Unknownflyman
Well-known member
Wish I had a pic of a huge steelhead or king for yeh this year but no. Had a few pulls and nothing. The big fall push wasn't there yet.
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Fall run
- Thread starter Unknownflyman
- Start date
Hi Steve,
I fully understand how difficult it can be to find a fish even in water that looks perfect. The fall season here amounts to a hunt plain and simple. Each day that you dedicate to fishing is your taking the chance that you've picked the right stretch of water. Last week I fished some of the most beautiful runs within 50 miles radius of home and came up empty. Tomorrows another day and I'm headed north. Things are getting downright chilly at night here so there isn't much more time until the shelf ice and slush flows will shut things down.
As for the swimming thing, 'wading staff' especially in those swift runs buddy.
Ard
I fully understand how difficult it can be to find a fish even in water that looks perfect. The fall season here amounts to a hunt plain and simple. Each day that you dedicate to fishing is your taking the chance that you've picked the right stretch of water. Last week I fished some of the most beautiful runs within 50 miles radius of home and came up empty. Tomorrows another day and I'm headed north. Things are getting downright chilly at night here so there isn't much more time until the shelf ice and slush flows will shut things down.
As for the swimming thing, 'wading staff' especially in those swift runs buddy.
Ard
jpbfly
Super Moderator
That's fishing
:secret:not many fishermen post to tell they were empty handed
:secret:not many fishermen post to tell they were empty handedCutThroat Leaders
Business Member
I also like the honesty. All fisherman will have similar stories, yet they are seldom shared….
Best of luck on your next outing.
Best of luck on your next outing.
ia_trouter
Senior Member
We are actually pretty good about posting up skunkings on this forum. I didn't realize it was a display of character. All this time I just thought we were whining.That's fishing
Now get back in their Steve. You'll get em next time. It's not whether you win or lose...... OK that's all I got man. we can't help it if your skills need work.
Unknownflyman
Well-known member
Thanks for the replies guys, it was a great time really enjoyed my time on the river. Confidence was up and down at times, but even back from my drifting days I remembered how important confidence is, they don't exactly jump in the net drifting single hand.
Water was excellent for swinging, high, fast, stained, plenty of fish in the river, it will keep getting better till the end of the season November 15th but the first two weeks in November is deer hunting for me and sometimes way below zero too.
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fredaevans
Well-known member
"I will buy a wading staff, I was wet, it was cold, I just kept fishing till dark. Once you warm up the water in the waders it wasn't so bad."
He was lucky: Google Hypothermia (sp?)
EVERYONE GET A solid wading one piece staff, don't step there without probing, current starting to push you around? It may be too late.
How long a staff? It should be at least chest high, not one of these 'toys' they sell. I got mine from here: http://www.thestickman.co.uk/ You could beat an ElliePhont to death with the thing.
If you don't have a tight belt sinched around your middle it can take seconds to be in deeeep do-do. Learned years back to not wade in moving water that was up to my knees.
Doing a float trip, don't get in the boat without a life jacket on.
BOYS AND GIRLS water doesn't care if you want to do some thing foolish!
He was lucky: Google Hypothermia (sp?)
EVERYONE GET A solid wading one piece staff, don't step there without probing, current starting to push you around? It may be too late.
How long a staff? It should be at least chest high, not one of these 'toys' they sell. I got mine from here: http://www.thestickman.co.uk/ You could beat an ElliePhont to death with the thing.
If you don't have a tight belt sinched around your middle it can take seconds to be in deeeep do-do. Learned years back to not wade in moving water that was up to my knees.
Doing a float trip, don't get in the boat without a life jacket on.
BOYS AND GIRLS water doesn't care if you want to do some thing foolish!
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ia_trouter
Senior Member
Steve,
You have made more progress in a year or so than anyone I know. There is certainly a lot to learn. Do you have any idea how good or bad the steelhead run is so far?
You have made more progress in a year or so than anyone I know. There is certainly a lot to learn. Do you have any idea how good or bad the steelhead run is so far?
