The Steelhead Angler

Steelhead Drift fishing Gear and Set-ups

Drift fishing is the most common method used for steelhead; it is also one of the more difficult to master. You need to have the right gear, know what type of water steelhead hold in, and the hardest part is learning the difference between bouncing over rocks and a steelhead strike.

Over the years, I have been asked how you know when you have a hit while drift fishing for Steelhead. The true answer is you never really know for sure! When bouncing along the bottom of the river every time you bump a rock it feels something like a strike. There is a difference but until you feel it, it is hard to explain.

Some times your line will just stop this is always a good sign that there is a steelhead taking your line. Other times you will feel your line and it feels like it’s rolling over gravel (this happens quit often when the water is cold) This to is a good sign that you are having a steelhead strike. There are times when a steelhead will leave no doubt they have taken your line as they nearly jerk the rod out of your hand. Most of the time however it is just a slight difference in the feel of the line and the longer you fish for steelhead the better you become at feeling these minor differences.

There are times where you will not feel anything at all and this probably happens more then any of us know. I like to watch my line where it meets the water most of the time it leaves a small wake much like a miniature boat. However, watching this when a steelhead is toying with your bait it will look like this wake is swaying back and forth in the same spot whenever I see this I will set the hook and more time then not it will be a steelhead.

There are times when you will be watching your line as it drifts through the hole and you notice that the speed at which it was drifting has slowed this to, is a sign that you need to set the hook. I believe that when this happens the steelhead has been following you lure down stream and has just decided to pick it up to see what it is.

The bottom line is you never really know if it is a Steelhead strike or just bumping down the river. The best advice I can give is if you feel something different set the hook, if your line stops set the hook, if your line is not drifting as fast as it was set the hook, and when in doubt set the hook!!!

Let us look at what you need to start drift fishing:

The Rod
Your Fishing rod needs to be sensitive enough to give you a good feel of the bottom as you bounce over rocks and gravel, and at the same time it needs to be strong enough to give you a good hook set when you have 30 to 50 yards of line strung out across the river. Your rod choice will be the most important piece to the drift fishing equation so choose wisely.

Here are some things to consider when you are selecting your Rod:

• What’s the size of lure or bait you will be using (heavy, light, ultra light?)
• The type of reel you will be using on rod (spinning reel, or bait casting)
• What is rod made from (graphite, fiberglass ) these will determine the feeling and strength of your rod
• Rod action this is the bend in the rod (Fast, Medium, Slow).
• What size of line you plan on using (2 lb, 6 lb, 10 lb, 15 lb, 30 lb test)
• The length of rod, if your casting from the beach or open area and need to make long cast you will want a longer rod 8 feet or longer, if you are going to be fishing from a boat or where there is a lot of brush you may want 7 foot or shorter. This will determine what type of reel you use to keep a good balance of your rod.
• What type of warranty does it have (Rods do break when fishing these large fish)

The Reel
The reel needs to match your rod having a well-balanced rod is the key. My personal preference is a bait casting reel (some fisherman call these levelwind) they do take some getting use to, however, they are very effective when drift fishing, the bait casting reel will allow you to release line while maintaining control and you can follow the drift longer. You will need to get to and stay where the fish are holding.

The spinning reel works well for drift fishing also and is preferred when casting light lures or fishing along banks with heavy brush. Do not think that you have to use a baitcasting reel in order to catch steelhead. I often find myself switching to a spinning reel under many conditions.

Choosing a Reel :

• Make sure it matches the style of fishing you intend on doing
• The amount of line the reel can hold (if you are fishing big water you will want more line)
• The type of line you are going to use (braided lines can cut into the metal of a reel) – (newer reels use titanium for the new lines).

 

• Look for a quality manufacturer as your reel will be tested by these big fish
• Make sure the drag system works smoothly

Line
The line you use should match the rod, reel and the conditions you will be fishing. The Rule here is that the clearer the water is the lighter the line you want to use. I have gone as light as 4 lb test when fishing in clear slow moving pools but you need to have a rod matched to this. Normally you will want to use line in the 10 to 15 pound test range.

Braided or mono lines, will be more a matter of your personal preference.

Lures
This is where steelhead fishing gets tricky and experience comes into play. What you will be using will again depend on the water conditions, low and clear keep your lures and bait small and pale. If the rivers are up and murky, you will want to use a larger lure and dark and bright colors. Sometime just using a small piece of shrimp or a small cluster of eggs is what you will need. You can check with the locals and see what they are using for the conditions. As for the color of lures this is any bodies guess so make sure you have a good assortment to choose from as this changes continually even through out the day.

