The Steelhead AnglerSteelhead Salmon and Trout Fishing information, Product reviews, and how to Information on catching your next trophy
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Just thought I would Share the Photos I took of the few times I was able to go fishing this year.
Hope you enjoy them.
Just when I thought the Little Salmon River was going to come in we started to receive some rain and the river has blown out again. I did make a trip down to the river Tuesday and hooked into a fish but I fished al day and it was the only hit that I got.
The river is as high as I’ve seen it in years and the one fish I did hooked got out in the current and if you have ever fished for Chinook salmon you know what happened next.
Yep it was like trying to stop a D-8 cat from running down a frozen cliff you hold on and hope for a miracle. Even with 40lb test line I was unable to even slow it down let alone turn him. In about thirty seconds he had striped off most of my line and was headed back to the Ocean. It was exciting but the battle if you want to call holding on for everything you got a battle, did not last long and I had to admit defeat before I even got started.
With the river running as high and fast as it is fishing is really tough you use three ounces of weight to even touch the bottom and your line drifts through the hole in about ten seconds. Most of your day will be spent casting that is when you are not tying up a new rig because when you do hit bottom with that much weight it usually finds a way to crawl under some rock and you end up leaving your rig to the river gods. Yet even with conditions the way they are I can’t wait to get back on the river after all it is Chinook salmon season.
If you do not like spending your day casting and tying rigs you may want to hold off for a week or two before you head down. There is however always plunking if you don’t want to fight the current river condition. I have had some pretty good luck with this technique of fishing over the years.
For those of you that are not familiar with plunking it is setting up with a heavy weight as a drop sinker and using a spin and glow with eggs or a similar lure casting it out in a deep pool and then you just sit and wait for the fish to find it. When condition are like the are this is a very good technique plus while your waiting for a fish you have time to relax and tell some fishing stories with you buddies.
Well I’ll keep watching the river and let you know as things develop but for right now fishing is tough.
RR Smith
Chinook salmon fishing continues to be a very popular sport fishery even as salmon numbers drop. The fisheries managers continue to monitor salmon runs and returns to allow the sportsman every opportunity possible to fish for these magnificent fish. Fishing techniques are adjusted to avoid species whose populations are at risk such as the native or natural runs and focus on those which can sustain large-scale fishing those that have been raised and released from hatcheries. Where that is impossible, the native fish are released unharmed, allowing these endangered species to continue with their natural spawning cycles. The hatchery fish can be identified by a missing adipose fine which is clipped before their release from the hatcheries.
This year is no exception it appears that the anticipated returns are going to be down from what was supposed to have been one of the better runs in years to a run which will be capable of providing some limited fishing. As the managers monitor return numbers they are adjusting the fishing seasons and take limits and even in some cases they have closed salmon season down for the year.
Did you know that Pacific Northwest Salmon is a rich source of heart-healthy polyunsaturated fat called Omega-3 fatty acids or basically good fats? Omega-3s are found mainly in fat rich fish such as salmon, trout, mackerel and sardines.
Wild fisheries could never meet the global demand for salmon especially when you consider their dwindling habitat and in my opinion having the hatcheries is one of the best moves mangers have made to keep a fishable run. While we would all love to see the native fish flourish with politics and economical factors influencing decisions regarding their survival and habitat the natural runs continue their decline.
Fishing must be carefully managed so that salmon continue to be a harvestable resource.
There appears to be even more good news for salmon fishermen here in Idaho. Along with the Chinook salmon return numbers showing a vast improvement over the last several years the number of jacks that are returning to Idaho are also u; this is good news for two reasons.
The weather and river flows has been playing a large role in the amount of Salmon crossing Bonneville dam during the last week one day the numbers are over 9,00 and the next day they may be down to 2,500 only to bounce back up the next day. I guess as long as the numbers stay up we can keep smiling though.
So far I do not believe the total numbers are as good as every one was hoping but we need to remember that the run started three weeks later then normal too.
I will continue to watch the numbers over the next several weeks and keep you informed so far thing are looking good for the Idaho salmon angler though and I’m keeping my fingers crossed that this will continue.
By: RR Smith
Salmon Steeelhead And Trout
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.
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
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With reports of a good return of salmon expected here in the northwest and the spring steelhead fishing picking up it is a good time to think about curing some eggs for what is expected to be an exceptional salmon run.
One of the easiest ways of curing eggs and having a good quality out come is this one that I have been using for years. It consists of borax and salt mixed together in equal amount. I like to use Tender Quick just because it is a finer grain salt some of my friend prefer sea salt this is your own personal preference. Make sure that they are mixed together well or your eggs may not turn out as expected.
When collecting your eggs keep them as dry as possible, excess moisture will not give you the appropriate cure and your eggs will milk out pretty fast when you start fishing with them.
If you have to rinse them off to remove some blood make sure you pat them dry with paper towels. Wrap them in paper towels over night to draw out the remaining moisture; it is imperative that your eggs be as dry as possible. You do not want to freeze your eggs before they are cured as they will not pull in the borax and salt thoroughly and your eggs will just cure on the outer edges. Eggs will keep for about a week if sealed in a plastic bag and kept in a refrigerator but the sooner you cure your eggs the better they will turn out.
1. Start by unwrapping and placing on news paper in skeins
2. Use a small container filled with the borax and salt (I use an empty creamer container) pour this mixture onto the eggs making sure to pull apart each skein seam and complete cover them.
