Steelhead and Jigs

[huntnphool]

You took your blackberry fishing, not a bad pic from a phone. Nice fish.

[M_ray]

You guys are funny defending the method you are the most comfortable with!!! It's not the method used that will out fish another when you are talking about catching Steelhead it's the FISHERMAN! If you are not willing to use a float when the water in front of you dictates then you are missing fish and vise versa!!! There are different drifts in every river for instance if you insist on ONLY drift fishing the Sol Duc then you are in for a long day loosing gear and not catching much. If you are confident in a bait then guess what? that's what you will use 90% of the time ... So what do you think you will catch 90% of your fish on??? Not rocket science there  
It is much publicized and has been debated many, many times by the experts and Drift fishing is the most difficult method because most don't feel the pick up, it is for me my favorite method but I like catching fish more than I like any particular method. The second most difficult method might surprise you but spoon fishing when done right is not as easy as it looks and IF done right under the right conditions will slay them. Most think it's not a difficult so they don't present their bait correctly but even done wrong will cover lots of water and produce but you will most likely miss many fish and not even know it. Bobber fishing is not difficult but you can still present your bait wrong either too shallow or too deep and if you don't use proper line control you will spook or miss fish completely. Plug fishing done wrong will also cover lots of water and still produce but if you have a good oarsman with excellent boat control you will do better than most but not hard to tell when you get a bite of coarse.

Bottom line is??? If you are stuck on one method you are missing opportunities period!!! Once you give into this fact and use what the water in front of you dictates then you will be one of the 10% of Steelheaders that catch 90% of the fish!  

[MtnMuley]

Very well written M ray.   Even the "oarsman" part!

[Turkeyman]

 

[tomy salami]

There is NO technique of fishing that works in 100% of the water you encounter......

If a chap is proficient with 3 different ways of fishing, and is very good with one, he will take 95% of the fishermen to  the woodshed.

Floats, drift gear, hardware, plugs all have a time and a place. Knowin what the hell to do with them is another story.

Pick a poison, and get good at it. Have a home stretch of water, know it, its flows, its colors. Expand territory, and repeat.

It is not the tools, but it most certainly is the mechanic. Log it. 

[M_ray]

Very well written M ray.  Even the "oarsman" part!

  I liked that part too! And believe me that is a big word for this guy with a little x-mas cheer in him!!! 

[WAcoueshunter]

drift fishing WILL NOT OUTFISH BOBBER FISHING ANYDAY. AND THATS THAT.  pretty wierd when u drift bait through a hole numerous times and get nothing. then float a pink worm or jig or whatever then land a 20lb steely then a 15. but what do i know.


challenge of drift fishing??? whats the challenge? think its harder to get one floating a jig then drifting a nice bait through a hole

Hmmm, those two posts from you seem mutually exclusive, but mebbe I'm missing something?   

[M_ray]

drift fishing WILL NOT OUTFISH BOBBER FISHING ANYDAY. AND THATS THAT.  pretty wierd when u drift bait through a hole numerous times and get nothing. then float a pink worm or jig or whatever then land a 20lb steely then a 15. but what do i know.


challenge of drift fishing??? whats the challenge? think its harder to get one floating a jig then drifting a nice bait through a hole

Hmmm, those two posts from you seem mutually exclusive, but mebbe I'm missing something?   

You are not missing a thing   

[Snowman]

I agree, that each method has it's time. My hole down below my house dictates floats, can't drift unless you go down or up river a ways as the boulders are to numerous. I drift, float, spoon/spinners, plunk and fly fish. If I stayed with one method, I'd be stuck fishing just drift holes an vise versa. Lets get back to the subject here. Tilte of thread is steelhead an jigs, not who's method is better.

So anyways. When using jigs and floats, the best float IMO is one that can slide up an down and use the thread knott bobber stopper. As u can adjust to any depth. The colors of jigs depend. Darker water use a dark colored jig an as the water clears up you can start using lighter colored jigs. Size of jigs do matter. I like the smaller jigs in low or clear water and the bigger jigs in darker waters. Floats an jigs lets you fish areas that have big boulders with ease.

[h2ofowlr]

If I am boat fishing I will bring multiple rods with different set ups.  I like drifting eggs, but I will real in and throw out the bobber set up with a jig with a pink worm attached.  It has been very effective.  I was pretty consistent in  catching a 100 plus stealhead a season with the two methods.

[huntnphool]

I'm going with a friend in a few days to a "honey hole" and plan on using both methods. I have a sled and am very proficient side drifting and or boondogging but plan on drifting and using bobbers too. Will take plenty of pics and report back.

[huntnphool]

I got a few jigs from M-Ray to try this week, I will post results with pics if I get lucky. Will be drift fishing as well but it will be interesting to compare.

[Navyhunter]

I hit Blue Creek on the Cowlitz this morning (already).  When using a jig and pink work (just had to try it), do you use any weight at all other than the jig itself?  I was using a Maribou Jig (purple) and a floating pink worm....lost two jigs and two worms in about 1/2 hour.  OR should I have used a bobber/jig setup?  If someone could clear this up for me, I'd sure appreciate it.
Thanks

[LittleJohn]

Got to use a bobber!! They are snaggy suckers without a bobber. I use cheater floats

[Navyhunter]

Oh, right, yep....a cheater float....I have no idea what you're talking about.