The Steelhead Angler

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Fishing is a fun and tranquil sport that lets you spend quiet time with your friends, family and with Mother Nature.

Fresh water fishing is a sport involving the catching of fish in lakes, rivers and streams. It involves a lot of patience, challenge and a lot of acquired skill over time. Anyone can participate in this fun activity, including the kids.

To start, you have to check your State’s fishing requirements and make sure if a license is needed for you to fish. If it is required, you must acquire one by checking with a sporting goods store. They will help you how to get it, and some will even provide it for you.

During the time that you are in your favorite sporting goods store, you can look around and buy the right fishing equipment that you will be need for your trip. Considering that you are a beginner, make sure that you budget well the cost and your spending on the equipment, not deciding on expensive equipments; buy only the basic things you will need.

When in doubt as to what is needed, ask the help of the store keeper, but do keep in mind that you need to stick to a budget. Take your time and don’t hesitate to ask how to use each piece of equipment that is offered to you. Artificial lures for bait can be used or you can simply look for worms from your back yard.

An inexpensive fishing rod and reel will be enough along with a fishing line, hooks, weights, a bobber (this keeps your line afloat), fishing lures and net. A polarized sunglass is also essential, as it will help to see clearly through the water and lessen the glare.

Then if you don’t know the good locations to fish, ask about local “hot” spots, or check your State’s fishing regulations for information about fishing locations around your State.

The time will surely come when you will be a better fisherman; then you may decide on upgrading your equipment. In the meantime, keep things simple.

It is always advised that you avoid fishing alone. Always be with a friend, as when emergency strikes, there can be someone who can call for help.

It is wise to start fishing in shallow waters. Aim your cast in shady or rocky areas where the water is deep, as this is where the fish is expected to be found. Keep in mind that this is all practice first.

As your skill level develops and increases, you can then attempt into deeper waters. But before going, take the time to practice casting to familiarize yourself with your rod and your reel.

What better place to practice than your back yard. To do so, mark off an area using a rope and use this as your guide in aiming your cast. Rehearse and study your movements to discover a method that will work for you. Bear in mind, cast with your wrist, and not with your arm.

Fishing hooks are very sharp and needed to be handled with care to avoid injury. Before casting, it is important that you should look around you and stay unobstructed to avoid hurting other people with your hook.

When the right time has come and you go fishing for real, keep in mind to cast your line always ahead of the fish, making your bait land slowly, with as little splash as possible. The fish will see well at a close point, but cannot see behind.

If your casts are going in a disorganized manner, move closer to the water so you can gain better accuracy.

Watch the bobber closely for any movement. If and when a fish grabs the bait, the bobber will be pulled under water. This signals that you got a fish on the line. Don’t get too excited. Remain calm.

Keeping your line tight, slowly reel in your catch. Place the net near and use it to bring the fish out. Remove the hook from the fish with great care.

If you got an undersized fish (as noted in the state’s regulation book), quickly return it to the water. Likewise, if you have no intention in eating your catch, do not waste it and return it to the water. Releasing the fish will supply the water with more fish, giving future fishermen the thrill to experience a catch.

Lastly, look around you and feel the calm, restful and serene view of the river.

You will find some super deals on all you fishing needs at Steelhead Gear.com we even have some used fishing gear for you and you can save even mare.

As I mentioned yesterday that with the rivers running high and muddy salmon fishing is very tough. I also mentioned that you may want to try and do some plunking for salmon with these conditions. I received several emails asking just how you would set up to do some plunking for salmon. This technique has been around for years and I thought that every one knew what I was talking about for those of you who didn’t let me explain a little about it.

Plunking is used a lot while fishing for catfish, sturgeon and such, and is basically setting up a rig that you throw out into the river channel with a heavy enough wait to hold it in the current. The Idea behind this is that with the bait located in one spot and the scent come from the bait fish will be able to locate it and take your offering. Unlike drift fishing where your bait is always moving plunking hold your bait in one spot and allows the fish to go to the bait instead of the bait going to the fish.

Below is an example of a plunking set-up you can vary just how you tie these, use different lures and bait combinations but it should give you the general idea.

One thing to keep in mind when fishing in muddy water is you want to use scents, sound and vibrations to attract the salmon. Tuna fish which has been pack in oil and anchovies are some of the more common baits used. Some fisherman will mix tuna and roe in an egg sack we’ve been calling this a salmon cocktail just so we know what each of us are using for bait if some one is getting more hits then every one else it’s nice to know what they are using.

