fly fishing'

[lonnylance]

Im kinda new to fly fishing for trout and salmon. after 2 seasons and being out there 30 times lol i finally caught my first steelhead on dec 12. Im trying certain setups but i really need some advice on how long a leader to use and what the best nymphs for spring would be.....just wondering if any steelhead pros can help me out with depth management????

 

Fly guy 33

[BCLT]

as a relatively new fly angler myself, my first thoughts when fishing waters are to check the rocks around the shore - there is usually a good idication of whats available - I know this may not be helpfull - sorry - additionally I would try egg patterns - good luck

[lonnylance]

as a relatively new fly angler myself, my first thoughts when fishing waters are to check the rocks around the shore - there is usually a good idication of whats available - I know this may not be helpfull - sorry - additionally I would try egg patterns - good luck

 

 

yeah your right i did that and found what i now know are stonefly nymphs......so how would u fish those???? drift on bottom??? what about leader length?????

[torco]

hey I am new at fly fishing steelhead still have not caught one on the fly, went out a few times in the fall with no success but I use to float fish for them and dead drifting a nymph along bottom is an effective presentation. As for leader length thats tricky and my guess is it will depend on depth and clarity. I would say you would want at least 9 feet and probably more.

 

Here is a great link for some videos put together by some of the guys at fly fish ontario.

 

http://www.flyfishontario.ca/fly-fishing-methods/targeting-specific-species/great-lakes-steelhead-primer.html

[solopaddler]

To get you going and get a few fish under your belt nothing is more effective than high stick nymphing with a strike indicator.

 

Once you've had some success doing that you can graduate to swinging flies for them.

 

Basic set up is very simple. I'll attach anywhere from 5-8' of heavy mono, usually around 14lb test to the end of my line with a small loop to loop connection.

 

The strike indicator or "bobber" is attached to this. You must have a length of tippet with no knots so you can smoothly and easily slide the strike indicator around depending on current depth and speed.

 

I'll run my tippet off that usually 3-6' of Max Ultragreen in 5-8lb test, sometimes 5 or 6lb or fluoro if the water is clear.

 

A tandem fly rig is particularly effective for steelhead.

 

An absolute tried and true combination is to start with a small bead head nymph then run an egg pattern as the point or dropper fly.

 

Gold bead head Prince nymphs in sizes 10-14 are good. Beadhead black stones in a similar size are good too.

 

I'll run an 8-10" dropper below the nymph to a small egg pattern. 90% of the time it's a size 12-14 sucker spawn in either cream, pale pink or pale yellow.

 

The popularity of the pink plastic worm with non fly anglers encouraged me to use a hot pink San Yuan worm as the point fly as well. (basically a chunk of pink pipe cleaner with a hook lashed to it). At times this has also proven to be quite effective.

 

Don't be afraid to clamp 3-4 dust shot on your tippet within 3-4" of your first fly as well. Steelhead are basically stupid and the biggest mistake novice fly anglers make is simply not getting deep enough.

 

Adjust your indiciator to match the depth and speed of the current.

 

I'll rarely cast upstream with this rig, mostly it's straight across or if anything across and just slightly upstream.

 

Your objective is a completely dead drift so you'll have to practice your mending. It's not as easy to accomplish without screwing up your drift with a bulky strike indicator...

 

You can crefully extend your drift by stripping more line off your reel and shaking it out through guides...being careful not to disrupt your drift.

 

Once you get good at detecting strikes you can ditch the strike indicator all together and use something much more subtle.

 

A short section,say 6-8" of hi vis tippet (sunset amnesia is good) at the end of your fly line will act as a visible indicator and won't interfere with your casting.

 

Good luck in your quest. At some point a switch will go off, everything will fall into place and you'll start catching them like crazy.

[dannyboy]

Jeez, if no one is going to thank you for this great response Solo I will:

Thanks for taking the time and effort on a concise and informative response, anyone following your advice; rig, technique and flies, would be well into steelhead 101.

 

Dan

[Gregoire]

I'm not a steelheader and don't fly fish, but that was a great post, full of wisdom that was aquired through what must be years of practice.Thanks for sharing.

[fishnsled]

Great reply Mike. Maybe I should get the dust off of the Orvis and get out there.

[torco]

Thanks Solo, you have articulated everything I have read in a meaningful way which was much more helpful than my original post. I have yet to execute the theory too smoothly into practice yet but its good to know it will eventually click as you say. Its definitely the mending that is tough.

[solopaddler]

Jeez, if no one is going to thank you for this great response Solo I will:

Thanks for taking the time and effort on a concise and informative response, anyone following your advice; rig, technique and flies, would be well into steelhead 101.

 

Dan

 

 

I'm not a steelheader and don't fly fish, but that was a great post, full of wisdom that was aquired through what must be years of practice.Thanks for sharing.

 

 

Great reply Mike. Maybe I should get the dust off of the Orvis and get out there.

 

 

Thanks Solo, you have articulated everything I have read in a meaningful way which was much more helpful than my original post. I have yet to execute the theory too smoothly into practice yet but its good to know it will eventually click as you say. Its definitely the mending that is tough.

 

 

Glad to see my reply was even noticed. Thanks for the ego boost LOL!