3. If you want colored eggs you can mix in a small package of sugar free Jell-O or Dry food coloring can be added to the borax and salt to get desired shade.
4. It’s a good idea to cut your eggs into bait size pieces now.
5. You will need to cover in borax/salt again I like to put them in a plastic bag filled with cure and then shake the bag thoroughly! You can do it however you want just make sure the eggs are completely covered with cure.
6. Once you have your eggs covered with cure spread them out on dry newspaper
7. Now let them air dry until a crust has appeared on the exposed side this takes about an hour or so.
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!
Article By: RR Smith
http://www.steelhead-gear.com for all your fishing needs
Today your choices for fishing lines seem endless from the tried and true mono lines, to the high performance braided lines, and the new fluorocarbon lines how can you know which line is the best? Well the answer is “who really knows except for you and your fishing needs” I have used the following three types over the years and will tell you each have their benefits and draw backs I will explain to you each of these but the final choice must be yours since you are the one who will be using them for the type of fishing you do.
SpiderWire UltraCast The Ultimate Braid Fishing Line
Maxima
World Wide Sportsman’s New Camo Fishing Line
SpiderWire:
It gives you the sensitivity to feel the lightest bite, the control you need for a secure hook-set, and the strength to endure the toughest fish. Regardless of the species you’re after or the cover you’re fishing. SpiderWire’s UltraCast seems to be a strong, smooth, ultra sensitive and a very durable braided line. UltraCast gives you a smooth flow through your guides which along with the smaller diameter allows you to make longer cast. Spiderwire Ultracast Invisi-Braid’s patented translucency technology makes this line virtually invisible once it is in the water. There is no line stretch which gives you a quick hook set and good control over the fish. They advertise that there is no break-in period as with other braids and I did find this to be true it goes from spool to reel and works very well.
The draw backs as with any braided line were it did seem to ice up more when used in freezing temperatures and should you lose a longer piece of line in the river when you get snagged it tends to cut you line rather easily should you hook into it.
Maxima Line
Maxima provides excellent abrasion-resistance and durability, and its special light-diffusing properties make it invisible to fish. Over the years I have tried numerous types of line from many manufacturers. I have had, and continue to have excellent performance from Maxima Line. It is strong and abrasion resistant, yet supple. It allows little (if any) stretch and has virtually no memory. It absorbs the shock of hard hitting Salmon and Steelhead very well. I have confidence in maxima line, and trust it so much, that it is the only line I will use to battle salmon on some of the rivers I fish here in Idaho! I’ve used this line for over twenty-five years. Maxima line has great color, durability, and performance and makes for a great choice on many rivers.
World Wide Sportsman Camo Fishing Line
If your want to save a few dollars this is a very comparable line to the maxima,and makes for a great choice on many rivers. With its abrasion resistance, tensile strength, stretch resistance and knot strength. The varying shades and hues produce a camo color that makes this line nearly invisible when it hits the water. Fluorocarbon seems to mimic the refractive quality of water resulting in more strikes and does not seem to spook the fish as bad.
Now I know there must be hundreds if not thousands of different name brand lines available which I admit I have not used however these are the lines that work well for me and the type of fishing I do. I know they work and they are what I look for when purchasing line. Besides I would rather spend my time looking at new lures, hooks, and baits to try the next time I go out Fishing.
By : RR Smith
http://www.steelhead-gear.com/
Talk to any die hard Steelhead fishermen and they will tell you the two most important items when selecting a steelhead rod are sensitivity and line handling. The G.Loomis STR1263C GL2 Steelhead Rod is packed with both of these features, with the sensitivity to feel the lightest of strikes to the strength for handling the most aggressive runs a steelhead should make.
If your steelhead fishing takes you to the larger, wider rivers you will come to appreciate this G.Loomis Steelhead Rod, Its 10’ 6” length will allow you to make those long cast to the troughs on the far bank that you were not able to reach with your old Rod. The extra length of this road allows you to have a optimum line angle which reduces the line drag and gives you improved line sensitivity that steelheaders look for in a rod. Once you hook into a steelhead you will have the control over the fish like you have not experienced before, this rod is made to handle those aggressive steelhead and put you in control of the fish.
As for the sensitivity of the G.Loomis 1263 steelhead rod you will now be able to feel the subtle bite like never before the soft tip action of these rods are hard to beat. While a steelhead is large fish their bite normally is very gentle and having the sensitivity this rod provides will give you an edge over most other fishing rods. G.Loomis makes their rod out of some of the highest quality graphite materials available today so you can be assured that this rod will last through years of fighting these powerful fish.
The extra power you will have with the 1263 will get you those steelhead in large rivers especially if you are a drift fisherman requiring long cast to reach the troughs where the steelhead are laying. This rod work exceptionally well if you are into float fishing giving you that extra casting distance that you did not have before.
SPECIFICATIONS:
o Model: STR1263C GL2 EVERGREEN STEELHEAD ROD
o Type: Casting
o Pieces: 2
o Length: 10′6″
o Handle: No. 13
o Line Weight: 6-12
o Lure Weight: 3/8-3/4
o Action: Fast
o Power: Medium
I would highly recommend this rod to anyone that is serious about their steelhead fishing, they are well worth their money and you will be hard pressed to find a rod that will match their endurance!
Article By: RR Smith
http://www.steelhead-gear.com/