# line help for steelies!



## allday (Apr 8, 2010)

Been struggling for years with a line/leader combo for steelies drifting and floating for years. I'm only 28 but I'm kinda of old school in the sense that I like helping fellow anglers out with basic fishing knowledge(without giving away a good spot) if for nothing else but to keep the sport alive. But I have found that the local steelhead fisherman are far more less approachable. I've tried straight 6lb Pline and 8lb Stren main w/6lb flouro lead with different jig combos and eggs. I've only caught 2 fish, 1 on a creek chub I caught by accident and 1 on a crawler, both under 20in. Any help on a setup would be much appreciated. Thanks in advance. If you need any advice on river smallies feel free to pm me


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## thephildo0916 (Mar 4, 2009)

Check the sticky at the top of the thread, has a lot of good info in there!


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## RiverDoc (Mar 12, 2010)

allday said:


> But I have found that the local steelhead fisherman are far more less approachable.


No, no, no! I have ran into some of the best people I know fishing for steelies. There are a few bad apples out there that think they own the river or have some axe to grind - never happy - seem to treat it like warfare. But again, this is a minority.

Most true fishermen are polite and generous people. Like anywhere else, it takes a little time to get to know where to go and who to talk with.

Sorry you had some bad experiences. For what it is worth, the first steelhead season is usually the worst for everyone. Best of Luck!


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## ChromeBone (Oct 3, 2011)

I Live in columbus, and ive been fishing for trout for yrs, but only been fishing for steel for a few yrs. Usually the people who are not Real Fishermen "catch Keep EVERYTHING"
are the unfriendly types in my exp. My first trip I met a few good guys and 1 bad. But anyways I still havent cought a fish on eggs for some reason, all on small jigs tip with wax worm or minnow. Everyone fishes a lil diff try all kinds of things out to see what works for you. I use 6-8ibs Fireline with 6-10ibs fluro sufix leader depending on how clear the water is, ANY kind of trout fishing you do, u always need to make sure they can not see your line, and you will get a lot more bites.


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## todd61 (Nov 22, 2009)

How do you tie your leader to your main line? I'm using mono with a flouro leader and having trouble.


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## yonderfishin (Apr 9, 2006)

todd61 said:


> How do you tie your leader to your main line? I'm using mono with a flouro leader and having trouble.


Use a small swivel , attach one to one side and another to the other with any knot you prefer.


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## ShutUpNFish (Apr 17, 2007)

> But I have found that the local steelhead fisherman are far more less approachable.


You cannot mean on the streams....On the net, yes, but not out there on the water....NO WAY! If you disagree, you haven't been doing it long enough.


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## FISHIN216 (Mar 18, 2009)

ShutUpNFish said:


> You cannot mean on the streams....On the net, yes, but not out there on the water....NO WAY! If you disagree, you haven't been doing it long enough.


I agree.....i know you dislike me on this forum but if we met up on a river you would change your tune. As far as line goes any 8# mono and 6# flouro leader should get you where you need to be

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## ChromeBone (Oct 3, 2011)

todd61 said:


> How do you tie your leader to your main line? I'm using mono with a flouro leader and having trouble.



I use a Leader knot, I learned fishing salt water, its very strong knot, becuase you have 2 knots pulling against each other. I think using a swivel you would have a bigger chance of breaking off and they can see it in clear water. Unless your using a spoon or some kind of lure witch would cause a lot of twisting on your line.
http://www.leadertec.com/tipsandtechniques/fishing_knots/knots_leader.html
show you how to tie it.

OH if you tie braid to fluro or mono just twist the braid side a few more times like 7-8 and your golden


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## davef (Aug 7, 2007)

I've been using 12 pound braided line for quite a while and like it with the noodle rod. You do not need that heavy of line but it seems easier to untangle. Never use it in freezing temperatures and tangles around the rod tip are annoying however. I mainly prefer it because I do not have as much trouble with tangles around the reel spool with the braid.

I then have about 3 feet of 10 pound mono uni-knotted to the braid. At the end of the mono I have the smallest swivel I can find and have about 3 feet of either 8, 6 or 4 pound fluorocarbon as my final line. I try to keep as much of my weight on the heavier mono as I can.

It sounds to me like your setup should work fine. One thing I would suggest is if you aren't catching fish keep changing either your bait/lure/fly very often or add/subtract weigh and depth till you find what's working.

