Click this link for viewing a great article in how to read and fish the Methow River

 

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Beyond the Swing

by John Likakis

illustrations by Jonathan Milo

ALTHOUGH DAVE HUGHES'S exhaustively titled Wet Flies: Tying and Fishing Soft-Hackles, Winged and Wingless Wets, and Fuzzy Nymphs helped bring on a minor resurgence of the wet fly more than a decade ago, for many fly fishers, these old-school patterns remain something of a mystery. A wet fly is not quite a streamer and definitely not a nymph, so what are you supposed to do with it? To add to the problem, we are constantly reminded that hatch-matching is the ultimate fly-fishing skill, yet many (perhaps most) wet-fly patterns don't really look like anything you see crawling or swimming in trout streams.

However, I'll bet that your grandpa knew all about how to fish a wet fly, and he probably took most of his trout while fishing below the surface. Indeed, there was a time when the first thing a fly fisher tied to his gut tippet was a wet fly. And those old-time patterns — such as the Cow Dung, Wet Coachman, and Pale Morning Dun — will still catch plenty of trout if you know how to fish them.

The basic, old-school technique is perfectly recognizable today: Cast across or quartering downstream, and then let the fly swing with the current. That's the way most fly fishers fish wet flies, and it's fine, as far as it goes. But too many anglers use wet flies in much the same way that they would fish a streamer. They blind-cast, drift, swing, and retrieve, paying little or no attention to where they're placing the fly or what it's drifting past. What these anglers don't consider is that trout chase streamers because the big morsels seem worth the effort in ways that a little wet fly doesn't. Few monster browns will charge from behind a rock to intercept a Royal Coachman five feet away.

The key to successfully fishing a wet fly is to put the pattern right in front of the fish. If you know how to read the water and have a reasonable command of casting, you can ensure that your offering drifts past all the prime lies in a stretch of river. You should also alter the action of the fly until you get a response. If a standard swing or dead drift doesn't draw any strikes, try presenting the fly so that it starts to rise just as it reaches a good lie (a technique known as the Leisenring lift). Making these kinds of adjustments is the difference between fishing a wet fly and really working a wet fly. Start to pay more attention to how your fly looks to fish in specific lies, and you'll see your catch rate rise sharply.

Straight to the Point

Sometimes, the best presentation is also the easiest. A few years ago, I was fishing a heavily pounded stretch of a famous catch-and-release river in the Northeast. The few bugs coming off the water weren't enough to attract any trout to the surface, and the nymphs I tried produced nothing. My partner, however, was catching plenty of fish. When we took a break, I pried his secret out of him.

He was using a Cow Dung wet fly, but it wasn't the pattern that was remarkable; it was his technique. He simply fed the fly straight downstream in the current by pulling line off his reel in four-inch strips and letting it slide out the guides. The fly danced its way down the river, and he could guide it right into the best lies by simply moving his rod tip from side to side or tossing small mends left or right (see Figure 1).

He said he had learned this simple technique as a kid, but I've since found references to it in fishing books dating back to the turn of the century. This was the preferred way to get a fly into snags or down to fish at the lower ends of pools. It worked then, and it works now. I've since found that this "straight out" technique has many applications. Here are a few examples from my own fishing experience.

I had the good fortune to fish a leased stretch of Tarryall Creek in Colorado a few years back. The water was so clear, you could see fish on the bottom from 50 feet away; problem was, they could see you, too. These trout were extremely spooky; even the gentlest delivery with a tiny fly on 7X tippet would send them scattering.

After scaring a half dozen bend pools, I decided to try snaking a wet fly around the next bend. I tied on a size 14 Pale Evening Dun wet fly, and started feeding line around the bend with short strips, which caused the fly to drift downstream briefly and then skit upstream an inch or two. I had perhaps 20 feet of line out when I felt a solid tug. A 14-inch brown had broken the ice. On the next two bend pools, I used this straight-out technique to take three more trout.

A stream I fished in Connecticut had one very good-looking pool right where it ran under the interstate. The water was too deep to wade, and the banks were far too steep and high to walk along. I'd fished streamers and nymphs through that water countless times and had come up blank, but it looked too good not to hold any fish.

It finally dawned on me one afternoon to try feeding a wet fly down through the pool. My hunch about the water holding trout was correct — I caught a dozen fish out of the pool before I had worked all the way down to the far end. The fish were all small, averaging perhaps six or eight inches. But they were the first fish I'd taken from that water in two years of fishing it.

The straight-out method also works well for fishing under and around big log dams and blowdowns that back up a sizable pool. Getting a fly anywhere back under the thicket of overhanging branches can result in a strike from some of the biggest specimens in any trout stream. The straight-out technique gives you the best control over the fly to keep it from getting hung up, and lets you muscle a fish straight out of the debris before it can wrap your tippet around a stick.