Bait
Steelheads use their excellent sense of smell as well as their eye site they also have an uncanny scents to detect movement. When the water is so muddy you cannot see any thing in the water, steelhead can find your bait by movement and smell. Some of the most common baits are shrimp, eggs, night crawlers, and sand shrimp. Some anglers combine these baits giving they feel this gives them a little edge over other anglers.
 
You are also going to need an assortment of Swivels, Hooks, Lead/weights, and Leaders.

There are hundreds of ways of tying your rig up and it seems that every steelhead angler has their own special way of tying up a rig. I will list a couple that you may want to use to get you started.

First the quickest and simplest

• slip a piece of surgical tubing about one and a half inches long onto your line
• then apply an appropriate amount of pencil lead into the tubing
• Now you can tie on your hook and lure using an appropriate knot. If you are using a hook with corky or bait us the bait-loop knot. If you are using a lure, use the cinch knot.

With the set up, it is easy to adjust, the distance from your weight to your hook, you simple slide the weight to the desired distance and you are read to go.

The next one will take a little more time to tie, although, it is used by many more anglers and perhaps is the most common method.

You will need a hook, weight, corky, and leader for this set up. You will find this set-up tied many different ways from using pencil lead, bank sinkers and slinkies. The principle remains the same regardless of the type of weight you use.

• Start by tying the swivel to the end of your line.
• Tie on or clip on the weight to the other end of the swivel. It is a good idea to use a lighter weight line for the sinker that way if it becomes snagged it will break off before your main line does and you will only have to replace your weight.
• Tie your hook on with the bait loop knot to your leader the leader should be somewhere between 18 to 30 inches long.
• Slip on your corky and then tie the leader to the same side of the swivel as the weight using a cinch knot.

Like I said you are going to find numerous ways of tying these set-ups, however, what I want to do here is give you a simple and effect way to get you started fishing.

In our next post we will be taking about where to use this method and how to fish it correctly until then have a great day.

This article describes the basics of freshwater Steelhead and salmon fishing for the beginning angler. River drift fishing is probably the most common method used for steelhead and salmon. As and drift fishing salmon are very similar you can apply them when steelhead drifting and salmon drift fishing. It is intended only as a beginning, and is not meant to cover every aspect of salmon drift fishing, or steelhead drift fishing. After you get your feet wet, you can and should constantly search for additional information to improve your abilities and skills.

Freshwater salmon fishing and steelhead fishing can be done from the shore or a boat, and the drift fishing method described can be used either way. Boat fishing affords anglers some opportunities not available to the shore anglers.

Steelhead Drift Fishing And Salmon Drift Fishing:

These techniques will work well when either drift fishing for steelhead or drift fishing for salmon. Drift fishing is a common method used to catch both steelhead and salmon. The angler casts their line upstream, you then let the line drift down through the run or pool. Once your line reaches the end of the drift you then reel in the line to start the drifting process over again. Drift fishing is normally done from the shore or an anchored boat.

Generally, the idea is to have enough weight for your setup to bounce along the bottom, touching every foot or two. Ideally, it will drift at approximately the same speed the current is moving. More weight will slow down the speed at which your bait drifts downstream, and less weight will speed up the drift.

The best strategy is to work the entire run from close to the shore and working your way out with each following cast. Once you have covered all the water, you can reach from where you are standing move down a couple of steps and repeat the process. If you get a hit or catch a steelhead or salmon try to make a mental note of where you caste and where the fish hit. Steelhead and salmon use what are called runs so if you catch one it is likely that you will be able to catch more at the same location.

Figure 1. Diagram showing standard strategy for drift fishing a run or drift on a river.

When fishing in crowded conditions, you may simply have to work your way into a line of anglers and fish right where you are, without moving. Cast upstream at a 30-45 degree angle and let your bait bounce along until you reach a 45-30 degree angle downstream. Reel in and do it again. Your goal is to bounce your offering along the bottom until a fish picks it up with its mouth.

Beginning anglers often have trouble telling when a fish picks up the hook or when their gear has caught on a rock. Over time, you will develop a feel for the difference and learn when to set the hook and when to gently coax the gear off of the rocks. You should always remember that when in doubt, set the hook.

