The anticipation’s killing me, and I still have a few days to wait. The Wisconsin tributaries of Lake Superior will open for Steelhead this coming Saturday, March 28. And it’s not just open for steelhead, either: cohos, browns, and brookies are possible as well! So out come the waders, fly rod, and long spinning rod, and up I’ll go to partake of this yearly ritual.
I’m no purist when it comes to trout. I’ll be fishing with both fly and spinning gear, with artificials and “live” bait. I’ll let the fish tell me what they want to strike, though over the years I’ve narrowed bait selection and presentation down to a few, trusty go-to options.
In terms of bait selection, my choices include crawlers, spawn bags, stonefly nymph imitations, and yarn spawn. I’ve got a buddy who is now swearing by wax worms, but I haven’t tried them, so I won’t comment (yet!). I’ve fished all of these baits with both fly and spinning gear, but some factors and modifications need to be considered.
For the fly rod setup, for example, I like spooling up with semi-heavy monofilament rather than fly line. I don’t make any long casts, really, just pitch n’ drifts through tasty looking runs and holes. The mono has less drag and is more controllable in heavy current, so you have a better response time to any strike. A strike is defined as any change of movement in the line. If it pauses, stops, twitches, changes directions, or just looks or feels funny, set the hook! The key is to always be on a tight line, which is why longer casts in heavy current are less effective. Not that I haven’t caught steelhead by casting to the opposite river bank. I have, but I was using my 8’6″ spinning rod, and I’ve missed more fish than I’ve caught when using longer casts. The line bellies too much, you tend to be late on the strike, and there’s too much “feel” in the line. The fish will often drop the bait before you can drill a hookset, which is also less powerful because of line stretch.
Drifting your bait through likely looking holding zones is the ticket. Wade to within 10′ of the run, spool off some line, then pitch the bait upstream into the run. Use enough weight to get the bait to the bottom quickly, and so that your bait is ticking off the bottom every couple of feet. Keep your rod tip up, and allow the current to do the work, with your line tight and your rod leading the bait downstream. When the line reaches the end of the drift, pick it up once and drop it back down. Nothing? Try several drifts before you move on to the next run.
The biggest steelhead I’ve ever hooked took a crawler on the first pass through a run near the bank. The line stopped, I set the hook, and for the next half hour I had the fight of my life. I actually got a look at her a few moments after hookset. She rose in the dark water and turned, creating a huge boil, and then in one run ran off 45 yards of line downstream in less time than it takes to tell it. I estimate the fish went around 32″, a dark purple holdover “river” fish from the looks of her, one that had stayed in the river over the winter. I was new to steelheading at the time, and was using a 6′ spinning rod with 6lb test. I followed her downriver as she made screeching runs down, then back and forth across current. I had no net, no buddy, and no luck with that fish. On her last side-current run she veered near the bank, and suddenly the pulsing in the rod stopped, though it was still bent double in my hands. I reeled up to a stick that was embedded in the bank under water. Apparently she had rubbed the corner of her mouth against the stick, where she deposited my hook, along with all hopes of a once-in-a-lifetime catch. My perspective changed after that encounter, however, and now I’m geared up properly for these powerful, gorgeous fish.
In my next post I’ll include a recipe for salmon and larger trout I tried out on the family the other night. Grilled or broiled Salmon Jubilee. You’ll have to catch the next installment for the meaning of Jubilee, however! Get my drift?