Speed Control

In nearly all wet-fly fishing, maintaining control over the fly's speed and position is vital. Controlling a wet fly is accomplished almost entirely with the line. You should be able to toss decent mends — either up- or downstream — in your line as needed to get the fly to speed up, slow down, or start swinging at a specific point. Some of these techniques have had fancy names attached to them — Hughes writes about the Crosfield draw, the Leisenring lift, and many more — but they all come down to mending and working the line to control the speed and position of the fly. The Crosfield draw, for example, is nothing more than throwing a downstream mend into your line to increase the line's belly in the current and so speed the fly up — a good tactic for big, slow pools. You don't need to know the names of the techniques, but you should know how to control your line to make the fly do what you want where you want it.

Before you make your first cast, consider the speed of the water and the various currents affecting your line. Scan the pool for likely holding water. Then imagine how you need to manipulate your line to accomplish the right drift. Remember, your main goal is to get the fly right in the fish's face. (See Figure 3 above for a more specific perspective.) By visualizing the path of your underwater fly, you can make sure that you present it right where the fish wants it.

Fishing wet flies is not rocket science. It takes no special equipment, and fly fishers of even modest skill and experience can do it quite well. For my money, it's far more exciting than dead-drifting nymphs under a strike indicator, and usually far more productive, too.

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The wet fly swing is used to present the fly in large riffles. Whenever the lie of a fish is uncertain, the wet fly swing system is helpful in discovering secluded fish. Nearly all of a riffle can be covered by adding a step-down between casts. It is a productive manner to fish both attractor and baitfish flies; furthermore, it’s a favored steelhead method. The fly’s swing conveys a lifelike appearance to its materials. With the wet fly swing both the surface and the depths of a run can be covered. A floating line is chosen to cover the surface while a sinking tip line is engaged to fish the bottom. The wet fly swing is performed as follows:

1. The cast is made slightly quartering downstream.
2. The line is mended as necessary to either slow or speedup the fly’s drift. The mend’s direction relies upon the current’s mixed velocities in relation to the fly and line.
3. As the fly swings through its arc, track the fly’s movement with the rod tip.
   
4. When the fly’s swing ceases at the hang-down position, jig the fly and pause it to excite a strike from a following fish.
5. Step downstream a predetermined distance then recast the fly for the next presentation. This step-down provides the thorough coverage of the wet fly swing.

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By Doug Rose

On larger water, water that is too deep to wade and too far to cast across, the wet fly swing is the most effective method of presenting a fly to winter steelhead.

The tactic consists of casting the fly at an angle downstream and letting it swing across the face of the current. When fished in conjunction with upstream mends, sink-tip lines and heavy flies, the wet fly swing lets an angler get the fly quickly down to bottom-hugging winter fish and work it slowly across the steelhead's field of vision.

Although many specialists have embraced long, two-handed Spey rods in recent years, a 9- to 10-foot single-handed 8-weight remains the classic winter steelhead fly rod. With it, an angler can cast the heavy lines and flies employed in winter and mend line to control the drift of the fly.

Sink-tips for winter steelheaders come in two basic categories. The shorter, lighter tips are designated by numbers such as Type III or Type 5, and sink at roughly the number of inches per second of the number (i.e., a Type 5 would drop at a rate of five inches per second). Heavier, longer tips, such as the popular Teeny Lines and Rio's Dredgers, are indicated by their weight-per-foot in grains, such as 225 or 350. Type III through Type 6 lines are usually most suitable for waist-deep runs, pocket water and tail-outs, while anglers who fish heavy water and deep pools favor longer tips. Leaders are short for winter steelhead, typically between 3 and 6 feet, and they are usually around 12-pound-test, without taper.

Fewer fly patterns exist for winter steelheaders than, say, for trout, but there are enough of them to confuse a beginner. As with steelhead lines, however, the novice steelheader can simplify fly selection by separating them into broad categories: traditional patterns such as the Skykomish Sunrise, marabou spiders, rabbit strip leeches and egg patterns.

Traditional patterns are effective over a broad range of water conditions, and their compact design and heavy hooks allow them to sink quickly and remain upright in heavy water. But marabou spiders and rabbit strip leeches have overtaken traditional patterns because of durability and their motion in the water. They are also easy to tie with inexpensive materials. Egg patterns, such as Glo-Bugs, are effective in cold, clear water.

The next step is getting into the river and identifying places where steelhead are most likely to hold, more commonly referred to as "reading the water." The better you are at reading water, the more fish you will hook.

Tail-outs on the downstream end of pools are classic steelhead-holding areas and are easy to work on a wet fly swing. But pocket water, especially boulder-strewn riffles between rapids, is also often productive. So are the cushions of "soft" water upstream and downstream of large boulders and snags, especially those shadowed by overhanging trees.

The goal in swinging a fly is to present it in front of the fish, preferably broadside to the current. To do this, you usually need to take up position upstream of the lie and cast at a downstream angle to the holding water. The angle of presentation will vary, but 45 degrees downstream of your position is a good place to begin.

Feed the sink-tip along with a few feet of running line through the guides and let it hang downstream. Determine the amount of line you want to shoot with your cast, and gather that much line in loose coils in your non-casting hand. Roll cast to bring the tip to the surface, lift it off the water, execute a conventional backcast and shoot the slack on your forward cast. (Flyfishers most familiar with floating lines often forget that sink-tips must be brought to the surface with a roll cast before they can be cast conventionally.)

