# common rookie mistakes



## ironfish (Jul 31, 2010)

All the steelhead guys who have been doing this for a while can bend the learning curve for the some of the newbies by fessing up with some of are earlier mistakes and maybe some more recent mistakes/practices i'll start with some of mine.
1.Having a giant belly in the line,line not out of the water or not tight.
2.Not seeking out new water.
3.Not staying currant with newer methods.
4.Failure to keep an eye on river levels/weather
5.Got in a bad habit last season with breaking off alot of fish with some junk tippit line.lost several nice fish before I changed out.

I have tons more but I'm not a masochist,let the newbies know what there in for.
ironfish


----------



## steelheadBob (Jul 6, 2004)

well, after doing this for 28 years, the only problem i still have is in the first couple of trips out, I always forget I use fireline for my main,,,,,,,, well short story, I have my drag set to tight until it sinks into my head 5 break off later.
The most common rookie mistakes I see on the rivers are....

1. not using enough weight, but not to much.... fishing fast to med water with the same weight they would frog water!!!!
2. fishing there baits the wrong depth, egg sack 2' under a float when there fishing a 5-6 foot deep run or shoot.
3. using the egg sacks u buy in a jar from atlas!!!!!
4. not learning how to use there rod to control there drift and there float is in the wrong water.
5. fishing the wrong water.
and the biggest thing is that Ive seen,,,,,, if some one is slamming the fish and your not, dont get frusterated and lose hope,,, sit back and watch, smoke a cigg or do what ever, but watch for a few.... see what his leader lenth is.... if he has a 10 1/2 foot noodle rod and his float is a couple of inches from the top and his bait is 3/4 the way down, then he is fishing about a 6' leader, if your uncertain what hes useing, ask, the worst thing is he'll tell you to go somewhere!!!!! Try to adjust your fishing to the way the guy who is catching the fish and learn off of it.. hope this helps some of you


----------



## FISHIN216 (Mar 18, 2009)

well here is why I didnt catch a steelhead in my first season....1. I was not even using mono on my main line. all flouro LOL....2. I did'nt understand what getting a perfect drift was.....3. I fished the river alot when it was just bad conditions....4. fishing in secluded areas and never seeing what produces......5. and the last was just not spending enough time on the water and knowing the depths of certain areas and how the current runs....It really is alot of work but it is so worth it..if I dont catch over 200 steelies this season I will be disappointed...


----------



## steelheadBob (Jul 6, 2004)

200???? dont be disapointed 216, some guys go out there and only get 5 a season..... The thing that seperates you from them is you learn and try as you go! I stop getting upset if i only go out there and catch one, instead of getting upset, I think what i did and didnt do during the trip and how am i going to fix the problem!!!! Stick with it, you'll get that 200 easy!!!! And from my exp, some of the ugliest drifts have caught me fish!!!!!


----------



## Chrominator (Oct 11, 2007)

I think the two most crucial skills a rookie needs to learn is, how to read the water and his or her float.


----------



## KSUFLASH (Apr 14, 2004)

The 2 biggest mistakes I made when starting out was:

1. I wasn't looking for steelhead in the right places.

2. My bait wasn't in the strike zone.


----------



## Mepps3 (Apr 23, 2006)

Knowing high water holding spots and low water holding spots.


----------



## steelheadBob (Jul 6, 2004)

Mepps3 said:


> Knowing high water holding spots and low water holding spots.


Thats a good one!!!!!!!


----------



## Rippin (Jan 21, 2007)

FISHIN216 said:


> if I dont catch over 200 steelies this season I will be disappointed...


 If I don't have 200 fish by the end of October then I"m doing something wrong,
If your looking at catching lots of fish I think knowing flow rates is a must, and having good eggs with the right presentation...


----------



## ironfish (Jul 31, 2010)

Mepps3 said:


> Knowing high water holding spots and low water holding spots.


Now that's a great tip! An old dog can learn a new trick, as I said when I first posted this thread I have a bad habit of getting stuck in some non productive routines or not staying currant...Mepps can you elaborate on some characteristics a high water/flow holding spot should have? ie bottom structure,where in the riffle,time of year,etc.
ironfish


----------



## Rippin (Jan 21, 2007)

Ionfish,
Learn your flow rates, which river fish when, our rivers are not real big and can drop fast, with only a few days of good to excellent fishing. You can fish a hole or run one day and slam fish, go back the next day and the fish are not there, holding areas and seams have changed because the river has dropped.


