Dry Fly Steelhead ~ Incredible Video

[solopaddler]

As a flyfisherman and a steelheader this video blew me away. For a lot of flyfishermen catching steelhead on dry flies is like the quest for the grail. Many have tried but few have succeeded.

These guys prove that it can be done!

(Seems a trip to northern BC is in order )

 

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[danbo]

Ya Baby!

[highdrifter]

mmmmmm yeah..

Betcha I can double haul further than you can!!

 

Teehheeh

HD

[kemper]

The single greatest fishing video i have ever seen.

 

Thanks Solo, that got me so pumped up for the sping.

[MarcusDiGiovanni]

That makes me wanna go fishing O So Badly!!!

[kemper]

solo, a question for you..

 

When in the river as wee lads, steelhead will readily hit the fly, this would seem to be instinct? Why is it then that a full grown steelie has not appetite for the dry fly?

 

I understand you probably dont know the science of it, but I figure you must have come across some theories in your travels

[ccmtcanada]

Wow...can those fish be any more active??? WOW!! To fight one of those 12 pounders would be incredible!! To get them on the fly is evern more impressive....jeez...

[solopaddler]

solo, a question for you..

 

When in the river as wee lads, steelhead will readily hit the fly, this would seem to be instinct? Why is it then that a full grown steelie has not appetite for the dry fly?

 

I understand you probably dont know the science of it, but I figure you must have come across some theories in your travels

 

It is ingrained in their pea brains from smolt stage and they do hit dry flies. I've seen it done, just not by me .

It is very hard to do though, for some reason they rarely rise to a fly.

To increase your chances I'd concentrate your efforts on larger systems and specifically on dropback fish in May when there's lots of hatches.

The lower Grand is a place where a small group of hardcore dry fly fishermen are doing it on a regular basis here in Ontario.

[solopaddler]

Betcha I can double haul further than you can!!

 

HD

 

 

Betcha can't!

[DRIFTER_016]

Like I needed another reason to retire in Smithers!!!!!

[solopaddler]

Like I needed another reason to retire in Smithers!!!!!

 

Do it soon please, I'm gonna need a place to crash.

[kemper]

It is ingrained in their pea brains from smolt stage and they do hit dry flies. I've seen it done, just not by me .

It is very hard to do though, for some reason they rarely rise to a fly.

To increase your chances I'd concentrate your efforts on larger systems and specifically on dropback fish in May when there's lots of hatches.

The lower Grand is a place where a small group of hardcore dry fly fishermen are doing it on a regular basis here in Ontario.

 

 

I once hit a day on the upper section of a river that saw over 200 fish all sitting on a shallow flat in a 500 m stretch. The fish were right up near the surface and I KNEW that if I had the fly gear I could have landed a ton of fish that day. They could see the float comin from a mile away though and I only managed to land three.

 

talk about a p off!

[highdrifter]

Betcha can't!

 

Would ya happen to know an old chap named Gordon Deval??!

 

BMO Field. Sunday. Bring your shooting tapers. We'll have us a good ol fashion shoot out.

 

LOL

[Cookslav]

Thats the stuff!!!

 

I've seen it done here in Ontario, and had the privilage to hook up once...but not longer then 10 seconds LOL.

Truth be told there are spots on the bruce that can be great and its basicly best right before the May 24 give or take the water levels conditions and of course the hatch...but its lottery situation LOL!

After that the numbers Drop significantly, but The browns are still fun after the steelies have gone for deeper waters.

Its been about 4 years since I've been really in to it....I need to get back to it fer sure.

Cheers,

[solopaddler]

I once hit a day on the upper section of a river that saw over 200 fish all sitting on a shallow flat in a 500 m stretch. The fish were right up near the surface and I KNEW that if I had the fly gear I could have landed a ton of fish that day. They could see the float comin from a mile away though and I only managed to land three.

 

talk about a p off!

 

I don't know bud, I've encountered that scenario countless times over the years. Those fish tend to be incredibly skittish, fly line will usually put the fish down.

Best way I've found to catch fish like that is with a small worm threaded onto your hook, light line and no weight of any kind.

Stay low, lob it out into the pool and wait, twitching/fluttering the worm every once in a while.

Sooner or later you'll get one to hit.

[highdrifter]

Like a San Juan worm?? That's cheating!!

 

OMG this is too much fun!