The moment your line lands on the water, toss a large upstream mend. This creates slack that allows the fly to sink. Mend only once; it isn't easy to change the course of a sink-tip after it sinks.

Follow the line downstream with your rod held high until you feel the tug of the line, and then lower the rod. The leader and fly should now be deeply sunk and in line with the rod. Then slowly lead or swing the line through the holding water.

Sometimes it is effective to pause briefly to let the fly "hang" in the water above a promising slot or depression, and it is a good idea to let the fly swing around for a moment at the conclusion of the swing. Then strip the line back upstream and roll cast to bring it to the surface.

A steelhead may intercept your fly at any point during the swing, but most strikes occur near the end of the drift, as the fly rises and picks up speed. Steelhead often jump early in the battle, and when that happens you need to throw slack into the line by lowering the rod tip to prevent the fish from breaking the leader.

Once the steelhead begins to run or thrash, it is critical to get slack line back on the reel. Steelhead are much too strong to be stripped in as trout and bass often are, and flyfishers need the assistance of the reel's drag to wear the fish down. It is also important not to horse a steelhead on fly rod. The safest way to fight it is by letting the weight of the rod and line wear it down. It is important to maintain constant pressure, and it is also often necessary to move with the fish, especially if they make long runs upstream or downstream.

It may take a while for everything to come together for a novice winter steelhead flyfishermen. It took me most of two winters before I landed my first fish with a fly rod. Intrepid anglers will eventually hook and land their first winter steelhead. And if that's you, slow days and frustrations will be replaced by a glow displayed only by those who have accomplished one of fly-fishing's most celebrated achievements.

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What creates great holding water is a function of geologic structure and its surrounding vegetation.  For any given river system, the gradient, or slope, of the canyon or surrounding landscape through which the river flows determines the speed of the water.  So, obviously, in some sections the river flows exceedingly fast, while in other sections within the same river system the flow may be nearly stagnant.  High flows would exhaust the migrating Steelhead so they tend to push through fast water as quickly as possible.  In extremely slow water, Steelhead may not get the oxygen they require and/or the temperature in the slack water may be above a comfortable level.  Another crucial element that must be considered for good holding water is a run that has a deep section where the Steelhead can move to and hide if it feels threatened.   In many cases this deep section may be 15 or so feet deep. 

By throwing away the fast and the slow water, we then arrive at those sections of the river where depth and flow is such that the Steelhead can receive the oxygen it requires, the protection it desires, and without so much force that it would exhaust the fish.  It is within these sections that you must concentrate your efforts fly fishing for Steelhead.  So now that we have a general idea of the good holding water and what to look for, lets move onto other elements of good holding water.

The makeup of the river bottom needs to be considered.  The structure for good holding water is usually made up of large stones or gravel.  Sandy runs almost never contain steelhead for long as the sand tends to irritate the gills.   Look for runs that have stones as large as your fist, maybe larger.  In addition to the makeup of the bottom, runs that contain large boulders are especially appealing to steelhead as they offer protection from the currents.

Holding water can vary widely in length and width.  On coastal streams, holding water may only be 30-40 yards in length and 30-50 yards in width, and in some cases may be even shorter.  In contrast, on large river systems, they may be hundreds of yards in length, and may be over 100 yards in width.  A very important point to remember is that Good holding water may be separated by hundreds of yards if not miles of river that is either too fast or slow to hold fish.  Because of this, having some means of traveling fairly quickly to the next section of good holding water may mean the difference between success and failure.   Keep in mind that fishing for Steelhead is seldom if ever a numbers game, one or two fish in a day is considered a very good day!

In addition to traditional holding water, other places that may occasionally hold fish for brief periods of time are referred to as resting water.  Resting water is found directly above or to the side of a section of very fast water, or a chute.  This fast water is usually the result of a large change in elevation over a short distance.  As the fish come up through the fast water, or chute, they need a moment to rest before making their way further upstream and will find small pockets of slower, softer water to rest and may take a properly presented fly.

Now that you have some idea of what to look for, head to your local river and spend some time observing the water and look for situations as described above.  On many small coastal rivers it is possible to gain a height advantage and hike along a given river system while peering into the water.  By utilizing polarized glasses, you can now start concentrating on spotting Steelhead.  It may take you 10 or 15 minutes of observing a run before finding fish and/or determining that it is empty.  Often times, if you can spot one Steelhead you may spot additional Steelhead in the same run.  Depending upon light conditions and water clarity, some days are better than others for spotting fish.  Look for “shadows” that are about 2 feet in length (fish often look smaller in the water).  After locating these “shadows”, look for the wavy motion of a fish as it holds its position.  You may also notice a “flash” as the silvery sides reflect light from the sun.  Spending time observing fish in their comfortable natural environment will give you a better idea of where fish will likely be the next time you decide to fish. Once you’ve been able to routinely predict where fish will be holding you’ll have better judgment of where to fish on an unknown river. 

Remember that Steelhead are almost constantly moving.  You may find several Steelhead in a specific location today only to find that same location without fish tomorrow.   Locate and write down the locations where you have spotted fish.  Also write down places where you observe fish caught.   This list of locations will be later used as part of your game plan, which we’ll discuss shortly.

