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Author Topic: Steelhead, Fishing Skinny Water  (Read 13801 times)

Tenz85

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Re: Steelhead, Fishing Skinny Water
« Reply #30 on: December 04, 2013, 12:49:11 PM »

Yeah. It's always good to discuss these things to understand or at least get an insightful idea of what the technique is all about. Snagging is obviously a nono and just a waste of the fishes time/energy. Not to mention the let down when you brig I in to find it was snagged on the fin or side. It's obvious when the snag is on the side or fin as it's the case majority of the time however if the hooks in or around the mouth less chance it was a snag (flossing aside..)

Anyhow thanks for the tips!
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banx

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Re: Steelhead, Fishing Skinny Water
« Reply #31 on: December 04, 2013, 05:57:26 PM »

milo is telling the truth about the slinky weights.  yes, super short leader. 1.0z to 1.5 oz generally.  its easy to cut precise weights on shore. all you need is a lighter and use snap swivels.

you can feel the progressive 'bounce'... if you want to call it that, of the bottom... as the weight drags itself on the bottom. using a pencil weight for this technique is possible, but like he said you miss alot of subtle takes. and you snag less fish and you dont lose many to snage either.

I wasn't able to use bait for the salmon season where I came from, so this was the most common technique you would see on the river.



« Last Edit: December 04, 2013, 06:00:18 PM by banx »
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liketofish

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Re: Steelhead, Fishing Skinny Water
« Reply #32 on: December 04, 2013, 06:22:30 PM »

Not true. You should think first before making blanket statements that don't take into consideration techniques other than float-fishing. There are instances where the great depth of a pool/run or the uneveness of the river bottom makes it impractical/impossible to float fish. In such stretches of water you can dispose of the float and bottom bounce with a very short leader and get legitimate takes. Your weight must be light enough to just bounce off the bottom with the little current available, and your leader must be really short to feel the (often) subtle takes. Anything that helps keep the weight from snagging and making noise is good. Surgical tube helps, but parachute cord is even better.
Bottom-bouncing is a beautiful technique, much more difficult to master than short-floating, as it involves many variables. But once mastered, it will yield more steelhead and trout than short-floating ever will.

Agree 100% with Milo. True bottom bouncing is not for every one and most newbies will snag up easily. It allows you to get to steelhead otherwise unreachable from short floating and sometimes that can make the difference for an otherwise skunked trip.
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Suther

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Re: Steelhead, Fishing Skinny Water
« Reply #33 on: December 05, 2013, 09:51:41 AM »

Not true. You should think first before making blanket statements that don't take into consideration techniques other than float-fishing. There are instances where the great depth of a pool/run or the uneveness of the river bottom makes it impractical/impossible to float fish. In such stretches of water you can dispose of the float and bottom bounce with a very short leader and get legitimate takes. Your weight must be light enough to just bounce off the bottom with the little current available, and your leader must be really short to feel the (often) subtle takes. Anything that helps keep the weight from snagging and making noise is good. Surgical tube helps, but parachute cord is even better.
Bottom-bouncing is a beautiful technique, much more difficult to master than short-floating, as it involves many variables. But once mastered, it will yield more steelhead and trout than short-floating ever will.

I was responding to someone who specifically asked about float fishing.

While bottom bouncing is certainly one way to catch fish, my point was you dont want your weight dragging on the bottom if you are floating.
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naka21

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Re: Steelhead, Fishing Skinny Water
« Reply #34 on: December 05, 2013, 09:16:13 PM »

Its not just the internet. We were talking about real-world phenomena and their causes. If you are a fisherman, general hydrology is good thing to know because if you know how the water interacts with the banks, bottom, structure, ect, it is easier to identify where good fish water is... And identifying good fish water is the whole point isn't it?

I did a bit of my fisheries and aquaculture at viu and learned a fair amount about water and currents. Do I feel that it has benefited me at all when fishing?..... No. Once you've spent enough time on the river you figure out what steelhead like and where they will sit .
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milo

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Re: Steelhead, Fishing Skinny Water
« Reply #35 on: December 05, 2013, 10:17:42 PM »

I was responding to someone who specifically asked about float fishing.

While bottom bouncing is certainly one way to catch fish, my point was you dont want your weight dragging on the bottom if you are floating.

Understood.Your point is 100% valid assuming you are fishing for salmonids in moving water.There are, however, float fishing techniques where you actually MUST have your weight sitting on the bottom (but that is another story).
I must have read incorrectly into the second part of his question. I thought he meant generally fishing near the bottom, not "float-fishing" near the bottom in general
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Ian Forbes

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Re: Steelhead, Fishing Skinny Water
« Reply #36 on: December 06, 2013, 10:47:22 PM »

I can think of a dozen situations where bottom bouncing with weights and lures is effective, and yet not flossing for salmon or steelhead. There is no one general rule that covers all situations.
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