not have a chance to fish this run or have not fished for salmon here in Idaho now is your chance to experience some of the most exciting fishing in our fine state.

One thing that we all should keep in mind as the season approaches is we need to be courteous. Especially for those of us that fish the Little Salmon River South of Riggins Idaho; the fact is that large numbers of fish means large numbers of fishermen. I have never been a big fan of fishing in a crowd but my passion for hooking one of these great fish has made me change the way I look at this. I have made some great friend over the years and the only time we see each other is during the salmon run.

For those of you that do not know we have lost access to the river crossing just south of Riggins so we no longer have access to the east side of the river just another sing of the times. As we continue to loss access to familiar fishing grounds we are going to be forced to become even more compacted in the areas we do have access to.

A few simple Common Courtesies; can and will make the difference in how we all enjoy this salmon season.
1. One should never just barge into a hole with out at least say hello asking how fishing has been and if they mind if you try your luck!

2. Don’t be in a hurry to start fishing watch how others are fishing the spot and decide on how you can fish this spot without tangling with others.

3. Remember to pick up your trash. Yes yarn trimmings and fishing line is trash.

4. If you see some one have trouble give them a hand and a few pointers their not out to ruin your day they are probably just not familiar with this type of fishing.

5. Don’t stress over the guy just up stream that seems to be catching all the fish.

6. And most importantly relax and enjoy yourself we all no that we want to catch fish and have a good time and being courteous we allow us all to enjoy this season.

Lets all have a great time on the river this year and maybe we will even met some where along the bank and exchange a few fish stories.

By: RR Smith
Looking to save on your next purchase of Fishing Gear Please visit my Store at Steelhead Gear.Com I’m sure you will find some of the best prices available anywhere for your Salmon, Steelhead, and Trout Fishing Gear wants and needs.
http://www.steelhead-gear.com

We have been waiting to see what kind of Salmon season to expect here in Idaho this year and early prediction seem promising and the Idaho fish and game has expanded on some of the rule and fishing areas. Take a look at just what they have in store for us this year it is looking good.

The Following information was taken from the Idaho Fish and Game Website at http://fishandgame.idaho.gov/apps/releases/view.cfm?NewsID=4350  If their predictions hold true we should have a great salmon season here in Idaho the Spring and early Summer. I highlight some exciting changes in Red that are new this year.

 ***   IDAHO FISH AND GAME
HEADQUARTERS NEWS RELEASE
Boise, ID

Fish And Game Commissioners

Set Spring Salmon Seasons

 Idaho Fish and Game Commissioners, Wednesday, April 16, set spring Chinook salmon seasons, beginning Saturday April 26.

The season opens a half hour before sunrise on April 26 on parts of the Snake, Clearwater, Salmon and Little Salmon rivers. It opens on May 24 on the Lochsa River.

Commissioners are expected to consider seasons on the South Fork Salmon River and the upper Salmon River in May.

Chinook fishing will be open on the Snake River from the Dug Bar boat ramp upstream to Hells Canyon Dam; on mainstem Clearwater River from the Camas Prairie Railroad Bridge at Lewiston upstream to the South Fork Clearwater River; on the North Fork Clearwater River from its mouth upstream to Dworshak Dam; on the South Fork Clearwater River from its mouth upstream to the confluence of American and Red rivers; and on the Middle Fork Clearwater River from its mouth upstream to the confluence of the Lochsa and Selway rivers.

The Lochsa River will open, starting May 24, from its mouth upstream to the Twin Bridges immediately upstream from the confluence of Crooked Fork and Colt Killed Creek.

These segments will be open until July 20 or further notice, whichever comes first.

The Lower Salmon River will be open from the Hammer Creek boat ramp upstream to a posted boundary at the mouth of Short’s Creek - about 1.4 miles upstream of the mouth of the Little Salmon River - until June 22 or until further notice.

The Little Salmon River will be open from a posted boundary at its mouth upstream to U. S. Highway 95 Bridge near Smokey Boulder Road will be open until August 3 or further notice.