A very important point to remember is that run timing will also play a crucial role in your success.  Sometimes there just isn’t anybody home.  You’ll need to do some research before heading out the door to determine whether the river system you’re interested in fishing has fish and when the run is.  Some river systems get Summer Steelhead, while other get Winter Steelhead.  Some rivers get a mixture of both, but one run may be stronger.  Don’t waste your time fishing during periods when fish are absent.

Ok, so now its time to customize your own game plan.  You’ve done some research, you know which rivers get Steelhead, and when the run typically begins and ends.  You’ve spent some time researching a river and have learned where Steelhead typically hold.  You’ve checked the flows and have determined that they are conducive for good water conditions.  It is now time to grab your fly rod, and head out fishing.  Pick one of the runs on your list, fish it thoroughly, and then move onto the next run in your list.  By fishing hard, and presenting your fly in those places which are most likely to hold fish, eventually, your efforts will pay off.

Maximizing your chances to catch steelhead. 

In the previous section, I wrote about where Steelhead are found and why they are attracted to various stretches of a given river system. Moving on from there, I’ll describe another set of variables that must be considered to give you a better chance of hooking a Steelhead. By knowing where Steelhead can be found and then taking into account this next set of variables you’ll start to bring more fish to hand.

Steelhead are not hard to catch because they are necessarily fussy about what lure is placed in front of them. If you ever have the opportunity to look inside the tackle box of a gear angler, you’re likely to find a rather strange assortment of spin-n-glows, lures, plugs, spinners, and corkies. This assortment of man-made objects have all proven themselves effective as a means of enticing a Steelhead to strike. In addition to the aforementioned gear, gear fisherman may also use cured salmon or steelhead eggs and/or sand shrimp.

On further examination, one lure may be shiny, one may be dull, one may be bright and another dark. The difference in size from one lure to another may be astonishing. Bait has natural oils and gives off a scent that may attract a Steelhead. But why would a Steelhead strike an orange fluorescent Hot-Shot? It stands to reason then that a Steelhead may decide to strike almost any object that is placed tantalizingly in front of the Steelhead’s nose. The same philosophy holds true as it applies to fly selection. There are hundreds, if not thousands, of effective flies that can be used to entice a strike.

While determining fly selection, also remember that unlike trout, Steelhead have generally stopped feeding once they’ve entered fresh water so matching the hatch is out. The truth is that we really don’t understand what triggers a fish to take our offering so in general, pick a fly and then continue to fish with it. Unfortunately this approach won’t offer the trout enthusiast much comfort, because the trout enthusiast is focused on matching the hatch. Keep in mind that there is no “magic” fly. The sad truth is that a Steelhead is just as likely to take a hook wrapped with yarn as it is to take an elegantly tied spey fly. The next few paragraphs will provide some suggestions and guidelines but after you’ve chosen a fly, you should continue to fish with it and avoid constantly changing flies as it wastes precious daylight. (One exception would be if you’ve had a fish strike and then refuse, it often pays to switch up flies.)

Although there are no hard and fast rules, Steelhead fly selection is usually based around water conditions so let’s have a look at what we generally experience in the Pacific Northwest. Many northwestern rivers flow from glacial fields and almost always have some amount of silt present and never or rarely run completely clear. The color of the water flowing from glacial fields has the look of a liquid elementary school chalkboard. It is greenish/grayish in appearance. In general, all rivers will run brown at high water, then to greenish as the water level begins to drop, and then may run clear after a few days to a week of little or no rainfall. Water clarity will play a role in determining fly color and size.

For greenish water and water with limited visibility, you want your fly to stand out so large flies in size 1/0 or 2/0 are a good choice. Steelhead are not going to be spooked by large offerings under such conditions. As for color of the fly, bright maribou flies and/or dark flies are generally a good first choice because they can be distinguished from other debris floating down the river. Everyone has their own favorite fly patterns, but those that provide movement and action will entice more strikes. This movement and/or action is probably the single most important factor responsible for triggering a strike.

When the water is low and clear, especially during summer and fall, large flies may very well spook Steelhead. Smaller, more drab patterns will usually out produce large bright flies.

Steelhead are routinely caught using flies tied on size 6 hooks. Many Steelhead fisherman carry a Summer fly selection and a Winter fly selection, the difference being mainly the size of the flies.

Rain is an important variable in the Steelhead equation. As the rain falls, the rivers begin to rise and this triggers Steelhead to migrate high into their native streams. The rising water and the flush of minerals instill a sense of urgency in Steelhead to migrate upriver. They may move upriver quite quickly and they’ve been documented to travel over 20 miles in a 24-hour period. While rising rivers signal upstream migration, dropping rivers tend to set up ideal fishing conditions. After moving further up their natal rivers, Steelhead become more aggressive. You want to time your trips to target Steelhead after the rains have raised the river and when the water is beginning to drop.

During the winter months, this may give you a very short window to target Steelhead, especially if you only have weekend days off. Especially during the rainy winter months, once you factor in the rains, your days off, and good water conditions you may have only a few days per month with ideal Conditions.