Typical drift fishing gear:

• For a good steelhead drift rod or salmon drift rod you will need a 8 ½ or 9 foot rod rated for 10-30 pound line.
• As for a drift fishing reel either a bait casting reel or a spinning reel will work I prefer a bait casting reel on large rivers and a spinning reel on smaller rivers and streams.
• For larger fish, like chinook salmon, use 20-25 pound line. Depending on where you are fishing you may need even heavier line.
• For steelhead drift fishing, you will be using 10-15 pound line most of the time.

You will find there is an endless variety of weights, lures, floats, and/or baits that anglers can use while drift fishing for salmon, and an even larger variety when drift fishing for steelhead.

A standard setup for drift fishing:

One example of a steelhead drift fishing rig using standard salmon drift fishing gear:

Before you head out drifting for steelhead please visit our shop at Steelhead Anglerwhere you will find all the steelhead gear and salmon gear you need. We have a number of way in which you can pay for your fishing tackle paypal, check or credit cards are accepted by most of our vendors with paypal being preferred by many.

Welcome back:

So you just purchased your steelhead gear and now you‘re wanting to go and try your luck on the river. But you’re not sure of where to fish once you reach the river I will describe some of the basic spots in a river that may be holding some steelhead. The following are some examples of what I look for when I am fishing new water and I’m not sure where the fish are laying.

I thought that I would talk about where you might find Steelhead holding water and or travel troughs, Yes just like cattle or sheep follow the same trails, fish too seem to use the same troughs and these are what you look for when looking at a body of water.

Steelheads like to rest in the slower moving section of a river but usually do not stay in total slack water. Knowing this you look for spots where the heaviest part of the current is broken down and slowed either but a rock or maybe the bend in a river or even the river cannel itself.

In the following example I have outline four prime spots where a steelhead may be found.

A. You notice how on the lower side of this out line the water is what I call slack water very minimal current as a general rule steelhead do not like to lay in this type of water. However drifting inside of the outlined area would be a good place to find a steelhead as they like to stay right along side of the seam between the heavier current and the slack water.
B. Again you want to fish the seam that is formed by the rock, try hitting the upper most part of this seam when casting and not directly behind the rock in the slack water.

C. While this is not as obvious to the eye the rock slows the current by acting as a dam and the current is slowed making another go place for you to find a steelhead laying, this type of spot is excellent if there is a large run of swift water below the rock.

D. There are two rocks in the river at this point one exposed and the other has water running over the top of it. You want to concentrate your efforts in the seam created by the submerge rock as this is where a majority of the steelhead will lay.

The four locations mentioned above are the prim location drift through these location and concentrating on them should produce a steelhead, that not to say that the occasional drift through the slack water won’t as a mater of fact it is probably a good idea but concentrate on the seams when you can.

I this picture there are two seams where the steelhead like to travel.

The upper seam you will notice goes right tight against the bank and then comes out into the river cannel and follows the main current down stream.
The reason for this while not real clear in the photo is that there is a back eddy where the water swirls in a circle and steelhead do not like to fight this type of current they stay out where the water if flowing in one direction.

The lower seam is a typical river cannel seam caused by two factors the 1st is a bend in the river and the 2nd is a depression in the river bottom. These two conditions make for an excellent steelhead hole.

This is the type of hole that a lot of steelhead fisherman look for and spend much of their time fishing. It is a sure bet that if you find a hole like this and no one is fishing there you will catch a fish but enjoy it while you can because these type of holes more often then not become quite crowded with fisherman as the season heats up.

This nice Steelhead was caught in the river directly below this fisherman’s left foot just inside of the white water along the seam. Take note of the river conditions down stream and see how swift the river is that fact contributes to making this hole well worth fishing. The steelhead have fought the current for sometime to get it a place where they can rest and once there they will hold in places like this making them prime locations.

This is another type of hole to look for and I call this type a slick. You will notice that inside of the outlined area the river seems to be smooth with a couple of submerged rocks causing a faint ripple on the surface. These you will want to drift making sure that at the end of you drift your line and lure cut across just in front of the ripple as steelhead like to lay in front of these rock right on the bottom of the river.

Well I guess that that’s enough for now next time I’ll talk about how to tell if your bouncing on the river bottom or if you are having a steelhead striking your lure.

I hope you will come back to check and see my next article.

Good Luck and Good Fishing
RR Smith

http://www.steelhead-gear.com