Unknownflyman
Well-known member
Oh, I was almost across and it was waist deep and I went almost up to my arm pits, and at that point it was too late, current spun me on the slippery rocks, I went down and couldn't feel bottom, but I seen haystacks of whitewater coming so I knew where my chance was. I wasn't scared it was more like get footing and bulldog to the bank which was really tough to climb up, it was more like a cliff straight up, but I had brush and trees to pull myself up.
I had a fresh set of clothes and jacket in the truck, it was chilly stripping in the woods and getting into some warm clothes. But it was nothing like falling through the ice and walking back to the cabin in 20 below. Barely made that one.
I had a fresh set of clothes and jacket in the truck, it was chilly stripping in the woods and getting into some warm clothes. But it was nothing like falling through the ice and walking back to the cabin in 20 below. Barely made that one.
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Bigfly
Well-known member
Steve, sounds like you should stay with it.....
Appears you have the potential to be a "sick bird"...left coast praise.....
although you need to go in up to your hat, to be rad as Brad...
Rule #1...never wade boldly upstream of scary stuff...unless there is a piggy holding there...and your affairs are in order....
Mr. Cutter suggests two belts. Chest and waist.
Non-stretchy type..
Fred has a point about a staff....
Wood is good because it's quiet...
Studs are good too, but noisey.
And, I can say.....a worse variation on the story was my immediate hook-up on my first Stealhead.....waited quite awhile for the next.........thought I had lost my juju....(read as unsure...as bad as kryptonite to superman.)
But no, that's just stealheading...it's a test.
For me, it's the possibility of a grab that keeps me going back, but a grab is nice.....I get to them more now, but you can never be sure. Especially if you only swing it to them....which classy fishers do...........
Seems, the more I endure, the better the fishing...
Be safe, have fun, and at the same time....
Jim
Appears you have the potential to be a "sick bird"...left coast praise.....
although you need to go in up to your hat, to be rad as Brad...
Rule #1...never wade boldly upstream of scary stuff...unless there is a piggy holding there...and your affairs are in order....
Mr. Cutter suggests two belts. Chest and waist.
Non-stretchy type..
Fred has a point about a staff....
Wood is good because it's quiet...
Studs are good too, but noisey.
And, I can say.....a worse variation on the story was my immediate hook-up on my first Stealhead.....waited quite awhile for the next.........thought I had lost my juju....(read as unsure...as bad as kryptonite to superman.)
But no, that's just stealheading...it's a test.
For me, it's the possibility of a grab that keeps me going back, but a grab is nice.....I get to them more now, but you can never be sure. Especially if you only swing it to them....which classy fishers do...........
Seems, the more I endure, the better the fishing...
Be safe, have fun, and at the same time....
Jim
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cab
Well-known member
At least you got out! Work and truck issues keep me stuck in town.
My usual pattern: Go to a stretch of river, somewhat prepared, and look to my right. Yup, there she is, Lady Luck in the passenger seat of my Gravy Train, riding down Easy Street on biscuit wheels. Catchin' bigguns, and lots of 'em. The following weekend, head right back, of course; after all I am King of the River.
Skunkage. Arrive home with a belly full of humble pie.
That's Feeshun',
CAB
My usual pattern: Go to a stretch of river, somewhat prepared, and look to my right. Yup, there she is, Lady Luck in the passenger seat of my Gravy Train, riding down Easy Street on biscuit wheels. Catchin' bigguns, and lots of 'em. The following weekend, head right back, of course; after all I am King of the River.
Skunkage. Arrive home with a belly full of humble pie.
That's Feeshun',
CAB
Unknownflyman
Well-known member
There is no going back to drifting. Not even a thought of stopping.
Ok so I landed on small steelhead in two years, my friends who started at the same time as me have landed lots of fish. But that doesn't begin to tell the whole story. The adventures, the broken lines, dreams, the fish I've lost, all my fault. The excitement, the brotherhood, new waters, rivers, pushing on past the point of exhaustion way past where the trail ends. The friends I've made, for such A solitary sport who knew I'd find so many friends.
Fortunately or unfortunately the rabbit hole seems to go deeper with me. It's going to happen the landing of a big steelhead and hey even a blind squirrel has to find nut once and awhile. I move forward.
