Go to steelhead lures

[Katmai Guy]

4"pink worm drifted like a bead or corky.

[metlhead]

Pocket full of these

[JimmyHoffa]

Depends on the river.
For one river, an orange corky; another river is the pink worm under the float; the other river (especially in summer) is a black/purple jig under a float.

[Cultusman]

 
 Back when there was Steelhead it was green yarn and eggs all day long.

[Skyvalhunter]

All day long every day and egg clusters

[spoonman]

I fish steelhead weekly and I would say 95% of the steelhead I catch come on spoons. BC Steel or the original little Cleo, all other spoons are sub par.

[nwwanderer]

Some days the dupont special

[Bullkllr]

Impossible to narrow it to one as different situations require different presentations:
"Rag" with multi-colored yarn
Spin-glo in various sizes
Hard to beat shrimp or eggs anytime
Spinner:winter- #5-4 silver/summer #3-4 brass
Spoon: same general finish as spinners
Jig: original bead-bodied "Leo" with pink tail
Plug: herring bone Tadpolly

[D-Rock425]

I've never caught a steelhead on a spoon.

[7mmfan]

I grew up basically only pulling plugs for steelhead. The herringbone tadpoly Bullkllr referenced has been the demise of hundreds and hundreds of steelhead in our boat. Maybe more. Followed closely by metallic pink, and Cop Car.

More recently, say last 10 years, done far less plug pulling and far more drift fishing and float fishing. 4"- 5" worms in various shades of pink, and yarn balls in flame/cerise, cerise/white have accounted for a significant number of fish. The bead has been responsible for thousands though.

[Pinetar]

I grew up basically only pulling plugs for steelhead. The herringbone tadpoly Bullkllr referenced has been the demise of hundreds and hundreds of steelhead in our boat. Maybe more. Followed closely by metallic pink, and Cop Car.

More recently, say last 10 years, done far less plug pulling and far more drift fishing and float fishing. 4"- 5" worms in various shades of pink, and yarn balls in flame/cerise, cerise/white have accounted for a significant number of fish. The bead has been responsible for thousands though.

  In the picture

[IFunk]

A yarnie soaked in nectar drifted behind a pencil lead is my first choice.  #3 blue fox and little cleos are runners up.

[SeaRun1]

All time favorite would be the spoon.  BC Steel and Rvrwagglr (?) is 50/50 or black.  Upstream or downstream spoons are a blast to fish.

SR1

[ridgefire]

When I used to do aot of steelheading the 50/50 Rivrwaggler was my go to. Another good one for me was a pink pearl corkie with some peach yarn and a little shrimp oil. Those two
lures have put quite a few steelhead on the bank on the Skykomish. 

[Alchase]

I have been a tried and true corkie and yarn (various colors depending on conditions) or Daredeveil (red and white) Steelie fisherman most my life. With a few plunking hits on Spin-N-Glows along the way. And I have had pretty good luck.
I tried pink worms off and on when not getting bites, because I read they do good on Piscatory Pursuits back in the day. Never had a bite off a pink worm.
My question to those of you that have had luck with pink worms, are they good only from boat?
And Those that jig, it seems this is very effective on the coastal rivers. Is it worth trying on the Puget Sound rivers?