 

HD

[solopaddler]

Would ya happen to know an old chap named Gordon Deval??!

 

BMO Field. Sunday. Bring your shooting tapers. We'll have us a good ol fashion shoot out.

 

LOL

 

Gord Deval is someone I admired for years. Probably caught enough big brook trout for 10 lifetimes.

Did you know Gord?

 

As far as the casting goes you probably can double haul further than me.

My mechanics are horrible, but I can put my fly where I want it to go .

One day we'll have to find out for sure, but on a river not a field .

[solopaddler]

Like a San Juan worm?? That's cheating!!

 

OMG this is too much fun!

 

HD

 

I never claimed to be a purist. Whatever it takes bud LOL!

[solopaddler]

Thats the stuff!!!

 

I've seen it done here in Ontario, and had the privilage to hook up once...but not longer then 10 seconds LOL.

Truth be told there are spots on the bruce that can be great and its basicly best right before the May 24 give or take the water levels conditions and of course the hatch...but its lottery situation LOL!

After that the numbers Drop significantly, but The browns are still fun after the steelies have gone for deeper waters.

Its been about 4 years since I've been really in to it....I need to get back to it fer sure.

Cheers,

 

That's 10 seconds longer than I've ever managed, that's awesome!

[highdrifter]

I never claimed to be a purist. Whatever it takes bud LOL!

 

Gord was my casting instructor for a coupla years... The broadback river in northern Quebec is his brookie play ground..

 

I'm sure you push a tight loop brah!

[kemper]

I just watched it again... WAY COOL.

 

Well, thats my goal for 2009. I have a few spots in mind where it just might happen for me.

 

 

that right there is optimism at its finest!

[MJL]

Fantastic video. Read lots about waking flies on top for steelhead but not so much about dead drift drifting them.

 

I’ve had one mind blasting experience with steelhead on top. Not exactly with a dead drift dry fly but on the Friday before 2004 May long weekend, I got one fish around 4lbs on a waked dry fly on the Humber. By far one of my most vivid memories of all time.

 

I was off school for the summer and had no car so the Humber was one of the few places I could get to by TTC. Fished the river 4 straight days (Tues – Fri). The last 2.5 days were spent trying to get one on top. Managed to do it on the last day (Friday morning around 10:30am). The fish fell to a size 8 'wake n' bake' fly with a flat piece of yellow craft foam tied to the back of it for additional buoyancy - Pretty much looks like a muddler minnow with a piece of yellow foam on it (saw it on a website).

 

1st was spent float fishing. Got 1 steelhead around 6lbs, several dozen suckers and lots and lots of chub on trout worms. Saw several steelhead in the run roll on top every so often and one exploded on a dish washing sponge floating down river.

 

2nd day I had fly gear with me (8wt + floating line). Swung flies most of the day and beyond snagging a sucker in the head with an egg sucking leech I blanked. Again saw several fish (probably the same fish from the previous day rolling on top. Tried drifting unweighted leech patterns without any split shot on the line to get them to hit but that didn’t work – The flies also sunk. That evening I went to the tackle shop to pick up a few dry flies which might work for dry fly steelheading and got some basic advice on how to fish them (I had no experience whatsoever with dry flies).

 

3rd day water was low and clear. Forced myself to use only the flies I bought the previous night and left the split shots, sink tips and wet flies at home. Tried dry fly fishing with 3 different flies - Small Bomber, red and yellow Chernobyl ant and muddler minnow soaked with floatant (which still ended up sinking after a while). I tried dead drifting and waking them but hooked nothing and saw nothing roll for the whole day. Went back to the tackle shop for some fly tying materials to make my own dry flies.

 

4th day. Got to the river around 7:30am. Tried swinging flies and got nothing for the first 2hrs. Saw a few suckers jump straight out of the water but no signs of steelhead. Switched up to the fly I tied myself. Around 10:30am on one drift I see a V-wake heading upstream and didn’t think much of it till a few seconds later, I saw a flash of silver torpedo itself across the surface and connect with my fly. I was so awestruck I initially didn’t set the hook nor did I realize I had loose fly line tangled around my leg and the fighting butt of my rod. After 20 seconds of sheer panic of getting my situation sorted; finally realizing that I probably should set the hook; having my digital camera fall into the drink when it slipped from my wader side pocket (which as I explained to my dad was the reason why it no longer works as well) and 4 minutes of battling, I get my prize to hand. I asked a nearby dog walker who watched the whole thing unfold to take a few pics with her cell phone camera (she promised to send me the pics but never did). That was the one and only time I’ve ever caught something with a dry fly.