I had a fish each day hook up and scream some line off the reel. And for whatever reason, slack...
If I got nothing over the last two years, not a nip, I would question my methods even more, possibly my sanity too, however as wise spey devotees warned me when I started this journey, numbers of fish landed is only a small part of this story. That is correct.
What also has been fun is to share and give back, what the people on this forum has taught me and shared with me. My full start and journey in Spey fishing is on this forum.
The other part of this story is the fact that on a single hand fly rod swinging flies from streamers to dry flies to wets. I've never landed and released so many trout in my life. It is true that dry flies produced more trout than any other fly this last year. The other part is they were on the swing.
Ok so I landed on small steelhead in two years, my friends who started at the same time as me have landed lots of fish. But that doesn't begin to tell the whole story. The adventures, the broken lines, dreams, the fish I've lost, all my fault. The excitement, the brotherhood, new waters, rivers, pushing on past the point of exhaustion way past where the trail ends. The friends I've made, for such A solitary sport who knew I'd find so many friends.
Fortunately or unfortunately the rabbit hole seems to go deeper with me. It's going to happen the landing of a big steelhead and hey even a blind squirrel has to find nut once and awhile. I move forward.
I had a fish each day hook up and scream some line off the reel. And for whatever reason, slack...
If I got nothing over the last two years, not a nip, I would question my methods even more, possibly my sanity too, however as wise spey devotees warned me when I started this journey, numbers of fish landed is only a small part of this story. That is correct.
What also has been fun is to share and give back, what the people on this forum has taught me and shared with me. My full start and journey in Spey fishing is on this forum.
The other part of this story is the fact that on a single hand fly rod swinging flies from streamers to dry flies to wets. I've never landed and released so many trout in my life. It is true that dry flies produced more trout than any other fly this last year. The other part is they were on the swing.
ia_trouter
Senior Member
Steelhead fishing sounds tougher than salmon fishing. You aren't the first guy I have heard tell tales of many lost fish. I've waited days and cast my arms off for Kings to hit but landed almost all of them when they did hit. I wonder what's different about steelies? Are they getting into cover or do they just spit the fly somehow?
Bigfly
Well-known member
I might speculate that sea-run fish have horse/fish power......sharks and seals will bring that out.
May also point out that big guys are returning, and have run the fishing gauntlet before....
So, unlike Salmon, Steelhead can have a clue.....
And, if you have background in playing a trout, you are about to study at a higher level.
Most guys stand and watch when it happens....I suggest running....the farther they get from you, the lower your odds.
And don't lift the rod........play them side to side...
My program, is to get better every year....not fish the same way, and whine when it doesn't work.
I could write a book on fish lost, huge piles of disappointment, spastic sets, fumbled/broken rods, reels falling off, big scary swims, muffed net scoops.
How about a Steelhead three feet in the air, with a fist sized tangle of line around the rod butt.
If it was easy, I would have moved on by now........
Jim
May also point out that big guys are returning, and have run the fishing gauntlet before....
So, unlike Salmon, Steelhead can have a clue.....
And, if you have background in playing a trout, you are about to study at a higher level.
Most guys stand and watch when it happens....I suggest running....the farther they get from you, the lower your odds.
And don't lift the rod........play them side to side...
My program, is to get better every year....not fish the same way, and whine when it doesn't work.
I could write a book on fish lost, huge piles of disappointment, spastic sets, fumbled/broken rods, reels falling off, big scary swims, muffed net scoops.
How about a Steelhead three feet in the air, with a fist sized tangle of line around the rod butt.
If it was easy, I would have moved on by now........
Jim
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Unknownflyman
Well-known member
So it's not just me.
3 weeks ago my friend hooked up with a nice one on 7wt switch rod saw the whole thing, from fish on! To 3 seconds later the fish took all running line off, jumping four or five times, and three blistering runs down river.
Amazingly enough the fish was landed. Ran into one spey caster, how's it going I say..... 0 for 4 he says.
I have lost fish in many different ways, so far.
