33 replies to this topic

[despotiko]

Steelhead can be very unpredictable. Some guys are telling you to go small others are saying that they were smashing pinkies in clear water. This can be confusing and thats the beauty of it. You really never know what a steelhead will hit. It takes a lot of experience and intimate knowledge of a certain system to be able to consistently decode their patterns or habits in tough conditions. Some people will get skunked, others will have some luck in the mornin and then there are those few that will leave you scratching your head and feeling useless as they pull out fish from under your feet all day. What I'm trying to say is, it's a tough game sometimes, and reading about it will only get you so far. Their aren't any rules to follow, so have fun experimenting and making your own. HOWEVER... I will say this, fish where the fish are. I see way to many people on the river either fishing too shallow or fishing too deep. Gauging your depth should be the first thing you do as soon as you hit the water. Make sure the fish can see your presentation, yes often times they'll move a ways to smash it, but it's on those tough days that putting the right presentation right in there noses will have others scratching their heads and you scratching your balls after a long days fishing lol

Goodluck,
Dimitri

[grubman]

Hey Good

I'm not worried or frustrated. I just wanted to prove to others and noobs that even experienced steelheaders get skunked too. The response has been awesome and I hope encouraging to all to keep at it and to always change their set up if nothing is working.

Thanks everyone for your input.

Mauro I highly recommend that you hook up with some of the great guys here on our forum or another. I have and have gain so much. Not only will you gain knowledge but also make new friends too. As everyone has said keep trying and enjoy the time away from it all, the outdoors.

Best of luck all, keep your lines tight.

[Spinninreel]

Legwork, experimentation and time on the water.

[troutddicted]

Things to consider to keep the skunk away.

1. Like despotiko mentioned, know where your bait is. Fishing near the bottom of a pool is effective. Also try the head of a pool and the tailout ( top and bottom sections of the pool ). Don't always drift the same area of the pool, cast around... there may be a boulder somewhere you can't see, perfect spot for a fish to sit and wait for stuff to drift by.

2. Change up the bait. This is huge... I can't count how many time I show up to a spot, seeing everyone casting bags. Put on something different, offer up a unique meal. Think of it like a conveyor belt of food, if the same sushi roll keeps on rolling by, you look at it once, well ok, maybe I'll eat it but I'll wait for something better to come... next item, another sushi roll... darn, ok... well, we'll still wait, 'cause I'm jonsing for some scallop... another $@#$ing sushi roll... fml... don't they understand I don't feel like eating sushi rolls?

3. Observe what others catching fish are doing, what they are drifting, shot pattern, etc.

4. Fish areas where the fish will hold. Boulders, shaded areas, undercut banks, log jams.

5. When fishing flies, plastics or worms, I like to finish my drift with a slow retrieve, especially for the first few seconds, sometimes the fish sees the bait take a different, unexpected move and will strike.

Everyone gets skunked, some people are just better at avoiding it

I'll hit the nursery pools to catch parr just to dodge the skunkage ...if its got fins and it swims, its a fish I'm just kidding, I try to leave the little ones unmolested

[Rainbow]

I'll hit the nursery pools to catch parr just to dodge the skunkage />/>/>

^Amen

[Float down]

I think I'll do a bit of modest bragging and say I've only been skunked once for steel this year, and still managed to hook up, one being what myself and Notta think was a very stupid very large steelhead, who took my bait three times, and was stung all three times.

But!!! It's all in knowing water, finding water, and having good friends sure helps.

I've put in just as much time finding spots as I have drifted.

Also. There is a certain trait steelheaders pick up, reading water is a vital resource for success, a lot of guys can see a pool, but not everyone is going to notice changes in the curent, a back eddy or a trough.

The more you fish the better you'll get, and the more fish you catch the more determined you'll be to catch more, I started taking notes last year, about conditions, temp, time, date and where fish were sitting, I haven't found any patterns that are solid, but it helps a little for sure

[mauro]

Hey Good

I'm not worried or frustrated. I just wanted to prove to others and noobs that even experienced steelheaders get skunked too. The response has been awesome and I hope encouraging to all to keep at it and to always change their set up if nothing is working.

