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[KLX]

I'm a decent spin fisherman.(who isnt?) Terrible baitcaster.(lotsa birds nets, dont know how to rig bait etc) Good flyfisherman.(this is my most comfortable style but realize it is daunting for steelies)

How would you fish for stamp winters this weekend if you were me?

[Blackgivesway2blue]

spin as in chuckin spoons - spinner ? i wouldnt, very hard to connect with one i think.  and if bait aint an option , id go forth with the fly rod, yea, it will be a challange, but just think of the fight it will give

[Spoonman]

My advice would be the opposite.With the conditions most likely to be cold/coloured water spoons and spinners would be your best bet.You can cover lots of water fast .Cast and retrieve 3/8 -1/2 oz gold,brass or silver spoons.Cast and retrieve #3-#5 spinners .Also  colarado spinners under a float along seams and through coho water would be a good bet.

[Fish Assassin]

Hire a guide

[Matt]

Your other post said you were headed to the stamp.  Don't bother with the fly rod, especially with the chance of high water.  Take 15 min and learn to use the levelwind proficiently, have a tackleshop show you how to use the spool tension knob and how to rig and fish that way.  Not only are winter steelhead tough to get on a fly , but the Stamp is the wrong river to try it.

[KLX]

Your other post said you were headed to the stamp.  Don't bother with the fly rod, especially with the chance of high water.  Take 15 min and learn to use the levelwind proficiently, have a tackleshop show you how to use the spool tension knob and how to rig and fish that way.  Not only are winter steelhead tough to get on a fly , but the Stamp is the wrong river to try it.

ya i've just spent the last hour researching how to rig a pink worm and float etc.

I was thinking of just standing on that medium sized boulder just below the Falls pool and dead drifting an egg pattern with my fly rod, but i think you are right. I've caught summer runs on the fly but winter is another story.

Whats the best way to clear up a birds nest when you cant strip the line out to untangle?! is there any elegant way to do this??

Also, what kind of knot do i use for the leader to hook connection?

thanks

[bigblue]

KLX, I have not done fly fishing since I fished for stream trout more than 20 years ago, but do still know enough about it.
If you are a good fly fisherman, I am pretty sure it would not take you long to become a good float fisherman with baitcasting reel.
Learning to read water properly is the hard part and takes time and experience, however, learning proper presentation is the easier part.
If you load baitcasters with braid lines, they cast smooth and don't tangle much at all.
Compared to the old Ambassadeur 5000C I learned to cast with, today's new baitcasters are much more easier to cast and control, by far. 

[bigblue]

what kind of knot do i use for the leader to hook connection?

Egg loop knot is most versatile for float fishing.
See video below:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qUp-fbiLZVs

[brysonk]

"Whats the best way to clear up a birds nest when you cant strip the line out to untangle?! is there any elegant way to do this??"
Pull your line tight and find the loop that his holding your line down. Work that loop out and pull your line tight. if it stops again find the loop and work it out....
I just learned to fish a baitcaster this year and spent a lot of time working on birdsnests for the first few trips but now it's rare that I ever get one. Maybe if i snag a tree behind me or get a crazy gust of wind mid cast. Just takes practice, stick with it.

[Matt]

ya i've just spent the last hour researching how to rig a pink worm and float etc.

I was thinking of just standing on that medium sized boulder just below the Falls pool and dead drifting an egg pattern with my fly rod, but i think you are right. I've caught summer runs on the fly but winter is another story.

Whats the best way to clear up a birds nest when you cant strip the line out to untangle?! is there any elegant way to do this??

Also, what kind of knot do i use for the leader to hook connection?

thanks

"Easiest" way to undo a backlash is pulling line off the reel and picking out the loops and tangles.  Setting your spool tension properly (search youtube) will prevent most backlashes.  Keep your reel dry as well, conventional casting brakes rely on friction to work and wet metal against plastic doesnt generate enough friction for your casting break to work effectively.

My float rig looks something like this:
15lbs mainline passes through a 20-25g DNE or "dink" foam float.  I then slide on a chunk of pencil lead heavy enough to sink the float up to within half an inch of the base of the painted float top.  After the lead goes a ~4mm plastic bead to serve as a bumper between the knot and then lead.  I then tie a polamar knot or a clinch knot to a small swivel (don't know the size # but its about 12mm long.  I then tie up a leader.  The leader must be tied to the hook first as the "egg loop knot" almost all drift fishermen use requires two free ends of line to work with (youtube this knot for a how-to).  I start with about 3' of leader prior to the knot being tied.  I store my pre-tied leaders in a Pip's Leader Dispenser and cut the leaders down to the size I need- ~30"' for clear, slow-moving water, ~14" for fast or coloured water.  The shorter the leader, the greater the depth-control you have.  Attach whatever bait/artificial you prefer to the hook (remember the Stamp has a BAIT BAN upstream between "the Bucket pool" and the hatchery, this includes Falls pool, Money's etc.  I use a clinch knot to tie the leader to the swivel.

