minnows for steelhead

[huzzsaba]

Wondering if live bait like minnows are useful for catching steelhead or do they stop feeding when they come to the river mouth and into rivers?

 

if live bait is worth trying, is there a certain type and size ?

 

Thanks

[DRIFTER_016]

The guys in PA use minnows all the time.

Pretty weird seeing them with their little minnow bottles walking the river.

[Freshtrax]

We use em on the niagara over the winter and catch everything under the sun.

[landry]

I once got schooled on the Catt by an American using minnows. He slayed them. I cAn honestly say that that is the only time a Yankee steelheader outfished me in NY.

[huzzsaba]

Thanks! I will give it a try!

Edited November 7, 2015 by huzzsaba

[chris.brock]

You can"t beat live meat, especially this time of year. The hoity toity center pin heads are likely going to sneer at you, if so, screw them it's your river too

[OhioFisherman]

In the fall here on Lake Erie vast schools of Emerald Shiners congregate along the rip rap and break walls at some of the river mouths. Those same areas seem to be where steelhead also congregate before entering the rivers.

 

I used to keep a steelhead a year in the fall for a dinner, when I cleaned them they were full of emerald shiners, small shad, and small perch. The lures I used to catch the steelhead, white tubes, small chrome and black crankbaits, and jigs with a white twister tail imitated baitfish.

 

It stands to reason minnows should work?

[solopaddler]

Yes! As Dave alluded to the use of minnows is much more common Stateside, although it's hard to understand why. Up here I've been using them for many years, mostly in pier or estuary situations. (I never walk a river with a minnow bucket).

 

No one does it up here.

 

There have been times on certain busy piers where everyone is either drifting roe or flies and I've had to be ultra secretive about what I'm using so as not to educate 100 other diehard steelheaders.

 

I guess the secret is out now.

[Dutch01]

Hey, I wanna give this a try. How do you guys fish them, on a jig?

[solopaddler]

Hey, I wanna give this a try. How do you guys fish them, on a jig?

 

Can't speak for anyone else but always under a float lightly hooked through the back on a light wire hook. Clear water is best as a steelhead will home in on a wildly dancing minnow from a long ways away. The hits are usually pretty savage.

 

I've found it's often more effective to run a pretty shallow lead as well. Much more effective than drifting the minnow close to the bottom. In general about halfway to the bottom seems about right, sometimes even shallower.

[huzzsaba]

You can"t beat live meat, especially this time of year. The hoity toity center pin heads are likely going to sneer at you, if so, screw them it's your river too

 

lol. I try to stay away from the crowds but I will keep that in mind if I catch anyone staring.

[Sinker]

Salties were a deadly weapon back in the day when I used to fish the tribs.

 

S.

[solopaddler]

Salties were a deadly weapon back in the day when I used to fish the tribs.

 

S.

 

Yep, forgot about the salties. Don't know why but on some rivers I fish, usually late November early December, salties sometimes outfish everything. Easy to carry around too.

[misfish]

I know I seen a stretch of river where minnows were jumping about and right after,there were some big swirls and splashes. No dought they were chomping on them minnows. I have also heard of some guys using gulp finness minnows, under their floats.

[manitoubass2]

Wow fish eat minnows?

 

Lol of course they will work

[huzzsaba]

Wow fish eat minnows?

 

Lol of course they will work

 

 

lol I knew that. Wasn't sure if steelhead stop feeding like salmon since I read somewhere that they stop eating when they are migrating up river.

[misfish]

 

 

lol I knew that. Wasn't sure if steelhead stop feeding like salmon since I read somewhere that they stop eating when they are migrating up river.

 

Dont believe everything you read, OR, told.

[huzzsaba]

 

Dont believe everything you read, OR, told.

Sure thing! Im still learning

[SirCranksalot]

as I understand it, most of the bows enter the river in the fall to eat with a minority coming in to spawn.

[Dutch01]

 

Can't speak for anyone else but always under a float lightly hooked through the back on a light wire hook.

Thanks Mike. That's not much different than how I like to fish walleye. Edited November 8, 2015 by Dutch01

[huzzsaba]

So tried port dalhousie yesterday and no luck with minnows. its a tough place to fish for sure and the water clarity was not the greatest. Saw many fish surfacing, light brown color so I'm guessing they were brown although a few seemed to look like bass by the way they were swimming along the wall but it was hard to tell at night.

Edited November 8, 2015 by huzzsaba

[solopaddler]

So tried port dalhousie yesterday and no luck with minnows. its a tough place to fish for sure and the water clarity was not the greatest. Saw many fish surfacing, light brown color so I'm guessing they were brown although a few seemed to look like bass by the way they were swimming along the wall but it was hard to tell at night.

 

Current is strong there, 90% of the time it's a reaction bite. Many of the regulars bottom bounce there very successfully with large streamers.

[huzzsaba]

 

Current is strong there, 90% of the time it's a reaction bite. Many of the regulars bottom bounce there very successfully with large streamers.

 

Sure is. I haven't seen any place like port D. the current is one of a kind. Bronte and port credit is a little more fisherman friendly and water is much clearer.

Edited November 8, 2015 by huzzsaba

[Burtess]

Not live minnows but imitate them.... try larger bass sized white tubes (3 to 3.5") on a 1/16 to 1/8oz tube jig head and bottom bounce them through runs on the smaller flows (Bronte etc) . This works really well for fresh fish.

 

Burt

[huzzsaba]

Not live minnows but imitate them.... try larger bass sized white tubes (3 to 3.5") on a 1/16 to 1/8oz tube jig head and bottom bounce them through runs on the smaller flows (Bronte etc) . This works really well for fresh fish.

 

Burt

 

 

Thanks for the tip. I will try that.