Fishing hours are from one half hour before sunrise to one hour after sunset, local time, seven days a week until the seasons close.

Limits in the Clearwater River drainage are two per day, six in possession. On the Snake, Lower Salmon, and Little Salmon Rivers limits are three per day, nine in possession. The statewide limit for adult Chinook is 40 for the season.

Only hatchery Chinook salmon with a clipped adipose fin - evidenced by a healed scar - may be kept. All Salmon with an intact adipose fin must be released immediately. Any salmon caught in a legal manner must be released or killed immediately after landing.

The rules have changed for jack Chinook salmon this year. A jack is any Chinook less than 24 inches long. Anglers may keep two adipose-fin-clipped jacks per day and have six in possession in addition to the adult Chinook daily and possession limits. But they don’t have to record the jacks on their permit.

When the adult possession limit is reached, the angler must stop all fishing for salmon, including catch and-release and for jacks.

Anglers may use only barbless hooks no larger than 5/8 inch from the point to the shank. It is unlawful to take or fish for salmon by snagging. In the Lochsa River, salmon may only be taken with artificial flies and lures with one barbless hook per fly or lure - no bait. A single hook may have up to three points.

Anglers must have a valid fishing license and salmon permit in possession to fish for salmon, except on Free Fishing Day, June 7. Any nonresident 14 and older must buy a nonresident season fishing license and salmon permit, a nonresident junior fishing license and salmon permit, or a three-day salmon license.

Please consult the 2008-2009 Fishing Seasons and Rules brochure for additional rules, license costs and other information.

Locations common to Chinook salmon fisheries include:

• Dug Bar boat ramp, Snake River: Dug Bar boat ramp is about six miles upstream of the mouth of the Imnaha River, a tributary on the Oregon side of the Snake River about 52 miles upstream of Lewiston, Idaho.
• Hammer Creek boat ramp, Lower Salmon River: Hammer Creek boat ramp is about 34 miles downstream of Riggins and one mile downstream of Whitebird Creek.
• Smokey Boulder Bridge, Little Salmon River: The Smokey Boulder Bridge is a Highway 95 bridge which crosses the Little Salmon River about 24 miles upstream of Riggins and about five miles upstream of Hazard Creek.
• Railroad Bridge, Clearwater River: The Camas Prairie Railroad Bridge crosses the Clearwater River about one half mile upstream of its confluence with the Snake River and about 1 1/4 miles downstream of the U.S. Highway 12 Memorial Bridge, which crosses the Clearwater River near Lewiston.
• Time Zone Bridge: The Time Zone Bridge is on U.S. Highway 95 and crosses the Salmon River about one mile north of Riggins.
• Short’s Creek: Enters on the south shore of the Salmon River at the upstream end of Short’s Bar about 1.4 miles upstream of the confluence of the Salmon and the Little Salmon rivers.

Waters not specifically designated remain closed to fishing for Chinook salmon.

View the 2008 Chinook Salmon Seasons and Rules here: http://fishandgame.idaho.gov/cms/fish/rules/chinook_seasons/  ***

It looks like it is time to stock up on our Salmon fishing supplies with an anticipated season like this and the high river flows we will more then like be experiencing we may very well need a full tackle box and plenty of fresh line. Let’s just hope that we are not disappointed as we were for the Run in 2005. So far the numbers are looking good I’ll try and keep you updated as the run develops.

By: RR Smith

Looking to save on your next purchase of Steelhead Salmon and Trout Fishing Gear Please visit my Store at Steelhead Gear.Com I’m sure you will find some of the best prices available anywhere on the internet. http://www.steelhead-gear.com

With Steelhead fishing less then impressive this year my stepson Steven and I decide to take a break and do some Turkey hunting yesterday.While here in Meadows Valley the snow is still deep enough to cover a pick up in many locations we were able to get up next to a ridge close to town where we took of walking before daylight. Now walking through snow that at times will hold your weight and then your next step you break through and your standing in snow past your knees was making getting any where a challenge we were able to get to Southwest facing slope which actually had bare ground on it.

