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[RalphH]

an old steelhead fishing adage is "If the water is high, fish low. If the water is low, fish high."

Means if the water is low fish the top of the run and when it is high fish the lower part.

[bigblockfox]

keep on trying, your effort will be rewarded. a buddy of mine has been fishing for six's years and finally caught his first vedder steelhead last weekend on a pink work. remember you can't catch whats not there.



hooking them is the so called easy part, landing them is another story. went 1 for 3 on saturday. 2 on the bubble gum worm and 1 on ghost shrimp.

[canucksfan233]

keep on trying, your effort will be rewarded. a buddy of mine has been fishing for six's years and finally caught his first vedder steelhead last weekend on a pink work. remember you can't catch whats not there.



hooking them is the so called easy part, landing them is another story. went 1 for 3 on saturday. 2 on the bubble gum worm and 1 on ghost shrimp.

Morning, afternoon or evening? (if you don't mind me asking)

[bigblockfox]

one was first light, other 2 were late morning. all out the same run. i find i catch 90% of my steelhead between 8 and noon.

few tips.

you have to be close to the bottom. like others have suggested. i do my first drift where i confirm the depth and move up a few inches from there. i do not to dredge like i see so many other anglers doing.

fish areas often where you seen fish caught. steelhead tend to hold in the same locations depending on water height. i love (3 to 5 feet) semi deep tail outs at walking speeds. even better if they have large boulders.

have confidence in what your using. ghost shrimp is the best bait i think. second would be worms. steelhead love worms. espeially spring steelhead. my favourites are 4" bubble gum and hot pink with chartreuse tail rigged backwards (tail up). prawns, beads and yarnnies are also effective.

make sure your checking the tip of your hook for sharpness. carry a sharpener with you. can't stress this enough.

as time goes on i find my self fishing less in the early months of the season. mid feb till the end of march is when i start fishing hard. after that i venture to other region 2 and region 1 rivers. april can be a good month as well.

remember you cant catch whats not there. 9 times out of 10 the run will have no steelhead in it.

i know its tough but don't get discouraged. your efforts will be rewarded. once that first quality fish comes to hand you will have a life long passion that never goes away.

[canucksfan233]

one was first light, other 2 were late morning. all out the same run. i find i catch 90% of my steelhead between 8 and noon.

few tips.

you have to be close to the bottom. like others have suggested. i do my first drift where i confirm the depth and move up a few inches from there. i do not to dredge like i see so many other anglers doing.

fish areas often where you seen fish caught. steelhead tend to hold in the same locations depending on water height. i love (3 to 5 feet) semi deep tail outs at walking speeds. even better if they have large boulders.

have confidence in what your using. ghost shrimp is the best bait i think. second would be worms. steelhead love worms. espeially spring steelhead. my favourites are 4" bubble gum and hot pink with chartreuse tail rigged backwards (tail up). prawns, beads and yarnnies are also effective.

make sure your checking the tip of your hook for sharpness. carry a sharpener with you. can't stress this enough.

as time goes on i find my self fishing less in the early months of the season. mid feb till the end of march is when i start fishing hard. after that i venture to other region 2 and region 1 rivers. april can be a good month as well.

remember you cant catch whats not there. 9 times out of 10 the run will have no steelhead in it.

i know its tough but don't get discouraged. your efforts will be rewarded. once that first quality fish comes to hand you will have a life long passion that never goes away.

My go to bait is 4' pink worm rigged upside down, but can't really be confident in anything when you've never had a bite 😂

At this rate, if I get one, might just hang up the rod for steelhead and call it 😂

[clarki]

keep on trying, your effort will be rewarded. a buddy of mine has been fishing for six's years and finally caught his first vedder steelhead last weekend on a pink work.

Take heart, @canucksfan223. At 3 years of trying you’re half way there!

[MetalAndFeathers]

One thing to consider is using a pink worm on the vedder puts you at a disadvantage. The best baits for steelhead in order is roe bags/skein, shrimp, beads and then all miscellaneous artificials such worms, jigs, blades are around the same level but have their times and places. Again make sure to have a perfect “dead drift” and fish deep enough.

[Spoonman]

......a couple of black and white statements in this thread that I would disagree with....the only absolute I would make about steelhead or Salmon fishing for that matter is you can't catch one if your line isn't in the water.....everything else is guidelines and opinion.....water clarity temperature flow structure and fishing pressure (maybe past success also) are what should dictate strategy....in my opinion...

[canucksfan233]

While fishing today, was talking to a guy who said that he isn't too successful at first light and catches most of his steelhead a couple hours after sunrise.
What is your experience with this statement?

[Wiseguy]

While fishing today, was talking to a guy who said that he isn't too successful at first light and catches most of his steelhead a couple hours after sunrise.
What is your experience with this statement?

I would agree. I don’t do first light anymore. Not worth it imo. I go later in the morning and have seen a modest amount of steelhead action from 10am to 2pm on my line or on others.

[canucksfan233]

I would agree. I don’t do first light anymore. Not worth it imo. I go later in the morning and have seen a modest amount of steelhead action from 10am to 2pm on my line or on others.

After fishing first light this morning, I want to agree as well. Saw 7 guys hammering some tiny hole ~ 20 feet long, 10 feet wide which I'm guessing had a fish 😂

Also makes sense since the warmer temps might bring their metabolism up a bit

[SuperBobby]

The 'first light' has always been an interesting discussion.
With Coho, first light is a no brainer. In almost 40 years, I've caught over 90% of my Vedder/Chehalis Coho before 9AM, and at least 50% before sunrise.
But its not like that with Steelhead. I've never caught a steelhead in the first hour of daylight during the dead of winter. March is a different story, but I've still caught most of my steelhead between 9-2.
I once got a late November Thompson Steelhead at Pegleg at around 7:30AM with a still bait...and the temperature was well below zero....but summer run steelhead are a bit different....

[Silex-user]

My advice is observed what the steelheaders are using and catching in which part of waters. I learned this about 44 years ago when I first start out fishing the Vedder river by putting my rod down and watch the local old timers casting and catching steelies.


Silex-user

[Darko]

My advice is observed what the steelheaders are using and catching in which part of waters. I learned this about 44 years ago when I first start out fishing the Vedder river by putting my rod down and watch the local old timers casting and catching steelies.


Silex-user

what you don't know is that they have caught on and now will only fish the sweet spot when nobody is around 

[hammer]

I would suggest keeping a journal. Make note of where you see fish caught….not just the general spot but exactly where they are caught. I often hike and climb to fish a spot the size of a bathtub. Sooner or later,your  float will go down. I have a “milk run” for low, medium, and high water. The water level data is very important. If I am fishing a system that does not have a gauge, I estimate based on a nearby system with similar attributes. The fluctuation really changes depending on whether the system is mediated by having a lake.
Key points
Spots where you have seen fish hooked….make note of water height
My leader is usually under24” unless fishing slow deep pools
I use 3 things 90% of the time..bait sack, pink worm (Beau Mac pearly one), and a Spin and Glo for old times
When I feel motivated I pump bugs but it’s not necessary. Steelhead are not super picky….its more about putting your gear in front of fish wants to bite.
Set float to weight as 75% of depth…. Eg. in 8 feet deep, I go 6 feet float to lead