Try to find a spot with slow moving current throw one of these rigs out and sit back and relax while keeping and eye on your rod. Don’t worry about what a bite will look like trust me you will know when a salmon takes this. Good luck and give it a try, it works and under the current river conditions it is probably your best bet on hooking into a nice fresh Chinook salmon.

RR Smith

Salmon Fishing Gear

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

One of the most important things a steelhead angler needs to learn is the run timing of the rivers they fish. Some good ways to do this is watching for concentrations of other anglers, contacting local hatcheries for return information, reading fishing articles, and check several Websites for updated information on Steelhead returns. Also, successful steelhead angling depends primarily on river levels or flow rates, and water clarity water temperature does play a part also however I do not believe this is as important as water color. You can find this information on the USGS website for almost all rivers and this information is kept current as to flows and anticipated flows.If you head out after a heavy rain, with a few exceptions you will be wasting your time. Clear water is good, green or slightly colored water is even better, so call someone if you can and find out how the rivers and fishing are; most of your locale tackle shops will be able to provide you some information.

Over the years I have learned that line size, hook size and weight affect the drift angle and your presentation of the bait which plays a big role in increasing the percentage of strikes. You could write a book about each one of these items but if you remember to decrease the size of each of the above mentioned items you will be on the right tract. I have learned that when drift fishing from a boat, different styles of boats react differently in the current, this has a direct affect on the way the angler is able to drift the bait along the bottom.

Small spinners, drifted yarn flies, and float-fished roe bags, or shrimp are deadly on most steelhead rivers, so are black or brown nymph imitations. Sometimes under the right conditions (I wish I could tell you what these conditions are but I never know when they prefer these) steelhead will go crazy for medium-sized spoons and/or spinners. You cast them quartering upstream, let them sink almost to the bottom, and start a slow retrieve when the current starts to swings it towards the bank.

During the later steelhead season fly fishers that are skilled at nymph fishing can do very well in many of the runs. You can fly fish with less knowledge about bugs as it is more about presentation with the steelhead the which fly you should be using. You should be ready for cold water fishing as the water temps can be in the mid 30 degree range but for those who enjoy this type of fishing it can be extremely satisfying. Try swinging streamers made of rabbit or marabou if a steelhead is out there they should produce a strike and for what ever reason they seem to hit this type of fly pretty hard.

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

Ok well now as Paul Harvey would say for “the rest of the Story.”I need to tie up again; now maybe it is because I’m cold or maybe it’s because the gremlins decided to come fishing with me but I have not been able to tie a knot on the first try all day finally on the third try I have my hook tied on. I go to slip on a piece of lead and someone has stolen my rubber tubing I say stolen because I would not have forgotten to put this on I’m an experienced fisherman. I cut the hook off and slip on the rubber and corky and then tie on the hook guess what for the first time today tied on the first try.

I thought about building a fire to warm up a little but that thought quickly passes when I go to light-up a cigarette and realize that I have lost my lighter some where along the way. Now just to be safe I look around to see if I can’t see one of those pesky gremlins hiding in the trees, or some where among the rocks, I’m convinced that they are the ones messing with me today.

Well for the next hour every thing goes pretty smooth but still I have not had a hit yet, the wind is still blowing and I’m starting to really feel its bite. I decide that today just is not the day for me to be fishing and after reeling in for the last time I go to pick up my tackle box and head back to the truck. About half way back to the truck the handle on my tackle box decides that it would be a great time to break off and when the box hits the only rock in the trail for fifty yard in any direction it explodes open and it looks like the 4th of July with corkies, yarn, hooks, and beads flying every where. I must have spent the next twenty minutes gathering up my equipment and chasing down the yarn that was dancing in the wind down the trail.

I finally make it back to the truck and put what’s left of my tackle box, gear, and rod in the back and go to get the keys out of my pocket, keys in my pocket? Man I must have lost them when I took the tumble earlier so I go to where I fell and start searching after looking for what seemed like days I decide to go to the truck and get out of the wind for awhile. You know that just getting out of the wind feels much warmer and I’m starting to feel a little better. I must have sat there for twenty or thirty minutes when I look down at the steering wheel and do you know what is hanging from the ignition yep the keys. Okay I should have looked earlier but I never leave my keys in the truck.