I will say it's true about steelhead on the swing, most of the time they hit amazingly hard and fight like nothing I've ever seen before. One fish I lost, my line stooped in the river and I thought I had a snag. Then all hell broke loose, and lost it.
Nothing easy about this spey business. Once the casting comes around, there's the whole fishing thing, then the landing thing and on and on.
I was over joyed that casting started good for me, got a little cocky too, but I didn't know sheeeet. Now I know one or two things.
3 weeks ago my friend hooked up with a nice one on 7wt switch rod saw the whole thing, from fish on! To 3 seconds later the fish took all running line off, jumping four or five times, and three blistering runs down river.
Amazingly enough the fish was landed. Ran into one spey caster, how's it going I say..... 0 for 4 he says.
I have lost fish in many different ways, so far.
I will say it's true about steelhead on the swing, most of the time they hit amazingly hard and fight like nothing I've ever seen before. One fish I lost, my line stooped in the river and I thought I had a snag. Then all hell broke loose, and lost it.
Nothing easy about this spey business. Once the casting comes around, there's the whole fishing thing, then the landing thing and on and on.
I was over joyed that casting started good for me, got a little cocky too, but I didn't know sheeeet. Now I know one or two things.
ia_trouter
Senior Member
You catch hundreds of trout in a season Steve. A Steelie will be special when you get closer to solving the riddle. As Bigfly says if it was easy many would move on to something else. Fred might have a tip or too as well if he understands what is happening. I am pretty sure he pursued them for decades with some success.
Bigfly
Well-known member
I can meet then, I can get them, but as of yet I haven't met them......
Cat Stevens
Cat Stevens
B
blackbugger
Guest
A couple thoughts about fighting steelhead.
It's hard to do when you haven't landed a bunch but try to keep pressure on when they run. I see guys fishing clickers who let the fish just tear off line without feathering the reel. Slow the fish down if you aren't using a drag.
Obviously you have to find the right balance point for that but most of us are fishing at least 12# test or heavier (it's usually 12 or 15 for me) and it takes some heavy pressure to break that.
Slowing the fish down on its runs won't break off the fly (its never happened to me) but it will help to tire it out sooner which in my opinion is part of the goal. Land the fish fast and don't play it to death.
Also while it's fun to watch it take out a lot of line the slacker the line, the more you let it take out, the more likely it is to wrap around a rock or snag somewhere.
Angle your rod toward the shore whenever possible. Obviously sometimes this isn't appropriate. Sometimes you need to keep the rod and line high to keep the fish from dragging line over rocks and such but in general you want to keep the tip low and towards the bank.
You'd also prefer to not have the fish hanging straight off the rod below you. That's a good way to pop the hook out of its mouth but sometimes that can't be helped.
A rod held high overhead with a fish dangling straight downstream is a recipe for it coming unpinned.
Like this...
..not this.
Steelhead almost always come back up from their run. At least the ones from the salt do. Once again there are obviously exceptions but most of the time if you stand your ground they will work their way back up to you.
Dec Hogan talks about this in A Passion for Steelhead and mainly because I read that I've adopted that technique and I'm continually surprised at how well it works and the logic behind it.
I see guys who immediately start marching downstream as soon as they hook a fish and what will often happen is that when the fish stops and they get their line back and the fish comes in close and sees the fisherman it will shred out downstream again. This goes on and on with the fish and fisherman dropping further and further downstream which means often into water you don't want to be in.
Stand your ground unless it becomes obvious that you absolutely HAVE TO MOVE downstream. You will be surprised at how often you don't really need to move downstream much at all to land a fish and it also makes it possible for YOU to decide where the fish will be landed not the fish.
I'd say this works about 80 - 90% of the time and I'm basing this on hundreds of fish landed.
A couple from the Ronde just a few days ago with my crummy point and shoot.
32" buck.
31" hen. This fish was a classic example of standing your ground. She absolutely shredded out line three times and came back up river every time and I landed her about 20 feet down from where I was standing when she first grabbed.
It's hard to do when you haven't landed a bunch but try to keep pressure on when they run. I see guys fishing clickers who let the fish just tear off line without feathering the reel. Slow the fish down if you aren't using a drag.