To help you determine the flows for your favorite river, you can check the flows of most river systems by taking advantage of information available on the Internet. The United States Geological Survey, USGS, is the agency responsible for posting real time data related to the affects that weather plays on our river systems (check out http://waterdata.usgs.gov/nwis). By utilizing this site, you can observe hydrographs on many river systems. The hydrographs detail water flows over time and you can use them to your advantage to find optimum fishing conditions.

As previously mentioned, optimum conditions are those where the river is falling, or dropping into shape after significant rainfall. In addition to government sites, there are numerous Fly Fishing forums where you can ask questions about your favorite watershed before heading out the door. It pays to do some research before you leave home.

Light plays another important function in being successful although its affects are much more pronounced during the hot summer months. Some runs are situated such that the sun shines directly into the Steelhead’s eyes at various times of the day. Fish do not have the benefit of eyelids and direct sunlight can be blinding. You should make it a priority to fish those runs that are shaded, or fish them when the light is either off of the water and/or coming from behind the fish so that the fish actually has a chance of seeing your fly. Vegetation along the river can provide shade and you may be able to entice a fish to a fly by fishing in the shaded areas during mid-day.

A few final considerations . . .

Because of the long hours required to hook into Steelhead, every effort must be made to minimize the time it takes to cast and maximize the time your fly spends in the water. It doesn’t matter how good the fishing is, if your fly isn’t wet it won’t catch fish. If you’re using a single-handed rod, don’t make more than two or three false casts before letting your fly settle on the water.

Tie good knots and learn how to tie them fast. I’ve observed anglers taking 10 to 15 minutes while trying to tie on a fly. Just like casting, learn how to minimize down time.

Keep your hooks sharp. You don’t get too many opportunities to hook into a Steelhead so you want to make sure that when it does happen you put the odds in your favor. Through the course of the day your flies come in contact with many objects that dull the hook. Check the hook often and make sure that it is kept sticky sharp.

Pick a run and fish it through thoroughly but it is also important to remember is not to spend too long fishing any one location.

The number one rule is Don’t give up!!! It takes persistence to catch these fish.

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Steelhead nymphs can be fished many different ways, from static dead-drift to a fast paces downstream swing. I have even caught a couple fish stripping rubber legged flies upstream in preparation for another cast.

However, the most effective techniques for my friends and I has been the static dead-drift. This is accomplished much the same as one would nymph for stream trout. When using a strike indicator, I will usually cast upstream using a tuck cast to bring the nymph(s) under the indicator. Upon landing, the flies will not be affected by drag from the indicator, causing them and the leader to sink very rapidly. Fishing along the bottom is very important in most situations, so keeping your flies there longer adds up to more fish hooked.

Mending is another very important facet of the technique. A drag free drift will help keep your nymphs in the strike zone longer and looking more real while they are there. If you notice the line is pulling the indicator downstream at an unnatural speed, pick the line off the water and flip it upstream of the indicator. Drag is a common occurrence while fishing a seam where your flies are on the slow current side and you are standing in fast water, trying to slow your drift down. Often, the indicator will be downstream of you and the line will be moving slower than it, causing the indicator to drag and the flies pulled out of the strike zone to the surface. This can be remedied by flipping line downstream of the indicator or by simply feeding more line out of the guides, and piling it above in the indicator with an underpowered roll cast. Keeping the flies drifting unhindered by the current is of utmost importance, so by default, you must be a confident and skilled mender.

Mike elaborates on the technique: The strike may be subtle or just a slow movement of the indicator. Although summer fish may be aggressive and hammer you fly, winter fish on the other hand often just peck at the fly. Cold-water conditions slow their metabolism, so winter steelhead are slow to move to a fly. When these sluggish fish take the nymph, the indicator may just wobble a slight bit out of its normal trajectory. However nymphing for steelhead in cold water is a very valuable technique. As stated winter fish are slow to move to a fly because of decreased metabolism. Due to this, steelhead will be more likely to take a fly that is placed right in front of them. They will not have to move as much as a fly that is swung to them with the wet fly swing. This is why nymph fisherman frequently catches higher numbers of steelhead then fisherman swinging traditional patterns.

Small water often lends itself to nymphing, but tactics will need to be modified to fish it effectively. When fishing small water less than 30 feet wide at most spots, I often forgo the use of an indicator and instead tightline nymph. This method requires careful line control as most strikes are felt with the rod, rather than seen. While tightline nymphing is easier than indicator nymphing, if you have never done it before, it is a challenge.

Cast your flies (usually heavily weighted, more so than with indicator nymphing) upstream with the same tuck cast, and as the flies land, instantly come tight to the flies with your rod and guide them downstream through the drift with your rod. You want to start the drift with your rod pointed directly upstream, and finish the drift with the rod pointed directly downstream. Because of the heavily weighted flies, you should feel bottom during most of the drift. You don't want drop the rod low enough that the flies snag over bottom, but low enough so they periodically tick rocks. The hook set is accomplished by a wrist snap directly downstream, followed by a burning reel and screaming fisherperson.

