Re: Fall Steelhead fishing in Idaho
For anyone that may stumble across this. Steelhead fishing is truly the most challenging of any fishing that I have ever encountered. Polarized glasses will be your best friend when steelhead fishing. If you can spot them, you have a good chance of hook-up. Remember, if you can see them they can see you.
My favorite technique starting from the bottom. Use a Gamakatsu hook, absolutely the sharpest hook you can find is what you want. Small hooks work great, my most productive #4 and #2, no larger. Tie it with an egg loop, not to use eggs but for the strength. Depending on depth and clarity, the heaviest leader should be a 10#, preferably a 6-8# if you can safely let them run. Make it at least 6 feet. Now slide a corkey, pink pearl or black, the smallest that you can use with the current to keep it on the bottom but off the rocks and weeds. Tie a double solid eye swivel to the leader. Run a slinky up your main line on a standard swivel. Main line should be 10-12# for the smaller summer run, 15# for the fat winter run fish. Now a small bead to keep the slinky from catching on the double solid eye swivel (DSE). Tie the DSE swivel onto the main line. Adjust your slinky weight according to the current. Run a small piece of yarn through the corkey to keep it from moving up the line, this catches in the fishes teethe and gives you a couple of extra seconds to set the hook. Cast and drift, pole tip up, they will just mouth it, your line will stop like it is dragging on the bottom, but after casting a pattern over 10 minutes you should know if this stop is a regular occurrence in your pattern or not. If not, swing that pole like a baseball bat in reverse. There mouths are hard and no trout set will work. There will be no second chances at this fish. Now just HOLD ON!!!!! One other thing that steelhead have a hard time resisting is three or four full night crawlers dangling from a #2 razor sharp hook floated just above bottom level under a clear bobber. GOOD FISHING!!!!
