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[Brian the fisherman]

I have been steelhead fishing for 5 seasons now and i have had enough luck to determine quality water for holding.
Each year I have decent luck due to the fact that i live on the river. However this has not  lead me to the success that most would assume. I get a hatch a year and that's about it. 
I can't afford to take these courses and i research online all night and fish most mornings 7-10 am.
Filtering whats good advice and not is difficult because not every fisherman tunes his setup for the exact same waters.

would anyone be able to PM me and help me learn to read waters and how to properly fish them?

[milo]

Steelhead are not salmon.
There are only about 5000 fish a year in the Vedder, so by catching one hatchery fish every year, you are already doing better than most.

Yet, if you want to take it to the next level, make it a point to read this book, especially Chapter 2.

http://www.amazon.com/Color-Guide-Steelhead-Drift-Fishing/dp/1878175599

It is a cheap investment, very well worth it.

Asking that someone PM you pages and pages of explanation and photos (because that's what it would take to make it worthwhile) is a little over the top.

[alwaysfishn]

The best way I learn is watching where other fishermen are catching fish and analyzing why the fish were holding in that water or traveling through it. This can vary depending on the time of day, fishing pressures, clarity of the water, temperature of the water, level of the river, and whether it is overcast or sunny.

Of course the more time you spend on the river the more successful you will be!

[Easywater]

I have learned a lot by watching other (presumably successful) fishermen on the river.

When I come up on a busy spot, I'll open with a little chit-chat then say something like "I'm going to watch how you work the water".
Usually, the guy will fill in with some good information on where the fish are holding, how to drift, depths, etc.

I'll also let people on the move pass through and chat a bit then as well.

I saw 2 fish hooked right beside me on Sunday and learned a lot from just those 2 experiences.

[leapin' tyee]

I Learned a lot by watching others too  and ask question. Some of them will share their secret.

[rhino]

one thing i started doing was casting everywhere!!! and adjust you depth accordingly. It has helped as I have had more hook ups this year and last year. still got to work on keeping them on tho. what surprised me over the last 2 years was that the hits came in places that i least expected. to milo's point they are not like salmon and will not hold in similar water. they can hold in all kinds of water including deep pools and shallow riffle water. Im no expert by any means but you can go wrong by casting everywhere and moving all day. this technique should show you where they hold on a more consistent basis. however depending on water level and weather conditions that will change too from what i have noticed.
lucky to be you living by the river.
good luck!

[Brian the fisherman]

thanks for the advice. ill keep pounding the water

[awurban@msn.com]

Bill Herzog, steelhead colour guide drift fishing. Is available through frankamato publishing or you can just buy it used from coles online. Great book talks alot about holding water in different water conditions including summer water to blown out flows. Its a pretty good book and it helped me a lot on theory of fishing for steelhead. I find you have to cover water and cover high percentage water. Hit the good water with a few extra casts the water around it that looks less fishy and move on. If there is a fish in the water he will see your offering and if he wants it he will take it, if not move on or come through one more time with something else. Sometimes I have sight fished steelhead and thrown everything at them and then you waste time finally move on and you smack a fish laying a bit further down the tail out in water only a few feet deep. I personally like steady flows of shallower water but my favourite holding water is holding water with lots of big boulders, I love boulder gardens. Also you will develop your own style and you will like the fish certain water a certain way, the same run looks different to different anglers with different gear. Anyways I hope this helps a bit and good luck

[wyper]

I went up the the squamish today for my second steel head outing! I didnt catch anything but did talk to a few people and pick up some good info.. I ended up working everything from deep pools, shallow riffles, and shallow slow moving water. I have heard so many diffident things about these fish that I am just going t pepper all the water.