Dedicated Steelhead anglers all agree that you haven't lived until you've caught steelhead on a skating fly. The rush of adrenaline is like no other when the mouth of a steelhead breeches surface to inhale your fly. Careful, or you'll pull it away. This is a game of patience and anticipation all rolled up in one.
The wake created from a riffle hitch, foam, or dear hair is a tantalizing visual and provokes a stimulating response from steelhead below. Often times I use a skater to simply locate fish. Once a player is found I'll then tie on a muddler (sans riffle hitch) to work through the surface film, or a small wet as a comeback fly. The takes are generally aggressive while hookups can be inconsistent as steelhead appear curious more than anything when boiling on surface flies. It may quickly become your new favorite way to fish!
I've found the best way to fish these flies is with your rod tip up high and be sure to give the fish the fly when they eat. While it's fun to bomb long casts, I also like to keep my skaters close in where I can see em- after all, it's the surface attack we're after and I wanna see the action!
This guy took a home-tied Grease Liner fly on a grease line presentation.
Find Steelhead Skating Flies at "The Gorge"
Cody Booth
Gorge Fly Shop | Product Specialist
541.386.6977
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