We set up under a tree and gave a few soft clucks on our faithful box call and got an immediate response from a gobbler. This was going to be way too easy I thought to my self as I leaned back against a large yellow pine tree. I took out my reed call and looked over to make sure that my stepson was ready for some action and gave a few more soft clucks, and bang this tom response with a thundering double gobble not more then sixty yard below us on a ridge.

Now I will not shoot at one of these great birds at anything over thirty yards and as long as they are coming in closer I like to let them work their way in. I give a soft purr call which again is met with a double gobble this tom must really be lonely I thought to myself which is a good thing when working a large tom turkey. It must have been thirty seconds and he sticks his head up in front of us not much over forty yards away now he goes into a full strut right there in front of us and you can hear the humming of his wings as he struts across this small ridge and soon disappears over the ridge.

Suddenly I hear a hen down below clucking and putting and know that this is going to change from a quick easy bird into one of those that probably will end up disappearing down the ridge. I look over and my stepson Steven is sitting there shaking his head as he realizes what is about to happen. We sit there for the next several minute as we hear this toms gobbles become fainter with every gobble and soon it is silent all together.

After sitting in the shade for over an hour now after working up such a sweat get into this spot I’m shaking so bad now I’m not sure I can hit the mountain let alone a turkey so we both decide to get up and get some blood circulating. We have not been up for more then a minute and I look down the ridge and there is a tom with about four or five hens feeding there way right up the ridge. Normally they would have seen us and been gone but they must have been so busy feed that they did not see us so we clamor back under a couple of large yellow pines and once were ready I take out the box call and cut lose with a gobble of my own this normally will shake things up if you have a tom with hens and true to this theory bang this tom cuts lose with a double gobble and runs right up the ridge. Now he’s is running so fast that we don’t even have time to get the guns up before he is standing there not more then 15 feet from Steven goes into a full strut and gobbles again I can see Steven grinning from ear to ear as this tom dances there in front of him and he does not dare move for fear of spooking him off. He finally struts back over so he can check on the hens down below and this give Steven the chance he was waiting for and he claims his prize a nice tom turkey with a 7″ beard. Not bad for the first hour and a half of a hunt.

This Nice Tom Turkey was Taken not far From New Meadows Idaho.

By: RR Smith

Looking to save on your next purchase of Steelhead Gear Please visit my Store at Steelhead Gear.Com I’m sure you will find some of the best prices available anywhere on the internet. http://www.steelhead-gear.com

Today I must admit that I think the steelhead fishing on the Little Salmon River in Central Idaho for the most part was less then impressive as compared to previous years.

The River Flow has finally increased to near normal spring flows but the only thing that I noticed is an increase in the number of Steelhead Fishermen and no real increase in the number of Steelhead in the river.

Just what happened to the fish is some what of a mystery not only for the anglers but also for the fishery managers. Many of the other rivers around the state have seen good to great results the South Fork of the Clear water has seen some pretty impressive numbers or the last couple of weeks and the upper reaches of the Salmon River have been producing some nice results also. Where are the fish for the Little Salmon, no one really seems to know and since it is now past the middle of April, about all that is left for us to do is clean up our gear and put it away and wait until this fall in hopes of better numbers next year.

There were a few days this spring where I thought Steelhead fishing was going to pick up however the next trip was only full of disappointment. I do remember that several years back we had an early run off that brought up the river which was followed by a sudden drop in temperature which trapped a lot of the smolt in ponds and troughs when the river flows suddenly dropped and there was a large number of dead smolt in these spots. Maybe that is what is going on, we just lost too many of the smolt before they could even start their migration to the ocean. I’m not sure but it is just one explanation that I have thought of over the last couple of weeks while I was fishing and waiting for the main run to start.

Fisheries managers are expecting a good run of Salmon this spring and while I hade hopes that this would actually be the case the numbers over the last couple of days are becoming discouraging also. Right now we are just in a wait and see mode I will try to keep every one up dated as they dam counts come in so stay tuned. Remember that River flows will be much higher this year then we have seen in a number of years so be careful out there.

