Fly Fishing

bijou8121 · Newbie Joined: Dec 23, 2007 Posts: 3

hey anybody out there have any advice on what to throw at these steelhead here on the salmon river idaho? any help or advice would be greatly appreciated!

jeremy · Posted: Sun Dec 23, 2007 6:34 pm Post subject: eggs

never met a steelhead that didn't like an egg ... but, then again .. i have never caught west coast steel .. just great lakes stuff .... there are a bunch of guys from west coast on this board who would be able to help .. and many have fished the salmon in idaho ... i'm sure they will respond with more credible information .... good luck

bijou8121 · Newbie Joined: Dec 23, 2007 Posts: 3

thats what i have been trying, mostly fishing the bead and some other egg patterns but i have been having my success on shrimp patterns in chartreuse mostly. do you throw shrimp patterns at your fish there in the great lakes? and if you do coud you reccommend a pattern or two or maybe something similar that works for ya in the G.L.? thanks again.

jeremy · Posted: Mon Dec 24, 2007 7:41 am Post subject: better knowledge

this is where my knowledge ends ... but some of my friends and long time members of this site knowledge begins .... meaning .. all i throw is egg patterns .. simple glo bug style, that's it ... and swing some wooly buggers and streamers now and then in the spring ... so, to suggest any more or give you any more information would be, let's say, not the best quality information you could have ... witht that said, i roll with some excellent steelhead fly fishermen some who live in great lakes area, some who live out west and collectively they have fished extensively for steelhead in bc, alaska and great lakes ....... sit tight, as i am sure guys like waterwhippa, jason-c, joey, kodiakcommando, chuckgear, lunchbox, kory, etc...... might hop in here and help you out .. they are always talking to me about shrimp and beads and west coast steel and using west coast spey and nymph stuff for great lakes stuff and they are always bouncing back and forth between bc, olympic penninsula, alaska and great lakes ... so these are the guys that can collectively help you as they are the same guys that help me ... shrimp and beads and basically anything but eggs is not my forte' ... as the beatles song says .. "I AM THE EGG MAN" ........ i love nymphing with egg patterns and an indicator setup ... that's what i do, love it! .... outside of that though, others could definately help you better ... stand by ...

waterwhippa · Posted: Mon Dec 24, 2007 9:29 am Post subject:

I LOVE to CATCH Steelhead, through the years I have found that the most effective method in the Great Lakes is nymphing egg patterns. I swing strip flies on the spey a handful of times in early fall and spring when the fish are fresh from the lake and aggressive. We have millions of eggs in the rivers here throughout the year so it only makes sense to nymph eggs. In the dead of winter when water temps are in the low 30's fish will often respond well to small stonefly or caddis nymph as well. I feel that during the coldest months of winter, presentation is key and the ability to slow your fly down to the exact speed (or slower) than the current of the pool you are fishing is crucial. I have fished the Salmon in Idaho near Stanley and it is big water, being able to wade out to the slicks, seams and buckets certainly becomes an issue. The best advice I could give you is to break it down by sections. For example, take a 100 yards of water and study it. Look for any characteristics on the surface that look "fishy" much like you would on a small trout stream. I would scout out an area with a significant stretch of heavy riffles and keep walking upriver until you hit the next large tail-out of calm resting water, that is roughly waist deep and walking speed. I hope this helps, good luck and let us know how you make out. If you want the name and contact info of a seasoned Salmon River guide out of Stanley hit me with a private message.

jason-c · Newbie Joined: Apr 02, 2004 Posts: 98

Egg patterns work well up on the Salmon. I hear about people fishing them mostly in the spring when the fish are spawning. I have nymphed a bunch of Idaho steelhead rivers. Mostly in the fall, dead drifting comets, buggers and leaches. They all work really well. However, I have have found the swing to be the most effective, that is what I prefer up there. There is a lot of river and not a ton of fish. I feel like it is more important to cover the water than anything else, but that is just me. Those comet patterns are very "shrimpy". The G.L fish eat them too. I know the BC fish eat swung and dead drifted eggs as well. Always remember that the set up is more important than the pattern. The correct length of leader, size of leader, weight, and so on is what catches the fish. Hope that helps!
Jason

chuckgear · Posted: Mon Dec 24, 2007 1:00 pm Post subject: wadep wadep

glad to see your out fishing for the chrome. most of my time fishing out west has been on the clearwater. in the fall we tick ro and really small corkies on red gami hooks, on gear rods. never fished with flies in the fall. my buddy who got me into it always fishes gear in the fall, so thats what we do. i know a bunch of guys swing flies. (i met an older gentleman who does really well on sprase spey flies. last year we nearly got into a fight with a group of guys from bozeman (where i reside) over "fishing their water." pretty funny it was a very affluent group with thousands of dollars in gear. we crisscrossed them the whole weekend. the only difference was we were hooking up constantly and they didnt touch a fish. at the take out we exchanged word, came damn near to blows fuckin comical.

off that rant. in the spring when the fish come up into skinnier water. we fish spey rods with balloon indicators and the BEAD... repeat this over and over again. never seen anyone do better than this, besides the guys who fish centerpin setups under floats. if you pm me ill tell u the size bead and color nail polish to paint it with. tight lines good look and maybe we can hook up and fish this spring. hit me up.

chuckgear · Posted: Mon Dec 24, 2007 1:09 pm Post subject:

pps.

as whippa writes. really break apart the run. when we fish gear we break the run apart in half foot sections then move the boat ten feet down and do it all over again.

bijou8121 · Newbie Joined: Dec 23, 2007 Posts: 3

thanks so much guys....all of the info is greatly appreciated. i will let you guys know what works and what doesnt and if your in my neck of the woods (McCall idaho) drop a line and i will show you some of the holes i have taken steelhead out of....Merry X-mas and good fishin