When I arrive home my wife asks if I had any luck. Well I gave her a strange look and was to telling her about my day she just smiled and said well maybe tomorrow will be a better day. Seems like I have been saying that more and more often lately but I can now say that it was a better day. The fish are in and they are starting to hit pretty good if you can keep out of trouble.

Have you ever had one of those days while fishing where every thing just seems to go wrong? Well yesterday was one of those days for me. I decided to run down on the river for a couple hours of steelhead fishing and I should have stayed home with a good book or just took a nap.It started with the trip down when I had a choice of running over a rock that rolled down into the highway or taking on a semi that was coming the other way attempting to do the same, needless to say I decided the rock was much smaller and was not charging at me at 60 MPH, while I tried to keep from hitting it with the tires I some how managed to do so with the front but the back tire hit it square and there went a $95.00 tire. Changing the tire gave me some time to think about all those steelhead that should be in the river now and I once again feel that rush of excitement and anticipation of hooking into one of these fish.

Ok so I go on down to my fishing hole only to find that instead of being full of steelhead it is full of steelhead fishermen. Well there is another hole down stream about a half mile so I grab my rod and gear and take off. When I stepped of the edge of the road way and started down the bank my feet go out from under me like someone just pulled the Rock out from under me and of course when I look up there are six other fishermen starring at me wondering what and the h___ I was doing. Well now I’m covered in mud and my back side feels like I just stood under Niagara Falls but I keep thinking about those steelhead laying in wait just down stream so I pick up my gear and continue down to the hole.

Now I have been fishing and tying knots for well over forty years now but today for what ever reason it takes me forever to get a knot tied that does not break with the first tug. The river is still running a little lower then normal so I cut a small chunk of lead and slip it on and my first cast end up catching a branch that is sticking out over the river I swear some one tied it to the branch because it will not come off and I end up breaking it off and starting over.

While tying up for the second time the wind starts to blow and of course being soaked makes it that much more enjoyable. I make my second cast now and I can feel it bouncing along the bottom when it suddenly stops and I set the hook and have tied into one of the biggest rocks in the river and that is where my second rig stays.

I have to go Now so Check back tomorrow for the rest of the story my luck did not get any better.

 Steelhead fly fishing is like playing the lottery: the more casts you make in the rivers, the better chances you have of hitting the right combinations. Steelhead fly fishing is a true sportsman’s game it will encompass the full range of emotions from joy and excitement to confusion and despair. Steelhead fly fishing is only for those fishermen that are totally committed to this sport; if you are looking to catch a steelhead on a regular basis fly fishing may not be the sport for you. On the other hand if you are looking for a sport that will challenge your very being and give you the thrill of a life time when everything comes together then fly fishing for Steelhead maybe your winning ticket.

Very few of us will actually catch steelhead with flies on a semi-regular basis, when fly fishing for these great fish there is no such thing as a regular basis. When fly fishing for steelhead you need to know about the species you’re after, where they’re found, when they’re in the rivers, what techniques will work, how to read the river, which flies to use, casting techniques, and then if everything flows into place you may land a fish or two and yes I did say may.

Fly fishing with nymphs is probably the most productive technique used on these often temperamental fish. Flies that have proven effective for me are the Egg Sucking Leech (purple/orange) and (orange/black) the Silver Tear is another that has worked well along with the green butt skunk patterns. Fly fishermen consider winter steelhead fly fishing to be hardcore fly fishing and involves enduring hours of casting in cold and freezing waters, hoping for that little tug that lets you know a steelhead has finally picked up your fly. Early fall and late spring are my favorite times to fly fish for steelhead the fish are active the weather is bearable as long as the river conditions are not out of wack from heavy rains and run off.

Steelhead are mystical creatures; irreplaceable fishes, and are a true sportsmen’s fish. Fly fishing for steelhead is one technique that I’ve yet to solve. It is however one that has given me years of enjoyment, excitement, and anticipation of the years head think of what I might be able to try on these truly magnificent fish.  

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

Well this weekend proved to be quite a disappointment for many on the river. It seems the cards were stacked against us the rain we were suppose to have gotten never materialized and the colder temperatures lowered the rivers again. It must have seemed like there were no steelhead in the river for many, as I watch many fisherman this weekend spend hours of casting and drifting without any success.

