 |
| This beautiful Chrome Steelhead was caught late in the winter season a few years ago on a hand tied Mojo in more natural colors. Note the fish is as bright as the brand spanking new Hardy Bougle. (disclaimer - sorry for the historic photo and not a fresh current one, I've had zero winter steelhead fishing the past two winters due to knee surgeries.) |
by John Garrett
Hope everyone is able to get out and do some winter steelhead fishing, especially now that we are getting closer to peak time. I will have to live vicariously through you as I am still on the recovery program from knee replacement surgery, which by the way has given me ample time to think about winter seasons from the past and the friends I have been blessed to fish with. With that, I thought I would expand on my last short but sweet tips & tricks for fishing winter steelhead in high off colored water. This piece will be a little bit more in depth.
To give you further encouragement, I have recruited some tips from some of the best friends/guides in the Pacific Northwest that focus just on fly fishing. They have successfully endured years of fishing and guiding and know a thing or two about how to catch them in less than ideal conditions, including winter conditions. Here is what they have to say:
From: Sam Sickles | Steelhead Outfitters
"I’m a big Bill Belichick, he just cracks me up. After he loses a game the press asked what do you need to do to win next week? He answers score more points than the other team. Next question, what’s it gonna take to score more points, answer, we have to play better. Next question, what’s it going to take for you to play better?, answer, practice.
Here’s my top three Belichick type steelhead rules;
1. This one’s real important, fish a lot! If you expect to fish once or twice a winter, it could happen but good luck. All successful winter steelhead fly fisherman fish a lot and often outside the margins condition wise.
2. Swing your fly where they are, duh right? Not really, if you don’t know where they live you can’t catch them. Steelhead lie where they lie and you will never know where that is unless you fish a lot, catch a bunch and notice the similarities of those spots where you have success. Often fish are caught out of the exact spot day after day, year after year, I’m being quite literal here. The other way, the easier way is to talk someone into showing you…or better yet pay them, hint hint.
3. Fish for them when they are there. Although Winter steelhead can be caught November through April the main show is mid February through March. Number 3 and number 1 seem in conflict but in reality they’re not. I encourage anglers to fish as much as possible but let's face it if you aren’t spontaneous, for whatever reason and you need to make plans, make plans for late February and March." - Sam Sickles
Sam is a good friend of ours here at the shop and we highly recommend him when it comes to fly fishing for steelhead. He has been guiding long enough to know the river as well as anyone and he has earned the respect of many clients and other guides as well. If you are looking for a steelhead trip, I wouldn't hesitate to call him.
To Contact Sam:
Sam Sickles
(541) 400-0855
www.steelheadoutfitters.com
 |
| Sam Sickles and client with a winter buck from the Sandy River near Portland, Oregon. |
From Travis Wallace | Western Waters Guide Service:
"When fishing for winter steelhead I like to have two rods set up. One bigger stick with an Airflo Skagit F.I.S.T. (Floating, Intermediate & Sink Tip) line to fish your more classic runs. The other rod is typically shorter with a lighter tip that can swing a fly into some of the smaller pockets that winter fish will slide into. These fish need to get up stream faster than they do in the summer and you can often times find them in more of what I like to call "transition" water." - Travis Wallace
Travis has been guiding the Klickitat and Kalama rivers for quite awhile now and he has done so successfully. He's easy to get along with and mild mannered out on the water. He knows where the fish lie and he knows how to get your fly to them. We highly recommend him for these rivers.
To Contact Travis:
Travis Wallace
(509) 850-5125
westernwaters@outlook.com
www.westernwatersguides.com
 |
| Travis Wallace's client with a hatchery winter steelhead. |
From Tom Larimer | G.Loomis Inc.:
"Winter steelheading is all about adaptation. Unlike the typical stable flows of summer and fall, winter water levels are in a constant state of flux. Understanding how to adjust your tackle, technique and game plan based on the ever changing conditions is critical for success. A general rule of thumb, during times of high water the fish will be on the move and will often travel close to the bank. Consequently, your focus needs to be on the second half of the swing. Ideally, your fly should swing mid-water column all the way to the bank. During these periods, it’s essential to wade shallow, use a short sink-tip like an Airflo FLO tip, and fish a light fly. Conversely, in low clear water the fish will limit their travel to the low light hours. Self-preservation will force them slide into deeper runs or riffles with significant surface chop. Because these conditions often make steelhead weary, your focus needs to shift to the first half of the swing. Getting your fly to depth quickly is the priority. This is the time to wade deep, change to your heaviest sink-tip, and fish a weighted fly. Changing from your floating Skagit head to an Airflo FIST head (Floating/intermediate/sink-tip) will also aid in getting down to the fish quickly. You’ll also want to make aggressive pull-back mends to ensure your fly is sinking to within 12 to 18 inches off the bottom. The biggest takeaway is pretty simple… Always be willing to change with the conditions." - Tom Larimer
Tom has been around the block a few times, just like Sam and Travis and it is tough to beat advice from successful anglers who consistently catch fish under all kinds of situations like they do. Even as an experienced steelhead and salmon guide of my own, I still listen to what these guys tell me when I am out fishing with them under their program. They are more in tune with the specific water we may be fishing or maybe they have a little tip that I haven't tried or maybe they know exactly where that bath tub sized bucket is that I need to drop a bit of line into to keep the fly there just a bit longer cause the fish most likely isn't going to leave the couch to chase my fly but he might like to be spoon fed. So, it doesn't matter to me who I am fishing with, if it's their program, I am all ears!
