Summer Steelhead

[MountainWalk]

Could anyone tell a new steelheader what are the three best baits and presentations for a summer steelhead?.. Ive only fished for them a few times in the winter.

[tmike]

Are you banking or boating and how big of a river? I don't know all the best baits but mine would be sandshrimp, sandshrimp, and sandshrimp in that order 

[MountainWalk]

Bankfishing and wading . Most likely the Hoko, Seiku, or Physt.

Eggs will not work?

[jackelope]

shrimp.

eggs might but i think they are more looked at as a winter run bait.

[Goldeneye]

Eggs work, just thumbnail sized baits.

Here's my order for drift fishing:

1) Sandhrimp

2) Eggs

3) Smallest corky you have and a touch of yarn in the egg loop..  Color is what best suits the river your on.  They are all a little different.

[tmike]

Eggs will work fine. Actually Summerruns are real aggressive and will take just about anything. Jigs, nightcrawlers, corkies, spoons. My favorite is feeling them chew on a sandshrimp. Those rivers you mention are super low it might be a tidal show. I know the Boggy has summerruns up the road from there.

[BigGoonTuna]

eggs work great for all steelhead, but so do shrimp, prawns, nightcrawlers etc.  i save my eggs for salmon fishing because more often than not, that's all a big king will touch when they hit the rivers   for steelhead it's more important just to get something in front of their face.

by far, the easiest way to catch a summer run is on a bobber and jig.  i like pink, peach, red, and red/black and nightmare color combinations.  don't limit yourself to jigs though.  bait(eggs, shrimp etc) under a bobber is deadly, and yarn balls and small spoons(like dick nites) are very effective as well.

also, bring some spinners and spoons.  for most summer conditions, #3 spinners are really the only size necessary.  silver works best early in the morning and in turbid conditions, copper is great all around, and black for bright days or spooky fish.

drift fishing still catches the majority of my steelhead year-round, but for summer time you'll want to gear down.  most places i won't use any heavier than 8# leader, and sometimes use 6#, with a #2 or 4 hook, corky or yarn optional(i like to use a small corky).  put on a tiny piece of shrimp or prawn and just enough weight to tick it along the bottom.  more often than not that means just a couple split shot 10" or so above the hook..

[tmike]

That post just about covers it. One other thing I like to do on small streams is cover a lot of water. Park a rig a few miles downstream and work your way back to it. Some people like to work upstream as to not spook fish, but I like going downstream it's easier  Plus aggressive fish will usually take the first 1 or 2 offerings if presented right.

[elkspert]

Jigs under a float. Maybe even try a small piece of sandshrimp on the jig. Try to spot  fish and keep pounding them,show them the whole menu a couple of times.

[lazydrifter]

I've used sandshrimp, eggs, and the 50 - 60 count per pound shrimp that you buy at the grocery store.  Tear the meat out of the shell and use small pieces.  Use either really small corkies or small pieces of yarn. Pale pink has been my best color.

[Hoytstaffshooter83]

jig/bobber its the most versatile presentation and hooks fish when bait wont

[MountainWalk]

Thanks fellows!

I'm pretty new at it and only did it in the winter a few times on the sol duc. Didn't catch any, but saw a fellow land a nice one, and I decided, "Thats for me!."

Thanks for the help.

[tlbradford]

My favorite is eggs and a bobber.  If I can get above the holes then my favorite technique is running a small hotshot into the holes using a fly rod for extra reach. 

[MountainWalk]

So methodology is pretty much the same as during the winter runs? Basic same presentation?.

The Sol Duc was pretty hard core. I over estimated my skill a little bit. One time I crossed the river at a lower spot, fished and had fun, but when it came time to leave, getting back over was nowhere near as easy. Wheww, pretty dang scary for a bit.

[BigGoonTuna]

for me it is, i just usually downsize my gear.  actually, the gear i use is more related to what water conditions are than summer vs winter.  now, the TYPE of water you find the fish in is going to be different between summer and winter, those summer runs really like the frothy stuff because it's got a lot more oxygen, while you'll find the winter steelhead in the slower water.