Keep your float set maybe a foot off the bottom, so that your weight taps the tops of the bigger rocks in the run but doesn't drag anywhere.  You will need to re-adjust your float most times you move on to a new stretch of rivers.  Cover as much water as possible to find fish, don't sit in one place for long, if fish are there and willing, they'll usually bite within a few casts.

[doja]

If "I" was going I wouldn't waste any time with a bait caster as it is a bad idea.... You know how to work a spin-reel-rod setup so just stick with that. Unless you want to drive there for practice lessons OR you only have small spin rods.

And contrary to what the  "bait caster" crowd think's it is not better or faster than a spin-rod if the person knows how to use it. There is no real difference between the 2 and I use a spinning reel and out fish the bait-casters quite often. But you will want a longer rod and to avoid the small ones.

Just bring pink worms(pre-rigged!!!), and spinners and keep it simple... as you only need to pay attention to 2 things.... Your drifts, and rigging, cuz that's the difference between fish and no fish!!!

Have fun!!!

[bigblue]

If "I" was going I wouldn't waste any time with a bait caster as it is a bad idea.... You know how to work a spin-reel-rod setup so just stick with that. Unless you want to drive there for practice lessons OR you only have small spin rods.

And contrary to what the  "bait caster" crowd think's it is not better or faster than a spin-rod if the person knows how to use it. There is no real difference between the 2 and I use a spinning reel and out fish the bait-casters quite often. But you will want a longer rod and to avoid the small ones.

I do agree that there are many spinning reel fisherman who outfish "bait casting crowd" as it is the level of fishing proficiency, not tackle used, that determines who catch more fish. If I had to bet my money between an experiened fisherman using cheap rod and reel and a novice using the most expensive tackle money can buy, my money is always on the experienced guy. As someone once said, 10% of fisherman catch 90% of the fish in the river.

That being said, I think we also need to think what is the more effective and efficient way to float fish here in BC.
 
Basically, in float fishing, the rod and reel needs to keep the float vertical to present a natural drift and the line straight from tip of rod to float so that hook set can be done effectively. It sounds easy, but if you go to the river in fall and watch people fishing, not many of them get this correct with a high level of consistancy. Proficiency aside, a reel suited for float fishing should make it easier to free spool the line just right so that the above two objectives could be met on a consistant basis.

I am not trying to knock down spinning reels as I still love spinning for salmon. Last season, I have caught many salmon on both spinning reel/float combo and also baitcasting reel/float combo. If I had to compare what is more effective for float fishing here in BC, I would say without doubt bait casting reel. The simple reason is that "feathering the spool" with your finger on a spinning reel will not get you the consistancy of "thumbing the spool" on a bait caster to get the line flowing just right. We have to remember that on an average fishing trip, a fisherman will make hundreds of casts a day, and easier this part is higher your chance of concentrating on other things like keeping an eagle eye on the float and be ready to set the hook in an instant. I have been using a spinning reel since I was eight and a bait caster since late teens, but it is easier for me to "thumb the spool" than "feather the spool with my finger" and I would say same would apply to most fisherman. Maybe I have a dumb finger and a smart thumb.  

In other areas, like Great Lakes region, spinning reel/float combos are more popular because they fish in rivers that are generally smaller, shallower and less turbid than in BC or Washington. More delicate approach is used there using smaller floats/tackle and spinning reels are a more effective in delivering those smaller package to tight lies.
   

[HOOK]

just take the single hander, a pile of egg flies and some other heavy smaller steely flies, some BIG strike indicators and split shot that you can cast with. With this you can just drift fish with your fly rod, I have done it before and it works well if you dont have to cast to far (60' probably would be max you would want)

of couse for me i would have the baitcaster AND my flyrod with me 

[bigblue]

Regarding what natural or artificial bait will work on a given day or run is difficult to predict with any kind of consistancy so best thing to do is to rotate through three or four different kinds at every run.

What I do is use one natural bait (shrimp or roe), two artificials (jig and jensen egg, gooey bob, yarn, etc) and one impact bait (pink warm or blades) and run these through this order in every run. I have all my bait leaders tied up with very small crane swivels on them and ready to use on a leader board. Also I attach a small snap swivel under the weight so that changing baits can be done quickly at the river. By minimizing the amount of time needed to change baits at the river, it will make it easier for you to rotate through your baits at every run.  When I want to be more complete, I will sweep the run with a spoon or spinner if I am carrying my spinning rod with me.

Tight lines!
  

[dennyman]

On an unfamiliar piece of water, I would stick to one maybe two presentations. Carrying around a bunch of tackle, and then changing up throughout the day will at the end prove to be very frustrating. If you have the time, take two rods, a spinning rod with a spoon or spinner on it,  and a baitcaster with roe or a gooey bob on it.  Cover the runs you can get too, and do it thoroughly. First time fishing a river is more for exploration as you find the spots that favour your fishing style.