Along the Alsea River, when the temperatures drop and the fog settles in, is one of my favorite places to fish for steelhead.
The tips in this edition of Steelhead Tips, are mostly about technique. Except for the first tip:
1:
Thank-you for NOT LITTERING. The trash in the photo above is from a lower form of human being.
2:
Enjoy and respect wildlife, including fish. In the times we live in, poaching is unacceptable. If you see an adipose, recognize the need for special care. Be sure to not "over-fight" a fish. If you must have a photo, do it in less than six seconds. What this means is your shooter should be ready, and you should be ready as well. Have pliers in your back pocket, to release the fish skillfully, quickly, and efficiently.
3:
The SEAMS.
The fishing water where myself and this Great Blue Heron like to hang out, is a classic steelhead haunt. They tend to pause, as the water has bottlenecked, creating a delay of sorts. Steelhead rest in these spots, gathering steam to run this whitewater beauty. The seams that run parallel to the fastest water, are where fish will move as they run upriver. Learning to target these seams, is an essential tactic for successful steelheading.
4:
Tailouts are also holding points to target, and targeting the tailout should never be passed up. The tailouts tend to be easy to fish, as water is moving at fishable speed. Getting lures down and working is not a chore in the tailouts, and the "swing" of the drift ends up in the seam, which was Tip 1.
5:
Longer poles have many benefits. The longer the rod, the more parabolic bend, which absorbs the energy of an acrobatic steelhead. The taller stance of say, a ten foot steelhead pole, will keep line from the reel to the lure, off the water. This will result in less drag and a more natural presentation. I find the longer poles, nine feet and longer, to be easier to cast and balanced perfectly. The longer rod does present "space" issues, but has never been cumbersome.
6:
Light Line. Mostly 8 Pound Test. I fish tiny presentations, even in darker, emerald green water. In low, gin-clear water, I drop leader down to the 6LB variety, and leaders are longer. Adapting to conditions, is essential to catching fish consistently. The river is always changing, and so should you.
7:
Take Me Fishing! Kids love to fish. Teach them well, and take great joy in watching.
8:
Sharp Hooks are the number one factor in successful steelheading. Learn to sharpen hooks. I tend to use soft angles and clean, but short strokes, with a steel file. I use the same kind of file that I use in my carpentry. Keep hooks sticky, tack sharp.
9:
Classic fishing holes were defined as, places that steelhead would seem to frequent. Figuring out what paths they prefer, on the journey upstream, should be the goal of any steelheader. Think like a fish. The steelie hole has five main parts: The Transition, The Heart, The Seam, The Channel, and The Tailout.
The Transition is really above the fishing hole, and is generally the place where water is slow, but picking up speed into a chute or riffle. The Transition is a great place to target fish. These fish will sometimes pause here, in the slowish, oxygen laden water, after swimming through a tough stretch of whitewater.
The Heart is fast, at the center of the uppermost part of the hole. It is generally whitewater and fishable at the eddies that swirl around. With a ton of lead, some fishermen try to fish the superfast waters.
The Seam we have discussed, but to refresh our memory, just try to remember that steelhead are efficient, and will take the path with the best cover, combined with the least resistance. I have fished those seams, just a foot away from churning fast water, and I have been successful often.
Fly fisherman on the lower Alsea River.
The Channel is the main flow, and sometimes is too fast to fish effectively. But in the right spots, like slower water, or a fast channel with pockets, can be fished. The channel could be called a pool, as the deepest water usually exists here. At its highest flow, it is tough to fish, but as the water moves downriver, the pool becomes emerald green and perfect for holding steelhead. Often, because of the cover and the oxygen that is in the deep, moving waterflow, fish can be stacked up in the channel.
The Tailout might be the most popular of fishing spots. The tailout provides a nice drift, easy to get lures down deep, and the tailing water tends to move at perfect fishing speed, walking speed. Fish will often hold in this oxygen rich, slower, but still deep water. Learn to fish this water in phases. First, fish the seam on this side of the tailout, as that is the most obvious traveling path. Then, work the middle and the far side of the stream. Just remember to work all of the water you fish. Be thorough...
10:
Up north, in Washington and Canada, the 1980s were a time when steelheading was "advanced" in some ways, in regard to the classic steelhead hole. Up there, on some big streams, fishermen started fishing more water. The idea was to be more aggressive, and smart. At some point, these fish are at every point on the river. Utilizing this knowledge became tactics for finding fish in odder places. Slower water, big channels, and the meandering parts of the stream became focus points. Which is Tip #10, fish any water that is colored enough. If it is very green and moving, I will cast to it.
This tactic can use less weight, and drift slower, so pay attention and make subtle adjustments to find a comfortable drift for your lure.
By this time next year, if we all cooperate, we will see less trash on the river, and more fish in the bag. Study water, and your gear, and learn both exceptionally well, and enjoy!
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