Thanks everyone for your input.

Mauro I highly recommend that you hook up with some of the great guys here on our forum or another. I have and have gain so much. Not only will you gain knowledge but also make new friends too. As everyone has said keep trying and enjoy the time away from it all, the outdoors.

Best of luck all, keep your lines tight.

thanks Grubman, its all good. i love getting out so thats the main thing for me. nice to catch fish too though! i think i don't cover enough water, but its tough to make a call on moving spots vs trying something different in the same spot especially if you are only out for a few hours at a time. i gave one spot 3 tries in a row (over about 3 weeks) with a bunch of methods, now its time to move on to a new spot. I agree tagging along with some pros would be ideal, I had to bail on the OFF outing due to a last minute work trip so i missed that opportunity. if anyone wants some company one day PM me and i will try to connect with you on the river.

[Flint Lockwood]

Spent all yesterday morning on my local L.O. Trib... Skunked. I didn't see anything either. While I did still enjoy myself as the weather was pleasant and it beats being at work, I would have liked to know if I was just in the wrong place at the wrong time (that is, no fish in the area) or if they were hiding out right under my nose and I was just presenting the wrong bait. I think I'm going to need to hook up with some more experienced river fisherman. ..I've fished lakes for years, but am new to both fly fishing and river fishing in general (lol 2 strikes against me).

It was quiet being a weekday, so I saw no other fishermen there. I've been down to this trib 3 times this fall and haven't caught anything. I'll keep trying!

[John from CRAA]

Is it still too soon for steel? Or does it seem there are less fish coming up due maybe to less stocking? Or have most of them returned to the lake?

The steel come up to feed on salmon eggs, right? Well they are done so some steel might be locked in the streams and can't go back down and are waiting for the spring to spawn. Maybe I just expected lots of steel in the streams.

Steelhead run locally from late August to late May (depends on river, genetics, etc)...so it's not too early. Most steelhead (like 90-95%) are WILD in southern Ontario rivers so stocking has nothing to do with runs except on the Saugeen (maybe 25-35% hatchery), Credit (15% hatchery) and Humber (mostly hatchery). Runs are weak thanks to the this very dry fall. Otherwise our steelhead population appears to be the largest in the history of the lower Great Lakes (based on NYSDEC catch stats and the massive 08 and 09 year classes).

Steelhead do not come in the fall to feed on eggs...where does this crazy mis-information come from. Why would a fish leave the lake (safety, temperature, buffet food) to come into a shallow river that has predators, low water, is cold and next to no food? Steelhead that run in the fall stay in the river and hold over the winter and spawn in early spring for the most part. Sure there are always exceptions as the odd fish will drop out (oops...wrong river), and the odd fish will spawn in fall or winter. These fish are programmed to run in the fall to take advantage of high water in tributaries in early spring and run timing also dates back to western rivers where they had to travel 500-1000 miles or more to spawn. There was a strain of steelhead that spawned in Idaho in the Snake River (tributary of the Columbia) that had to enter the river 12 months before spawning just to reach thier spawning areas over 1,000 miles from the ocean.

I have very little time to fish so I only go when conditions are good...so I have not been skunked in about 20 years on a river. Perhaps some of you guys that are fishing over and over on days that are slow should put that time towards rehab work with a local club. Far better use of time and the outcome is more days with fish on!

John

[redneckchromer]

Steelhead run locally from late August to late May (depends on river, genetics, etc)...so it's not too early. Most steelhead (like 90-95%) are WILD in southern Ontario rivers so stocking has nothing to do with runs except on the Saugeen (maybe 25-35% hatchery), Credit (15% hatchery) and Humber (mostly hatchery). Runs are weak thanks to the this very dry fall. Otherwise our steelhead population appears to be the largest in the history of the lower Great Lakes (based on NYSDEC catch stats and the massive 08 and 09 year classes).

