Steelhead

[ffbowhunter]

So I am a second year steelheader without success. My buddies and I are headed to the Kalama Thursday. We like to try new rivers. We will be bank fishing. I typically try bait (shrimp or eggs) or I will run a jig. I have heard pink worms can be successful. Basically I'm looking for a new set up. Any help would be great!

[PolarBear]

Pink worms tend to work better in dirty water and on native fish, in my experience.  I'm a yarn ball guy and (not to brag) but usually out fish my buddies 2-1 with them even when they are slinging bait.

[jrod]

Make sure YER getting down to the bottom when you fish jigs!!   Bounce that that jig of the rocks.  You'll know cause yer jig head will start gettin chips of paint of it!   

[hunthard]

Try the Cowlitz by Blue creek, lots more fish than the Kalama right now.

[WSU]

Pick a technique and master it.  Jigs are a great place to start. You'll likely get good faster if you stick with one method

[Bullkllr]

I agree with what PolarBear,JRod and WSU said above.

In a nutshell, it's likely not what you are using on your hook that is making a difference in your success. It's far more likely it's how and where you are using it.

The truth is steelhead can be caught on many lures/baits. A hunk of yarn knotted onto a hook is as attractive as anything needs to be to catch fish. The main advantage to different methods (drifting, running floats, spinners, spoons,plugs, etc.) is that each can be an advantage in different kinds of water.

I would add:
Fish where there are fish- in terms of which river, which stretch, and where the fish lay in that particular piece of water.
If others near you catch fish, consider how/where they were presenting their bait/lure to get it bit.

[Damnimissed]

I really hate to say it but you should start fishing beads under a float. A buddy and I hooked 7 the other day. 4 on jigs and 3 on beads, after we had worked the spot with jigs. They are stupid simple but deadly. I'm finally just starting to warm up to them after fighting it for so long lol

[Henrydog]

Find "off Da Hook" and follow him. I am kidding.  Try a drop shot with weight on bottom and leader running 8" above with your same bait.  Bounce it down the river on a dead drift

[7mmfan]

If catching steelhead is on the docket for you, you really need to pick one or two techniques and master them. The term "master" might sound daunting, but if you fish much, and you begin catching a few, you'll learn what works and what doesn't real fast.

Number one, the key to catching steelhead is knowing where they are. Being able to read water and know where the fish will hold consistently will catch you more fish than anything. That leads me to my next point.

My suggestion is to pick two variations of float fishing. Float fishing is the easiest to master and you get the most instantaneous feedback from it (I.E. set to deep, not enough weight, to much weight, was it a bite or not, etc...) It also gives you a visual reference point for where you are in the pool, which is difficult to do when drift fishing. Being able to know exactly where your gear was when that fish bit will help you connect the dots much faster on what kind of water holds fish and what doesn't. You will also lose less gear. This is essential to success. You will inevitably lose tackle, if you don't lose some, you're not fishing close enough to the bottom, But the more time your gear is in the water fishing instead of you retying, the better your odds of catching are.

The two float fishing techniques I would use are float/jig, which it sounds like you already do some of, and float fishing beads or yarn. Below are two links. One is a google image link on how to set up a bobber dogging setup, this is how you would fish beads or yarn. The other is a youtube video going over the setup and a weight system that works extremely well for this technique.

I've caught far more steelhead on a bead or yarn under a float than any other technique. If you fish these setups with confidence, you will catch fish. You just have to get it in front of them.

For beads, in normal winter water flows/clarity, use a 10, 12, or 14 mm bead in bright red, orange, or pink. They all catch.

For yarn, get a snelled bait leader, cut 2 or 3 colors of yarn in 1" sections, and slip them into the bait loop. Fluff the yarn and trim into a ball about the size of a nickel, and you're good to go. If you can use scent, put a little shrimp or anise scent in the yarn.

These two setups will cover 95% of all steelhead situations you encounter. I use jigs often in really fast bouldery water because they don't hang up as much and they get to the bite zone asap. With jigs I usually fish smaller than most, using 1/16 or 1/8 oz jigs. Any fishy color scheme can work but I really like what they call a "Nightmare" pattern. It is a white head/red body/black tail.  Fish it with confidence.

A lot of guys say use bait. Bait works, clearly. But as a new fisherman, spending time in the water is more important. If you use eggs or shrimp, you will spend more time rebaiting than fishing. If you can gain confidence catching fish without bait, then you will catch that many more on bait once you are experienced. Steelhead are not particularly hard to catch, its finding them and presenting your lure/bait to them in a way that doesn't spook them.

Hopefully that helps, that's my     on the subject.

https://www.google.com/search?site=&tbm=isch&source=hp&biw=1440&bih=807&q=bobber+dogging+for+steelhead&oq=bobber+dogging+&gs_l=img.1.0.0l2j0i10i24l2j0i24l6.1073.6962.0.9234.15.12.0.3.3.0.238.1239.7j3j1.11.0....0...1ac.1.64.img..1.14.1291.P03Q_hCNXC0