West coast,

1.After fighting and landing a steelhead, is it safe to continue to fish the same spot assuming it will be productive or do I navigate either up or down stream as I've disturbed that area?
2. Does the rise or fall of barimetric pressure serve as an indicator for potentially improved fishing situations? If so, which is the best time to go?
3. With the spring thaws on their way, I can expect fluctuations in levels and at times fairly drastic. When the river begins to receed, how soon should I wait before returning (i.e low and clear or I can return during receed)?

Hey welcome! I had a responce and went to submit, bam, back to login. Here are some quick answers to these great questions. 1: Don't leave fish to find fish after the picture and release or bonk and punch you have gave the hole plenty of rest. 2: I watch the air pressure when fishing the bays and lakes but it is never a game changer. Try to fish the 8 or so hours after a low is pushed out by a high. 3: Checking river flow is a great tool, if you see a rise with a crest hook, be there, don't think it could use another day, with the low snow count I would not sit home this year for anything short of a flood
Hope this helps, best of luck

Dave,
Wish I had low snow this year. I'm the newbie from Cleveland learning some west coast tricks. Floods will come with 2 1/2 feet of snow sitting in my front yard. I am game for any input I can get as this is my 3rd month into the Steelhead journey. I caught my first a few weeks ago .... 3.5 - 4 lbs of adrenaline. So I am putting pieces together and trying to break the code. Thanks for the info

Winter steelhead over here on the west side are all about water and rain. When the river comes up they push up river very fast. As the river begins to drop they start to slow down a bit and hold. The rivers you will be fishing I do not think depend on either of the above and I believe fish move in daily. It would be safe to say the best fishing should be on the drop but those great lakes fish are moving into the rivers whenever they like! You probably would be wise to treat it like we do here and wait to plan a trip for when the river is on its way back down after coming up.

Oops, I must of read your post wrong. Your picture background should of been a big hint that you were not on the leftcoast. Ok, as Mr. Hollywood said there are alot of the same patterns with ours and Lake Erie steelhead. If you are looking to read up on locals that have it dialed in, their are two that come to mind. First would be Jim Bedford, he is an icon on both coasts, his spinner fishing info in
Great Lakes waters and over here is gold. The other would be Jim Butler, an Ontario area center pin jig fisherman who does the micro jig/wax worm'n thing and much more on Canadian rivers close to you. Have you ever trolled for steelhead out on the lake? Hope this helps Keep us posted, and the jigs that Chad ties here would be killer on your waters!

Would be?


They are!!!

A lot of guys on the east coast love the white hybrid micros as well as the white vibra micros and the new white-shrimp steel candy. White seems to be all they use on the east coast!

greg wrote:Would be?


They are!!!

God bless ya!

hollywood wrote:A lot of guys on the east coast love the white hybrid micros as well as the white vibra micros and the new white-shrimp steel candy. White seems to be all they use on the east coast!

Chad, do you think it's a water clearity thing or is it like pink over here? I almost feel that we have conditioned the fish...sometimes

I am not sure but we were having a rough day yesterday on the Alsea until Daniel put on something white! Just like that we had four chances at steelhead ending with two nice fish! I have caught steelhead on the Alsea and Siuslaw on white micro jigs. I think it is a numbers game. Most people use pink over here and most use white on the East coast. That is why larger numbers are hooked or reported by each group. I bet I could out-fish someone using black-purple micro jigs throughout the year with someone using pink the whole year. I think its in what you use more than the color. Some days one color might work better than another but for the most part all jig colors will work. On the Coquille river last week Daniel hooked two and missed two with the black and later got one on pink. I fished pink most of the day along with a lot of other colors and did not hook up until I used roe. Who knows what steelhead actually are thinking! I tell you what I will be tying up some white micro jigs very soon. We missed two fish yesterday and were able to follow with the same color and get those fish. And they were violent take downs, like mine went down so fast and started rocketing up river. They really wanted it and normally a steelhead will just hold your bait or lure and the float will slowly go under.

Coooool, Well thats the nice thing about a site where people can share these tidbits that put fish on the rod! Daniel has changed the way I fish the PW, no longer will I waist time with the threader

My dad fished Elk creek last year in PA and did well with the darker color jigs. I think fish behave pretty much the same anywhere you go.

To respond to all of the above;

Greg, I'm not sure if you were responding to a suggestion that was given..... however, I was confused. I've observed that you take a little haranging here and there. Be strong my friend! I'm all about banter and humor, but until I'm a solid neighbor in the stalker community, I'll take my left coast lumps before I share a little east side love. Go easy on me boys

Chad, It seems there's a demand placed on pink on this end as well. I guess you bustin' balls on the use of pink on the spade worm post the other day. Thanks for the comments on white as I will add to the evolving arsenal. I have next week off. After a few forecasted warm days ahead, I'm anticipating receding waters closer to Monday and will dabble with jigs. Are jigs going to be utilized in the same fashion as worms or spawn that I am currently using with a float?

Dave, your comments with regard to water conditions and pressures has prompted me to pool some water activity data info together from US geological and other surveys to allow me to keep tabs on conditions that'll save some unnecessary trips. The thought did derive from the sites river reports since low - clear in the Umpqua wasn't going to do me a lick of good. I put something together for reference for the rivers I visit. Thanks for the east side local names as well.

I will remain loyal to the Stalkers though. This is really the most interactive and informative site that I've found..period. Nice work Chad and Daniel Thanks in advance and I'm hopeful to begin to give you feedback with positive results..... and get some real fish in my gallery.

PS Last two trips I've sunk into creek chub or suckers (ie. Lunker 8) Anything I 'm doing to feed them instead of the steel or is that justa product of the environment?

Yep fish the jigs like you would under a float. We use a sliding float setup and there is a video on how we rig that up on the website. Bobber stop, bead, float, inline weight or sliding sinker, leader with two small split shot lightly attached and then your jig.

I presume the sliding float allows for verticle movement if the water depth lessens ?

I am going to order some vibra UV's....can you recommend a 10-20 pack with color/size/style variations?

thnx

Bobberslob said

the jigs that Chad ties here would be killer on your waters

And I said Would be? They are KILLER!

Yes, I do take more than my fair amount of BS on here.

Just read the threads called Applegate and Umpqua.. My next ones are going to named Rogue and Chetco so I can finish out Southern Oregon!

Dave said

The other would be Jim Butler, an Ontario area center pin jig fisherman who does the micro jig/wax worm'n thing and much more on Canadian rivers close to you. Have you ever trolled for steelhead out on the lake?

Nice calls as I am currently reading Butler's book 'Steelhead Float Fishing - Modern Techniques'. I've trolled Lake Erie from age seven thru twenty-eight, but for Walleye. Know the lake like the back of my hand......just much deep waters around the Bass Islands to Canadian waters. My cousin is an avid Summer Lake Erie Steelheader. Guess what I'm considering when the rivers empty after the spring?

Johnny, glad to see you are reading all that is available on float fishing. I wish that Steelhead Stalkers (and Al Gore's internet) was around when I was starting out Steelhead'n. Use all the resources you can find, it will excellerate your catch rate and lessen the frustration.