can't believe you guys feel comfortable lying about steelhead... I'm well over my 1000 casts already and haven't got one, maybe a bite but still haven't decided if that was really a hit or my mind REALLY wanting it to be. no but seriously i just purchased my first spey and i'm having a blast with it, now if i could only find this mythical fish!!!
All it takes is one cast in the right spot at the right time. Under good conditions, rested, unmolested, wild steelhead are pretty easy to catch. Problems is there are dang few of them left that don't get pounded by anglers and boats day in and day out. Keep casting...you keep swinging that fly in the right water and eventually you'll hook up.
Not too many wild summer steelhead left in the Stilly, though. Assuming you're fishing the stilly (I see you live in Arlington). The deer creek stock is in bad shape. I totally agree about the importance of finding virgin water. They still put a decent amount of hatchery fish in the Stillaguamish (75k smolts in the NF), but escapement is real low. Most people who are good at fly fishing on the swing (not me) are good at quickly skipping over water that doesn't hold fish at current flows, or isn't conducive to fishing on the swing. Just keep moving. If you hit tons of different spots you'll eventually nab one, and you'll know what to look for in a spot next time.
A friend of mine got four in one afternoon on a dry line. I guess they're in there if you have the patience.
well that phrase was coined back in the 60's so factor in the LSD and inflation and now you are looking to pay 3000 -3500 casts per fish..
This forum is ripe with people who over think steelhead. "help cathing steelhead thread" is an example of this. The steelhead will come to you. There is a certain touch to it. Some people are fishy, others are not. Gain confidence with a certain tip and weight of fly, especially with winter runs. You will feel it when you are in the zone. Summers, not so much because the water is typically warmer and you don't necessarily have to put it in their face. Keep moving, cover water, be confident in your casting and fishing. One thing that helped me catch more steelhead this winter is to not waste time fishing un-fishy water, or water that is hard to swing. Stay away from technical water at first. Hit the glides man.
Less pressured water did the trick for me. After too many trips to the Kalama, with no fish caught and getting low-holed repeatedly, I began driving the additional miles out to the OP. Combine that with the decision to learn as much as I could about one river, drive greater distances and hike a bit farther from the road, seek out the more fishy water - and if if looks good and doesn't produce after 3 or 4 visits then consider whether or not it's worth the time and effort - and keep moving, and I began to pick up fish. Toward the end of the winter I was getting at least a pull or two almost every trip, and bringing one to hand about every other trip. See my thread "Steelheaders Anonymous," for a bit of a send-up of my early experiences and first fish if you need something to keep you going. If you ever want to take a run out to the OP, pm me and we'll see what we can do. Good luck. It WILL happen!
Troutsniffer, It's all about the decimal point. Whoever told you got it wrong, or you misunderstood. Steelhead are the fish of 10,000 casts, not 1,000. Perhaps this will help you. And what makes you think you're going to catch a myth, anyway? You're about as likely to catch a mermaid, and that would be, well, that's not really the point of this thread, is it? The upshot is that it's easier to learn to fish for and catch steelhead when steelhead are abundant. Given their present scarcity, the learning curve is less steep. Fortunately you have access to all kinds of information, like this forum, to help steepen that curve, and you'll catch a steelhead just as soon as you find one. Sg
that's been my biggest thing so far is to cover water and once the holes been fished top to bottom, find another. I know it will come (hell it's only june and this IS my first time targeting them with the spey to boot) ill just have to split the steelhead days up with some lake "confidence" fishing to get something on my line. thanks for all the advice
a trick i like to play is forget steelhead and start trout fishing in steelhead waters. fish the trouty spots along with the steely spots, like your really looking for a nice trout so to speak. this has kept my mind from over thinking and just slow down and looking at the water. like trying to see where a hatch is kinda. weird i know, but it keeps me interested in the game.
I think it is a thousand casts in a day, if you did not make a thousand and did not hook up, the count resets.
Covering water is great, but don't be afraid to go back through a second or even third time. I find that while on foot, good swinging water can be few and far between, so instead of hiking my tail off all day long, I will work good water a couple of times before moving. Change flies, color, size, speed, whatever, just give the fish a second chance to grab your fly. You will be surprised what you missed the first time.
oh i've been THOROUGH before i've moved multiple casts of multiple distances before i take my few steps down i know i'll get one soon im a bit early still and not in the best water for the numbers of steelies but it's not too crowded ever so i like it.
A no is still an answer.. a lot of angers are convinced that they couldn't be in the wrong spot, which makes them harder to teach, so they miss the message.. If you are legitimately making over 1k casts and aren't hooking up, I would guess you are standing in the wrong spots while casting. Hopefully this message doesn't come across too asshole-like. It is meant to be introspective, hopefully..
Three rules I try to swing by... 1. Swing good Water 2. Swing the fly well (good Presentation) 3. Swing good flies
the water i fish is productive for other fish (salmon, trout) so i would assume it would be for steelies. in my area it's just a numbers game really with the returns we get
I couldn't keep count up to 1000 so I switched to months. Took 9 months and several trips. much smaller numbers to work with for a senior citizen who has CRS condition.
The best fishermen I know for steelhead or otherwise are humble people that are willing to admit there is always more to learn and willing to let the river teach them as well as anyone they meet along the way. Steelhead are a long journey, fish without ego and learn from success and failure equally. My motto anyways. It's not easy especially without guidance but the lessons learned become more valuable IMO because you start to piece together the "why" which above all else is probably most important. Someone can take you to the box, give you the right fly and sink tip and tell you where to cast and you may catch the fish... But without arriving there yourself you'll never understand "why." All of this from a guy who doesn't know shit Btw.
I swung for 3 years before I caught my first one. My daughter asked me how much money I spent on that one fish. I told her about $25, but just for being so nosy, her punishment would be to pay for her own college and wedding.