Swinging can be an effective technique during certain situations, and Mike has put the method to use while fishing nymphs more often that I. Here is what he has to say: When using your indicator, you can also swing you flies at the end of the drift. Your flies will rise to the surface at the end of the drift, just like during a wet fly swing. At times this natural movement of a bug emerging to the surface is all it takes to get a fish interested. Aggressive summer steelhead will often be enticed when added movement its put into the equation.

Sometimes fish will not respond to a dead drift fly for reasons unknown to man. However, this is most commonly seen under overcast skies. During these conditions, I usually remove the indicator if I am using one and swing slow and deep with the same nymphs. This technique proved deadly on the Grand Ronde later last year, and my buddies and I noticed many spey fishermen converting to more imitative flies, which improved catch rates. As usual with the swing, a strong hook set is not needed. When you feel the strike simply tighten up on the line until you establish a firm connection.

Reading the Water

The ability to understand where steelhead lie during given conditions is undoubtedly the most important skill in a steelhead fisherman's arsenal. Anadromous fish do not use the same lies as fluvial (stream and river resident) fish. Fluvial fish will select lies than allow them to feed easily, and are willing to fight a little more current and expose themselves a little more than anadromous fish to accomplish that. Anadromous fish, on the other hand, will commonly lie where the current is soft, and where they have shelter, regardless of how much food is available to them. Steelhead favor deep slots and seams, which provide cover in the form of large rocks and deep water. Long slow tailouts are also a favorite lie because of the moderate currents available. Log-jams, root balls, and undercut banks all harbor steelhead, but keeping one out of the snags while hooked can be a huge challenge. A simple rule of thumb is; if a system holds bull trout and steelhead, they will often use the exact same spots in the system. If you see bull trout or are catching them, at any time through the year, remember the spot, because it is likely to be holding steelhead, or will be holding steelhead during some time of the year.

An interesting exception to the deeper water rule regarding steelhead is riffles with larger bolders. These are areas where fish can hold behind rocks, where the current is really mellow. While they might be sitting in water than is only a foot and half deep, there will usually be deep water close by in case the fish is spooked. I tend to favor this type of water for nymphing because you can easily work different pockets, and the fish tend to be very aggressive. During the warmer months of the steelhead season (September, October, March, and April around Walla Walla) the fish are often extremely eager to engulf a nymph or egg, and the fight is usually amazing. A hookup followed by a warp-speed retreat downstream into deep water accompanied by a few jumps is commonplace. The landing ratio in this type of water is often low, but each fight leaves you breathless.

Covering Water

When fishing a larger system such as the Deschutes, Clearwater or Grand Ronde I often place multiple drifts over the same spot because fish will sometimes be stacked tight into certain areas and will sometimes be lying at different depths. On the other hand, when fishing small water less than 50 feet wide on average, one or two drifts over a likely spot is almost always enough, and will tell you if there are fish in the area. In skinny water, steelhead hold in defined areas, and almost always on the bottom. I have also noticed that steelhead in small water are more aggressive, and usually take on the first or second good cast.

Oo a large river, fishing through a long run more than once can often pay. I will often times start at the head and work to the bottom, focusing more casts on the pockets and slots. If I get a hookup I will usually move through the run a few more times looking for additional takers. On small water however, I have seldom taken more than one fish from a section of holding water during the same day, however I find it hard to pass by water I have just taken a fish in. One exception is if you hook a steelhead and it comes off just as the fight is getting started. Often times you can get this fish to come back, either right away or on your way back through the pool later in the day.

Hooking, Fighting, and Landing Techniques

Hook-sets are not to be taken lightly when targeting steelhead. These fish have large, tough mouths, so a firm hook-set is key to setting the stage for a successful battle. If at all possible, try to set downstream of the fish by lifting the rod sharply downstream while stripping line. This combination strip-strike has been my most successful setting method. If the nymphs are downstream of you, do not set by lifting the rod, but instead by sweeping it to the side. Lifting the rod will pull the fly upstream and out of a steelhead's mouth before it can establish a firm connection.

Keeping solid, smooth, heavy pressure on the steelhead, as with any large fish, is the best way to land them. Many fish are lost by people who don't tighten up properly, causing the hook to simply drop from the fish's mouth.

Steelhead are large and powerful, and they will do what they wish while on your line. Trying to stop a fish from running or turning downstream often equate to a lost fish. When the fish is doing its thing, lay off. It will most likely stop before that backing knot, and when it does, start reeling.

Often these great fish go air born, which is cause for deep concern to the angler. Loosing a steelhead in mid-air has happened to nearly all experienced angler, but many times this can be avoided. I try to ease up on the pressure when a fish is in the air. Bowing the rod towards the fish has been most effective method in my experience. Sometimes it works, sometimes it does not, but it is the best method I have tried for jumping fish.

Besides the hook-set, the most common place to loose steelhead is during landing. The fish is tired and stressed, however steelhead posses uncommon endurance, and usually manage one more run when you are convinced they are finished. In a fly fisher's haste to land the fish, they often up the pressure, which leads to some sort of tackle failure and a prematurely freed steelhead. Holding the rod high above your head can provide a big angle change on the hook causing it to pull free. I have done best by keeping the rod to my side and walking the fish back into shallow water. This way, it receives smooth, solid pressure, and the angle of the line pulling on the hook stays the same as during the fight.