Steelhead do not come in the fall to feed on eggs...where does this crazy mis-information come from. Why would a fish leave the lake (safety, temperature, buffet food) to come into a shallow river that has predators, low water, is cold and next to no food? Steelhead that run in the fall stay in the river and hold over the winter and spawn in early spring for the most part. Sure there are always exceptions as the odd fish will drop out (oops...wrong river), and the odd fish will spawn in fall or winter. These fish are programmed to run in the fall to take advantage of high water in tributaries in early spring and run timing also dates back to western rivers where they had to travel 500-1000 miles or more to spawn. There was a strain of steelhead that spawned in Idaho in the Snake River (tributary of the Columbia) that had to enter the river 12 months before spawning just to reach thier spawning areas over 1,000 miles from the ocean.

I have very little time to fish so I only go when conditions are good...so I have not been skunked in about 20 years on a river. Perhaps some of you guys that are fishing over and over on days that are slow should put that time towards rehab work with a local club. Far better use of time and the outcome is more days with fish on!

John

Exactly what we did this weekend, no point spending a whole day fishing gin clear water so we gave a local river a huge face lift, still had some time to get a fish too

note to self: never ever go out without waders or rubber boots this time of year! My right foot got soaked landing the fish haha

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[Rainbow]

I think John from CRAA is right. The runs don't seem very good right now, but I bet there are many waiting to come up. Just gotta try harder if you're getting the skunk.

[coldhands]

Exactly what we did this weekend, no point spending a whole day fishing gin clear water so we gave a local river a huge face lift, still had some time to get a fish too />

note to self: never ever go out without waders or rubber boots this time of year! My right foot got soaked landing the fish haha

Awesome man! If more people get it and contribute like you guys did and get educated we all benefit. Hats off to all trying to protect.

[coldhands]

Steelhead run locally from late August to late May (depends on river, genetics, etc)...so it's not too early. Most steelhead (like 90-95%) are WILD in southern Ontario rivers so stocking has nothing to do with runs except on the Saugeen (maybe 25-35% hatchery), Credit (15% hatchery) and Humber (mostly hatchery). Runs are weak thanks to the this very dry fall. Otherwise our steelhead population appears to be the largest in the history of the lower Great Lakes (based on NYSDEC catch stats and the massive 08 and 09 year classes).

Steelhead do not come in the fall to feed on eggs...where does this crazy mis-information come from. Why would a fish leave the lake (safety, temperature, buffet food) to come into a shallow river that has predators, low water, is cold and next to no food? Steelhead that run in the fall stay in the river and hold over the winter and spawn in early spring for the most part. Sure there are always exceptions as the odd fish will drop out (oops...wrong river), and the odd fish will spawn in fall or winter. These fish are programmed to run in the fall to take advantage of high water in tributaries in early spring and run timing also dates back to western rivers where they had to travel 500-1000 miles or more to spawn. There was a strain of steelhead that spawned in Idaho in the Snake River (tributary of the Columbia) that had to enter the river 12 months before spawning just to reach thier spawning areas over 1,000 miles from the ocean.

I have very little time to fish so I only go when conditions are good...so I have not been skunked in about 20 years on a river. Perhaps some of you guys that are fishing over and over on days that are slow should put that time towards rehab work with a local club. Far better use of time and the outcome is more days with fish on!

John

I offered the past week with MNR but they didn't need help.M . I think most on this site are conservation minded anglers. If most are like me and yourself time limitations can be a factor, if a guy has a chance to fish or volunteer, 9 out of 10 will fish. That's human nature-pain over pleasure. Most volunteering is like that, I've seen it in my kids sports as well. It's usually the same people who are involved most of the time. I think education and awareness can make a positive impact and your group is a big part of that, thanks for all you do.

[jackthefish]

This thread makes me feel better. This noob was feeling discouraged at 0 for 3. Seven fish on, only two came sort of close to being landed. But the blood was pumping each time! To see the one steel launch from the surface like a missile was worth the price of admission!