With the high pressure setting up again and the rivers coming up the steelhead were holding on the bottom and were very inactive I heard a lot of fisherman saying that the fish just had not made it up the river yet. I assure you there are quite a few fish in the river but they are very sensitive to the weather changes even more so during this time of year then any other.

We again are waiting on some storms this week and if we get some rain as expected you will see a sudden increase in the action. The main Salmon River flows drop significantly from Wednesday and the pressure rising the way it was put the steelhead in a holding pattern which many of us have seen before, fishing will pick up and will do so suddenly if we do get some rain to bring the river flows up.

For those of you that were on the river this weekend I’m sure you are a little frustrated with the condition but it is just steelheading and until we have some rain or warmer temps to bring up the river you can anticipate condition to continue to be slow. Until then present your baits slow and in deep holes as these are where the fish are holding now. Or you can wait for the condition to change if you do not enjoy fishing all day for two or three hits.

If conditions change as I am hoping they will this week I will keep you informed I’m waiting to see what happens this week. 

Steelhead, Salmon and Trout Fishing has been a passion of mine since I was a young boy. Most of my free time was spent on lakes and streams here in the northwest, and I have picked up on some interesting facts about fishing for these species over the last 45 years. I would like to share them with you through articles and at my websites I hope you find them helpful and enjoyable. So please stop by check out some information or just stock up on your fishing gear. Hope to see you on the river!

RR Smith
http://www.steelhead-gear.com for all your fishing needs

I was able to make another quick trip down to Riggins Idaho Wednesday I knew before I left that fishing would be tough but I just needed to get out for awhile. With high pressure setting up and the cold nights we have been having expecting any more would have been total optimism on my part.

The drive down from New Meadows was relaxing and I was glad to see how much the snow has been receding on my way down. There were a number of deer and elk out and it is always nice to see them. If you have some good binoculars or a spotting scope and want to see a real nice bull stop at the rest area just this side of Rapid River and look to the west, there is a real nice bull hanging out up there and he is well worth stopping and looking for if you enjoy watching Elk. He has not yet dropped his antlers put that will be happening some time soon.

Any way back to steelhead fishing I only fished two holes Shorts bar and at the Park in Riggins. I notice quite a few steelhead roll in each of the holes but getting a hit proved to be another story you know how steelhead are they are either hitting or they are not. Well as I suspected with the weather they weren’t. It was a nice day on the river though the wind was very light and the sun was shining and it actually got quite warm. I tried all my tricks hoping to get lucky and when I got the first hit I was watching some deer up on the hill steelhead one fisher 0 (#1- Rule be ready! opps!!)

I fished for about another hour and half before I switch to a small Crappie jig some times using these small jigs will produce fish. After fishing with this for about thirty minutes I got a hit and hooked into a steelhead well I knew that this small jig meant that I needed to be careful after fighting the fish for several minutes I was sure I was going to win the battle and then it was like some one was throwing rocks at it, any he turned and headed back to the Ocean and it didn’t matter what I tried he was going. Well it didn’t take long for the light hook on this jig to straighten and now the score is steelhead 2 fishermen 0.

I fished for about another hour but I never got another hit I hope to make it back this weekend with a rain storm coming in it should be better fishing as long as the wind will stay down.

Until next time

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 have received a couple of emails in regards to a resent post about Steelhead fishing on the Clearwater River in Idaho. They seemed to be intimidated by the size of river and were asking for more information on just where they should fish.

For those who are new to the sport I can see why they may be confused as it is quite a large river and if you are not use to reading Steelhead water it will be intimidating. So for those wanting to know where to fish let me give you some ideas.

If you want to try fly fishing the section just above and below the US Highway 95 Bridge has produce well for me in the past. If you are going to be wading be aware that the water level can change suddenly as there are two hydro dams up steam, keep this in mind when wading.

Should you want to try some drift fishing I can think of three spots that produce Steelhead regularly.

1. Drive to the Dworshak Dam just West of Orofino There is a good hole about 300 to 400 yards below the Dam.

2. Cross the bridge at Ahsahka and take the first Left hand turn off and follow the road down to river.

3. About 1.5 miles west of Orofino on state highway 12 there is another good hole for drift fishing. Well I should say float fishing as this is the way most of the fisherman fish this hole however you can drift it just use as light of weight as possible.

These four spots should get you stared if you pay attention to the water conditions and drifts you should then be able to find some more of your own Steelhead holes.
Good Luck!