If I am not going to keep the steelhead, I try to keep it in the water and remove the fly quickly for release. Photos of fish in the water look great, but lifting a fish out of the water for a few seconds carefully also does little harm. While reviving the fish, support its belly under the water with on hand and keep a gentle hand on its tail. Move the fish into the current and face it upstream. Do not move the fish back and forth in the water; instead just hold it steady until it kicks off.

Nymphing Gear

Rod: I like a slower action stick, as they seem to mend very well- a 6-9 weight depending upon the size of the river and size of the fish. Lengths from 9 to 11 feet are perfect because the longer rods mend more effectively. A spey rod is also ideal for nymphing, but that's a whole different game.

Reels: I think above anything a true large arbor reel is very important in steelheading. The ability to pick up line fast and keep that all-important pressure on the fish is key. Also, when a fish is taking line the spool spins more slowly with a large arbor, leading to less knuckling busting reel encounters. I've put a healthy burse on my hand from a spinning reel handle that made it tough to double haul for a few weeks.

Line: A high floating line with a long belly is the most important aspect of a nympher's gear. Sure, you can get it done with a standard weight-forward or double taper line, but having a line with a thick, heavy, high floating head will make mending easier, not to mention casting a cumbersome rig. I really like the Rio Nymph line for this application, it just fishes well, and casts relatively unburdened compared to other lines even with split shot and large flies attached.

Indicators - I have used everything from dry flies to store bought red and white plastic bobbers (to enervate some local spey freaks) as indicators. Here are a few of my favorite:

The Macram Yarn Indicator - Great for light flies and lighter biting fish, will respond to the slightest of strikes. However, these can be hard to cast in larger sizes, also can be hard to see because heavy flies or split shot can sink even large ones with ease. I use this indicator on smaller waters mostly and during low water periods where heavy flies fished deep and long drifts are not needed.

The Corkie - A favorite for big water, these things can float an anvil in bigger sizes, and even when sunk are very visible. I don't so much care if my indicator sinks, but I need to see it, no matter where it is. Corkies get the vote for big water and big flies fished deep. However, Corkies can be tough to cast on smaller rods. Also, it is sometimes difficult to get these to stay put on your line. Rather than fussing with toothpicks, I usually keep about a foot long butt-section in my leader made of 30lb amnesia, which I tie the Corkie to with a single surgeons loop, keeping it in place for good.

The Large Dry Fly: early in the season large dries such as October caddis adults and big grasshoppers make great indicators. They will not stay on the surface or be very visible with large nymphs attached, but for lighter nymphing they are the ticket. You also have the chance of a steelhead eating your dry, which happens more than one would think.

Leader: I normally just use a non-tapered piece of 15lb Maxima or 20lb Rio Flouro-flex plus, from 4 to 12 feet in length depending upon the depth of the water I am fishing. A non-tapered, thin piece of mono or flouro used for the leader will sink much faster than a tapered leader. A tapered leader's thick portion rests at the surface of the water, which is a problem. The current at the surface of a river is always faster than the bottom current, so these thick sections of leader cause the flies to drag in the slower bottom currents, and rise to the surface.

Tippet: I never go less than 8lb test while targeting steelhead and normally use either 10lb maxima or 15lb fluorocarbon. Stronger, thicker tippets roll out better, and let you play fish quicker and more effectively. Since steelhead have a high tolerance for thick line compared to most trout, using heavy tippet usually does not decrease catch rate. Connecting your fly with a loop knot will solve the problem of thick tippets dampening a flies natural action

A Quick Word on Knots

The kind of knots one uses for steelhead are very important because breaking strength changes hugely from knot to knot. Also, a given knot may work better with one type of line than another, with fluorocarbon needing special care because of the possibility of reduced knot strength. My favorite fly to tippet knot is the uni-knot, for its speed of tying and strength. I use a double uni-knot for attaching tippet to leader also, because it is much stronger than a blood or surgeons knot. The Pitzen knot is a favorite of mikes because of the higher strength rating. This is a great knot to attach dropper lines with because of it is stronger than the uni-knot.

Some Notes on Flies

Fly selection for steelhead depends greatly on time of year and location. Since I am covering techniques mainly used on the Snake and middle Columbia river strain steelhead, my fly patterns are somewhat specialized.

Early in the season (August to November), I mainly focus on patterns imitating food found in a steelhead stream. As the season progresses and the fish move towards spawning time, flies imitating the eggs of steelhead increase in effectiveness. Also, as the season nears spawning time, steelhead drop eggs at an increased rate. Even well before the fish will spawn hens will be dropping eggs, which show up in the drift. It seems steelhead reflexively will go out of their way to eat an egg, so it is important to capitalize on this opportunity.

This list includes the flies I most commonly use for steelhead in my area. Most major categories of nymphs and attractor patterns are represented.