One other thing I use are the tiny fast-klips/quik snaps that are a small piece of wire shaped like the letter R for quickly changing bait/flies/ They do not work well with eggs sac mesh but otherwise I use them all the time. I recently got some black ones that seem to bend to easy for steel but the silver or steel colored ones seem much stronger.


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## ShutUpNFish (Apr 17, 2007)

FISHIN216 said:


> I agree.....i know you dislike me on this forum but if we met up on a river you would change your tune. As far as line goes any 8# mono and 6# flouro leader should get you where you need to be
> 
> Outdoor Hub mobile, the outdoor information engine


If you're referring to me; Dude, I don't dislike you, how can I dislike anyone I don't even know? See, case in point, you cannot judge or read people well through this technological medium. I may disagree with some things you or others say, however, for the record...I respect what you all say and I totally understand some lack knowledge and possess more ignorance....We all have our individual opinions and these types of forums are here for us to share and express them. 

I tell it like it is, don't beat around the bush, some just have a hard time accepting that due to their personal sensitivities.


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## toobnoob (Jun 1, 2010)

I would like to 2nd the braided main line as long as it's not below freezing. I use 12# also and the diameter is quite thin. I connect that to about 3' of floro with a seagar knot. This is a pretty good video on how to tie it http://youtu.be/EdMhcUN2iYk. He's doing it with mono to floro but it works very well for braid too plus it's easy to tie with cold hands. I then take about 2' of 6# floro and tie it on with a blood knot, or another seagar knot and then tie on whatever on the business end. I place the shot on the 8# floro just above the knot.

The one thing I like about the braid main line is it floats very well and is easy to "mend" off the watter. I primarily drift floats with this setup but it can be fished many different ways.

As for people on the river, I will usually just ask if they're seeing any fish and relay my observations so far. I've they don't seem like they want to talk I just keep on moving. Some people are out to get some quiet time on the watter and sometimes I'm the same way. Just don't sound like you're trying to crowd their area and most people are more than willing to chat it up.


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## yonderfishin (Apr 9, 2006)

ChromeBone said:


> I use a Leader knot, I learned fishing salt water, its very strong knot, becuase you have 2 knots pulling against each other. I think using a swivel you would have a bigger chance of breaking off and they can see it in clear water. Unless your using a spoon or some kind of lure witch would cause a lot of twisting on your line.
> http://www.leadertec.com/tipsandtechniques/fishing_knots/knots_leader.html
> show you how to tie it.
> 
> OH if you tie braid to fluro or mono just twist the braid side a few more times like 7-8 and your golden


True , but some of use small swivels anyway especially beneath a float and in that case it wont spook a fish much if at all , and its the logical place to go from one line to another if using one. But I agree with you , if not using a swivel of any sort then using this knot to tie the lines direct should be the best way.


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## FISHIN216 (Mar 18, 2009)

yonderfishin said:


> True , but some of use small swivels anyway especially beneath a float and in that case it wont spook a fish much if at all , and its the logical place to go from one line to another if using one. But I agree with you , if not using a swivel of any sort then using this knot to tie the lines direct should be the best way.


I prefer a micro-swivel because I know where the line will break off and I hate losing floats

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## davef (Aug 7, 2007)

At one time I did not use the swivel but I had several experiences where when I would break off below the float I would still loose my float because the line and float caps would somehow allow the knots to slip through the float caps and the float would go.

The small swivel seems to stop this and now I may loose 1 or 2 a year.


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## ouflyboy9 (Aug 12, 2008)

make sure you're fishing deep enough....it may not be an issue with your line


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## fredg53 (Sep 17, 2010)

FISHIN216 said:


> I prefer a micro-swivel because I know where the line will break off and I hate losing floats
> 
> Outdoor Hub mobile, the outdoor information engine


Right on 216

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## RiverDoc (Mar 12, 2010)

I solved this problem; that is, losing too many floats, shot, and swivels. I run the float on the main 10 Lb Fireline. The next line is an intermediate line, which is 8 Lb test. It is about 2-2.5 feet long and contains all of my split shot. Finally, the terminal line is 4-6 Lb test; for running hooks, jigs, etc. I can't use this setup in 2-3 foot of water but for anything 4 foot and deeper, it works great. If I lose something, it is whatever is attached to the terminal line.


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