For a great winter steelhead fly selection from the Gorge Fly Shop: Click Here.
 |
| Tom Larimer landing a late winter steelhead on a juicy looking run! Who wouldn't want to fish a day like this is a spot like this?! |
My experience with winter steelhead fishing totally agrees with everything that has been mentioned above by these respectable anglers. I would add to what they have said a little nugget that should be taken seriously and sounds like a silly statement but - make sure you are comfortable out in the winter elements and wading in the cold waters. I wrote a previous piece on just this and you can check it out if you would like by clicking on this linked text. If you are comfortable and warm you will fish longer and with more focus. If you become freezing cold just after a few hours of fishing, you are more likely to give up, go home and sit by the fire. Companies such as Simms have created layering systems specifically designed to enhance your time out on the water. In fact their mantra or moto is to "FORGET THE FORECAST!" That's a bold statement from Simms considering winter steelhead conditions can get well below freezing. It is paramount to be comfortable so that you can put in the solid effort it takes to catch winter steelhead on a somewhat consistent basis. Once I am cold, I'm done!
When I was younger I never was a glove type of fisherman, I hated gloves, anytime, even if I were cutting wood, I hated to wear them. But as I grew older and possibly wiser, gloves became an important part of my routine. If I could keep my hand dry and warm, I fished longer and harder. I would carry a towel and if I hooked a fish, I would take my gloves off to land the fish and once I landed and released the fish I would dry my hands off with the towel and then put the gloves back on. Sometimes in REAL cold weather I would use hand warmers inside the gloves. If you absolutely hate and cannot wear gloves, bare minimum carry some hand warmers for the inside of your wader or jacket pockets. They can save the day!
Are gloves ideal to wear when swinging flies for winter steelhead? I would still answer that question even after what I just wrote with a profound NO! But, there are times when you have to improvise, adapt and overcome (I learned that back in my military days). And there were times that if I didn't wear glove I wouldn't have fished. Some might say, well if it's that cold out there I am not fishing anyways and this is probably the reason I would often have the river to myself, because most others wouldn't fish anyways. This brings me to another point that less traffic/competition on the water will also improve your odds. Think about that and you'll understand why.
Another tip for winter fishing that I learned over the years was to pick the warmest parts of the day to fish. If the local weather called for 19 degrees first thing in the morning, well that wouldn't be an ideal time to stand thigh deep in your favorite run chipping and sucking the ice chunks off your rod guides. But if the forecast called for 34 degrees around noon, then I would head out to the river around 11 am and fish till dark. Often, it only takes a degree or two to make a difference if the fish activity.
One last tip and this is not just for winter fishing although to me it is much more important during the winter months and that is to carry an extra set of dry clothing in case you happen to slip and fall in and become soaked. If this happens the best thing to do it to immediately get the wet clothes off of you and get the dry ones on. Don't try to be a tough guy/gal and spend the next 4 hours fishing in freezing conditions.
Might also be a good idea to carry a Jet Boil, Water and an MRP (Meal Replacement Powder - Military term) or two and some coffee. The MRP's today put the old ones to shame. They actually taste really really good. Locally to Hood River, Shortt Supply carries them and believe me they are worth it. The great thing about the Jet Boil is that literally in less than a minute you have boiling water ready to be used for your meal or coffee. Locally to Hood River, I carry the Stoked Coffee Roasters Single Instant Coffee packs or the Starbucks single packs, I believe they are called VIA Instant packs. This is a great way to warm yourself up after the day of fishing or in the case of falling in, to help you warm up faster.
I know I said I was on my last tip, but I have another one, if you look at the photo at the very top, you will notice a tube fly that I tied using more natural, not often used colors, such as yellow, olive, brown and such. As winter gets closer to spring my experience is that I have done quite well with more natual colored flies. Maybe its because most winter steelhead fisherman will be throwing purples, pinks, black and blues and such. Don't be afraid to step out of the normal and try something new. I can tell you that the above fly works really well in clear sunny winter days and If I am fishing behind someone else it is a go to color for me because I would put money down that the angler in front of me has not fished this color.
Well, that's it for now, I hope you have a chance to get out there and have some fun, stay safe, stay warm, stay patient, stay focused and good things will happen. Take these tips to the river with you next time and improve your odds.
P.S. I'm sorry, as I was in the shower this morning I remembered a great tip that I hadn't shared when winter conditions are like summer conditions only colder and that is when you are fishing really low and clear water in the winter. This is the time I break out my Scandi set up and even use smaller wet flies on a sinking polyleader. The presentation is a bit more stealthy than the clunky Skagit heads and heavier tips. I have had great success with a Larimer's Purple Muddler Minnow (which is typically fished near or on the surface) on a sinking Airflo polyleader, RIO Versileader or a light RIO MOW 5' floating/5' Tip T-8. Ok, now I'm done.
The Gorge Fly Shop Team
John Garrett
.jpg)
No comments :
Post a Comment