By: RR Smith
Looking to save on your next purchase of Steelhead Gear Please visit my Store at Steelhead Gear.Com I’m sure you will find some of the best prices available anywhere on the internet. http://www.steelhead-gear.com
 

I don’t know what to tell you this year the weather still is not cooperating for us. Steelhead fishing in one hole will be great foe a while and then nothing for hours and then you may pick up one or two fish for the next several hours. Or like yesterday we fished all day and only caught two fish.Their were a couple of fishermen down stream from us that caught 10 fish in a little over an hours time and then they to did not catch anymore fish the rest of the day. This year has been very frustrating for most of us and I truly believe that it is all do to the weather. Meadows Valley still has about two feet of snow lying on the valley floor; normally the snow would be gone by this time of year. The Little Salmon river flow is what you would expect is see in February not the second week in May.

Every time I think the weather is going to change it hasn’t it is still getting down into the single digits at night and what snow has melted off seems to be going into the ground not running down the river. The upper reaches of the river are still covered with a blanket of snow and getting down to some of them has proven quite challenging at times.

I whish I could tell you with some certainty that fishing will pick up soon but I have been telling you this for over a month now. Steelhead fishing remains steelhead fishing here now if you hit the right hole at the right time it is great but hit a hole at the wrong time and you will be in for a disappointment.

As we wait for the fish to really start moving the best that I can tell you is that you will have some good fishing if you are one of the luck few that hit a hole with some fishing laying in it if not you will have to fish hard to get on of those crazy steelheads on your line. Until next time good luck and good fishing.

By: RR Smith
Looking to save on your next purchase of Steelhead Gear Please visit my Store at Steelhead Gear.Com I’m sure you will find some of the best prices available anywhere on the internet. http://www.steelhead-gear.com

Much of the time you will need to go wading if you plan on having success at steelhead fishing. You do not have to be a fearless wader but you do need to be comfortable with your wadding skills. Even you veterans out there with many years under your wading belt will need to use extra caution during the spring where the flows are extreme. If you are new to the sport of fly fishing I would recommend not wading out in water over your knees until to become familiar with wading in the current and just how much force the water can generate and how to keep a stable footing. For those who do not wish to wade, casting from the boat is also an option.There will be times where you need to casts well over 100 feet so practice when ever you have a chance. It is also import to be able to read the water or at least have some one that is capable of reading water. It is important that you are on the best casting side of the river before you start.

Fishing is done with rods from 6-8 wt, sinking lines, and a reel with a good drag system. The North Central Idaho Clearwater native steelhead are notorious for their size and power, testing the anglers ability and tackle on every blistering run. Steelhead are resting fish when they have returned to their home river to spawn so you must present your fly immediately in front of a fish if you are going to entice him into striking. The Main Clearwater River is large and having the ability to wade deep heavy current over very slippery ledge rocks as well as the ability to cast 90′ feet are among the reasons for this rivers difficulty. The upper section is much more fly fisher friendlily and the South Fork of the Clearwater is among my favorite rivers to fly fish for steelhead these B-Run fish are known for their size and often weigh in at over 20 pounds.

Get a good night’s rest you will need it if you are going to be wading most of the day, and put your wet waders on your boot dryers so when you wake up the next day you have nice warm waders to put on. I don’t believe there is any thing worst then to roll out of bed and have to stick your foot into a wet soggy boot and it will drain your energy much faster also.

It is always a good idea to check the flows for your favorite river; you can check the flows of most river systems by taking advantage of information available on the Internet. The United States Geological Survey, USGS, is the agency responsible for posting real time data related to the affects that weather plays on our river systems (you and find them at http://waterdata.usgs.gov/nwis).

By: RR Smith
Looking to save on your next purchase of Steelhead Gear Please visit my Store at Steelhead Gear.Com I’m sure you will find some of the best prices available anywhere on the internet. http://www.steelhead-gear.com