 

I’ve also heard a few stories at the local tackle shop of steelhead falling to dry flies on the Saugeen and Maitland from guys who were chasing browns and brookies – Saw the pics too of 5-6lb fish with the flies in their yap. They told me it was a total blast on the 4wt!

[solopaddler]

Fantastic video. Read lots about waking flies on top for steelhead but not so much about dead drift drifting them.

 

I’ve had one mind blasting experience with steelhead on top. Not exactly with a dead drift dry fly but on the Friday before 2004 May long weekend, I got one fish around 4lbs on a waked dry fly on the Humber. By far one of my most vivid memories of all time.

 

I was off school for the summer and had no car so the Humber was one of the few places I could get to by TTC. Fished the river 4 straight days (Tues – Fri). The last 2.5 days were spent trying to get one on top. Managed to do it on the last day (Friday morning around 10:30am). The fish fell to a size 8 'wake n' bake' fly with a flat piece of yellow craft foam tied to the back of it for additional buoyancy - Pretty much looks like a muddler minnow with a piece of yellow foam on it (saw it on a website).

 

1st was spent float fishing. Got 1 steelhead around 6lbs, several dozen suckers and lots and lots of chub on trout worms. Saw several steelhead in the run roll on top every so often and one exploded on a dish washing sponge floating down river.

 

2nd day I had fly gear with me (8wt + floating line). Swung flies most of the day and beyond snagging a sucker in the head with an egg sucking leech I blanked. Again saw several fish (probably the same fish from the previous day rolling on top. Tried drifting unweighted leech patterns without any split shot on the line to get them to hit but that didn’t work – The flies also sunk. That evening I went to the tackle shop to pick up a few dry flies which might work for dry fly steelheading and got some basic advice on how to fish them (I had no experience whatsoever with dry flies).

 

3rd day water was low and clear. Forced myself to use only the flies I bought the previous night and left the split shots, sink tips and wet flies at home. Tried dry fly fishing with 3 different flies - Small Bomber, red and yellow Chernobyl ant and muddler minnow soaked with floatant (which still ended up sinking after a while). I tried dead drifting and waking them but hooked nothing and saw nothing roll for the whole day. Went back to the tackle shop for some fly tying materials to make my own dry flies.

 

4th day. Got to the river around 7:30am. Tried swinging flies and got nothing for the first 2hrs. Saw a few suckers jump straight out of the water but no signs of steelhead. Switched up to the fly I tied myself. Around 10:30am on one drift I see a V-wake heading upstream and didn’t think much of it till a few seconds later, I saw a flash of silver torpedo itself across the surface and connect with my fly. I was so awestruck I initially didn’t set the hook nor did I realize I had loose fly line tangled around my leg and the fighting butt of my rod. After 20 seconds of sheer panic of getting my situation sorted; finally realizing that I probably should set the hook; having my digital camera fall into the drink when it slipped from my wader side pocket (which as I explained to my dad was the reason why it no longer works as well) and 4 minutes of battling, I get my prize to hand. I asked a nearby dog walker who watched the whole thing unfold to take a few pics with her cell phone camera (she promised to send me the pics but never did). That was the one and only time I’ve ever caught something with a dry fly.

 

I’ve also heard a few stories at the local tackle shop of steelhead falling to dry flies on the Saugeen and Maitland from guys who were chasing browns and brookies – Saw the pics too of 5-6lb fish with the flies in their yap. They told me it was a total blast on the 4wt!

 

 

Now that's cool, and on a fly you tied yourself no less .

[douG]

This sounds like the steelhead equivalent of topwater fishing for muskie or bass.

[forrest]

This sounds like the steelhead equivalent of topwater fishing for muskie or bass.

 

I think it sounds more like the chess clubs equivalent to capturing all your opponents pieces with just knights (its the geekiest thing that requires brains I can thing of right now). You guys are creek geeks.

 

OK...I give...I would have thought that rainbow could be caught this way so why is this such a special thing? what is the difference between the rainbows and other river fish?

 

Forrest

Edited January 7, 2009 by forrest