Obviously you have to find the right balance point for that but most of us are fishing at least 12# test or heavier (it's usually 12 or 15 for me) and it takes some heavy pressure to break that.
Slowing the fish down on its runs won't break off the fly (its never happened to me) but it will help to tire it out sooner which in my opinion is part of the goal. Land the fish fast and don't play it to death.
Also while it's fun to watch it take out a lot of line the slacker the line, the more you let it take out, the more likely it is to wrap around a rock or snag somewhere.
Angle your rod toward the shore whenever possible. Obviously sometimes this isn't appropriate. Sometimes you need to keep the rod and line high to keep the fish from dragging line over rocks and such but in general you want to keep the tip low and towards the bank.
You'd also prefer to not have the fish hanging straight off the rod below you. That's a good way to pop the hook out of its mouth but sometimes that can't be helped.
A rod held high overhead with a fish dangling straight downstream is a recipe for it coming unpinned.
Like this...
..not this.
Steelhead almost always come back up from their run. At least the ones from the salt do. Once again there are obviously exceptions but most of the time if you stand your ground they will work their way back up to you.
Dec Hogan talks about this in A Passion for Steelhead and mainly because I read that I've adopted that technique and I'm continually surprised at how well it works and the logic behind it.
I see guys who immediately start marching downstream as soon as they hook a fish and what will often happen is that when the fish stops and they get their line back and the fish comes in close and sees the fisherman it will shred out downstream again. This goes on and on with the fish and fisherman dropping further and further downstream which means often into water you don't want to be in.
Stand your ground unless it becomes obvious that you absolutely HAVE TO MOVE downstream. You will be surprised at how often you don't really need to move downstream much at all to land a fish and it also makes it possible for YOU to decide where the fish will be landed not the fish.
I'd say this works about 80 - 90% of the time and I'm basing this on hundreds of fish landed.
A couple from the Ronde just a few days ago with my crummy point and shoot.
32" buck.
31" hen. This fish was a classic example of standing your ground. She absolutely shredded out line three times and came back up river every time and I landed her about 20 feet down from where I was standing when she first grabbed.
Unknownflyman
Well-known member
Great looking steelhead Mr. Blackbugger! And thanks for the advice, some of what happens after a take for me is bad instinct. I've finished up swinging a tailout and all of a sudden bump, click click click click.. and my friend standing next to me says no trout sets! Right as I'm already trout setting and the fish is on and then slack...
I won't hold my rod like that anymore either
I got some bad habits from the short rod, for sure.
I won't hold my rod like that anymore either
I got some bad habits from the short rod, for sure.
cab
Well-known member
Salmon WILL spit the hook, oh, yes, I know that!
Feel the "tap", lift the rod like I do with the 905 on a troutski, wiggle, wobble, fight, fight, phleh! Nothing.
The guy who works at Sportsman's warehouse has been a guide 'round here for years, but he used to guide right across the river from where Ard took us. According to Matt, when you set the hook on a Salmon, you have to "yank the taste out of their mouths".
Next day I remembered. Felt the "tap", YANK the rod straight back, then lift. Tension, give it a Pro Bassmaster special, like you cannot do with the aforementioned 905 on said troutski. No fear, Ard uses serious tippet, and that loooooooong rod soaks up a lotta KVD. Netted every fish hooked after that.
Short version: Big rod, big set.
HTH,
CAB
Feel the "tap", lift the rod like I do with the 905 on a troutski, wiggle, wobble, fight, fight, phleh! Nothing.
The guy who works at Sportsman's warehouse has been a guide 'round here for years, but he used to guide right across the river from where Ard took us. According to Matt, when you set the hook on a Salmon, you have to "yank the taste out of their mouths".
Next day I remembered. Felt the "tap", YANK the rod straight back, then lift. Tension, give it a Pro Bassmaster special, like you cannot do with the aforementioned 905 on said troutski. No fear, Ard uses serious tippet, and that loooooooong rod soaks up a lotta KVD. Netted every fish hooked after that.
Short version: Big rod, big set.
HTH,
CAB