The Copper John
 

Hook: size 4-12 caddis nymph hook, 2x heavy
Tail: 2 Biots, splayed from hook
Body: Copper Wire, in brass, olive, red, or purple
Wingcase: Thinskin, with a coating of UV knot sense
Legs: Centipede legs
Thorax: pure mylar dubbing or ice-dub
Weight: Gold or Tungsten Gold bead, and lead wire under Thorax

The Copper John is my most effective pattern, probably because it imitates so many different bugs at once. The red and olive versions alone cover most caddis, stone, and mayfly nymphs. Heck, if you put enough bright red dubbing in the thorax, it would probably pass for an egg. Thank you John Barr, I owe you a few steelhead fillets or something.

Wired Stone

Hook: size 2-10 straight or curved shank nymph hook, 3x long
Tail: 2 biots
Body: Variegated wire, most useful in black/red or copper/red
Wingcase: 3 pieces of thin skin, cut to shape
Legs: 3 sets of biots
Thorax: pure mylar dubbing or Gartside secrete stuff (not ice dub, needs to be more spikey)
Weight: Lead wire through thorax, and gold or black bead

I don't follow the recipe exactly for this one, but my version has always worked well for me. The profile of a stonefly is represented shockingly well in this fly. Fished with an egg, this fly completes the perfect steak and eggs breakfast that steelhead like so well later in the season.

Prince Nymph

Hook: size 4-14
Tail: 2 rubber legs or biots
Body: Peacock ribbed with gold tinsel
Wingcase: Two white biots layed flat along the body
Legs: Brown hackle swept back wet fly style
Weight: Glass or Gold bead, lead wire optional

This is my favorite low water steelhead fly. The attractive, general profile this fly gives looks like a whole lot of bugs, both terrestrial and aquatic. I think the white coloring of the biots is very important, something that steelhead really like. I have also had success fishing this fly on the swing with a dry line.

The Short Buser

Hook: size 2-4 4x long streamer hook
Tail: Black rubber legs, cut long
Body: Very buggy mylar dubbing
Legs: 3 sets of very long black rubber legs
Weight: Brass bead or lead eyes, and a gross amount of .30 lead wire

The Short Buser is a very large, very heavy pattern. It is the only fly that I have ever caught a steelhead on my first cast of the day with, so I like it. This fly is stupidly easy to tie, nothing more than a dubbing brush and a lot of rubber legs. The Buser is usually my point fly when fishing high water. It will sink the other flies without the use of split shot. The Buser presents a big profile and a lot of movement, while hugging the bottom in large currents. I loose a lot of these flies, so it important to be able to tie them fast. You can pound off one of these babies in around 2 minutes if you weight and bead a batch of hooks before you tie. This fly makes a loud crash when it lands often times, sending scowls of disproval from fellow fishermen, until they see you set the hook midway through the drift.

The generic egg:

Hook: egg or saltwater gamagatsu
Body: krystal egg or glow bug yarn, spun and clipped

What can I say- super simple fly that takes fish, one of the best for late in the season. Beads fishes as a simple tube fly will also take fish when egg flies are working.

Double Bunny
 

Back hook: Gamagatsu octopus or siawash hook, size 2-6
Front hook: 3x long streamer hook, size 6
Connection: 40lb super line, doubled
Body: Two rabbit strips, connected with bunny's milk
Head: Purple Polar Chenille and lead eyes

The Double Bunny is a great leach/minnow imitation that really slithers through the water. I think it is a simpler tie than the MOAL leach, while being equally effective. Purple, black, and olive/white are my favorite colors to fish the double bunny in. Steelhead dislike minnows, so this fly will sometimes get slammed when the fish pass up other nymphs. Putting a pink or deep orange bead in front of the bunny loose on the line can up the catch rates, and has for me.

A Balance

Steelhead are very hard to catch in most cases. This is not because of the intelligence of the fish, but rather the low number of fish per mile. We should be grateful that the Fish and Game Department does not publish fish per mile counts concerning steelhead. Depression is widespread enough, and fishermen on prozak are a sorry lot.

Nymphing will help increase the catch rates of fisherman, but I have only felt it was unfair a few times in a few hundred trips. When there are low water conditions, it is possible to take large numbers of fish from a pool that is difficult for steelhead to pass until the water rises. On small rivers, it has gotten to the point where I have taken the same wild fish more than once. When things like this start happening, it is time to move on and give these fish a rest. I don't much care if they are hatchery fish, but in my mind things change when there are wild fish in the equation. Around here, true wild fish run much larger than hatchery fish, posses deeper bodies, fight harder, and are often in better conditions. I would rather take one 12-lb wild fish than ten 5-lb hatchery fish. For this reason, I do my best to minimize my impact on wild fish, because I just really want more of them to be around. I suppose I could stop fishing rivers where they frequent, but I think there are better ways. I feel like I am preaching to the choir, but doing things like helping out with your local Fish and Game branch or conservation groups with either time or money, picking up trash, and helping stop poaching makes a big difference. There are much bigger issues that are, for the time, out of our control. However, anything done to help is infinitely better than nothing.

Enjoy nymphing for what it is, a difficult, engaging, fun and effective method for taking steelhead. If it objects to your moral or traditional fundamentals, by all means pass it by. The object of fishing is to have fun, so do what does.