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Angling Publications - Index

Angling Publications - april2008 - Index

of the redd and cast an egg pattern or
nymph so it reaches stream bottom as
it drifts through the redd. Mend your
line to maintain a dead-drift and keep a
tight line so you are able to quickly set
the hook. Try to visually follow your fly
through the redd so that you target the
males and react quickly to their takes. The
strike can be out of protective aggression
(where it is not unusual for them to chase
a fly), or can be induced by multiple fly
drifts through the redd (the strike zone
is much smaller with this take).
5 Avoid foul hooking fish when sight
fishing a redd or adjacent holding areas
by watching for mouth movement and
head shaking versus body movement,
which normally means the steelhead is
trying to get out of the way of the fly.
6 A good alternate strategy is to target
steelhead that are located below spawning
redds by dead-drifting egg patterns
and nymphs. These fish are usually
“unpaired” and are opportunistically
feeding on eggs drifting down from the
redds. They are also looking for drifting
nymphs, such as stoneflies and caddis
larvae, which have been kicked up by
females in the redd further upstream. If
unable to sight fish, use a strike indicator
to detect strikes on the drift.
7Use winter tactics in the spring (such as
dead-drift indicating and bottom-bouncing)
to catch pre-spawn fish located near
spawning redds when water temperatures
dip back into the lower 30s.
8 Drop-back steelhead have expended a
lot of energy in spawning activities, and
develop voracious appetites. They will
often take flies with abandon, particularly
swung streamers, woolly buggers
and tube flies.
9 Fly brightness and size is more important
than fly color, especially in low light
and stained water conditions.
10 Another technique is to stand
directly upstream of the redd, without
spooking the steelhead, and drop a
streamer or woolly bugger right down
onto their noses. You can sweep it back
and forth in front of the fish, or just hold
it stationary. Amazingly, this technique
can induce some tremendous strikes from
spawning steelhead (especially males).
11On many occasions you won’t be
able to see spawning fish very well on the
redd. This is usually the result of spring
run-off, which causes high, turbid water,
or a spawning redd with a dark bottom.
The dead giveaway, however, is the female
as she turns on her side, her tail shakes
giving off flashes of silver or gold in turbid
water. Wearing polarized glasses on bright
days is a tremendous help in seeing these
flashes. Mentally mark this spot in the
stream and fish to areas just downstream
where the males will be holding.
12 When spring steelhead fishing
starts to become marginal on small- to
mid-size tributaries (due to low flows
and warm water temperatures), switch
to some of the bigger tributaries which
typically fish well into the spring.
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