----------



## yonderfishin (Apr 9, 2006)

steelheadBob said:


> 3. using the egg sacks u buy in a jar from atlas!!!!!
> .





If no fresh eggs are available , are cured eggs of any type better than the jar canned egg sacs ?


----------



## creekcrawler (Oct 5, 2004)

I second SteelheadBob - Always check/set your drag when you start fishing!

Flow rates are important too. I just take it for granted I guess - the first thing I do b4 fishing is check the gauges. 

If your fishing with another person, make sure you're rigged up before you leave. Otherwise, I'll have made several casts and hooked a fish before you're tied up....


----------



## FISHIN216 (Mar 18, 2009)

yonderfishin said:


> If no fresh eggs are available , are cured eggs of any type better than the jar canned egg sacs ?


If I were you I would just go with jig and maggot..eggs are really tricky unless you have fresh eggs that were prepared by someone who knows what they are doing. the eggs in the little jars are for little stocked rainbows IMO. I can catch them and I NEVER got one steelhead on eggs all last year and I had fresh eggs for awhile


----------



## Chrominator (Oct 11, 2007)

creekcrawler said:


> I second SteelheadBob - *Always check/set your drag when you start fishing!*
> Flow rates are important too. I just take it for granted I guess - the first thing I do b4 fishing is check the gauges.
> 
> If your fishing with another person, make sure you're rigged up before you leave. Otherwise, I'll have made several casts and hooked a fish before you're tied up....


....and check it again after you catch one!


----------



## steelheadBob (Jul 6, 2004)

yonderfishin said:


> If no fresh eggs are available , are cured eggs of any type better than the jar canned egg sacs ?


Dont ever use those eggs that are in those jars. I have never seen anyone catch steel on those, if they did, they were starving fish!!!! If you have no eggs, make a trip up to erie outfitters and get some kings from Craig!!!!
But for the love of god, dont waste your money, if you get that desperate, Ill give you some eggs!!!!!!!!!


----------



## steelheadBob (Jul 6, 2004)

FISHIN216 said:


> If I were you I would just go with jig and maggot..eggs are really tricky unless you have fresh eggs that were prepared by someone who knows what they are doing. the eggs in the little jars are for little stocked rainbows IMO. I can catch them and I NEVER got one steelhead on eggs all last year and I had fresh eggs for awhile


Heres another trick I do...... If you can get your hands on some brown trout eggs, which isnt easy if you dont catch them yourself or know any one who goes to N.Y. but i save the curing juice from my brown eggs and cure my steelhead eggs in the same juice!!!!! cant tell the differance of smell.
And I always ,(when the time is right, late fall to spring) i always dip my single egg patterns, sucker spawn and just about every other fly I use in the same juice from the brown trout eggs or steelhead eggs(in a little jar) and IMO it has improved my hookups!!!!!


----------



## yonderfishin (Apr 9, 2006)

FISHIN216 said:


> If I were you I would just go with jig and maggot..eggs are really tricky unless you have fresh eggs that were prepared by someone who knows what they are doing. the eggs in the little jars are for little stocked rainbows IMO. I can catch them and I NEVER got one steelhead on eggs all last year and I had fresh eggs for awhile


I seen some videos of them being caught in the Vermilion on spawn sacs under a float. I plan to use the jigs but would be nice to have other options should the river or situation call for it.


----------



## yonderfishin (Apr 9, 2006)

steelheadBob said:


> Heres another trick I do...... If you can get your hands on some brown trout eggs, which isnt easy if you dont catch them yourself or know any one who goes to N.Y. but i save the curing juice from my brown eggs and cure my steelhead eggs in the same juice!!!!! cant tell the differance of smell.
> And I always ,(when the time is right, late fall to spring) i always dip my single egg patterns, sucker spawn and just about every other fly I use in the same juice from the brown trout eggs or steelhead eggs(in a little jar) and IMO it has improved my hookups!!!!!


I should be making a trip to Alpena Mich. sometime this fall where if all goes well I should be able to get my hands on all the salmon eggs I can carry. If these fresh ones were cured right , in your opinion would they be better than canned eggs ? If I have the opportunity to get them it would be a waste if I didnt.


----------



## ohioman76 (Jun 9, 2004)

I think my number one mistake was picking the wrong teacher. I went out with one guy who kept saying he had a fish and every time I ran over with the net it turned out he had a snag. I drove all the way up from Youngstown to watch that bull$#@% all day. Finally, Joel aka Archman, pretty much guaranteed fish and boy did he deliver! He showed me how to set up my pole and what gear to use. A couple weeks later I came up by myself and hooked several and landed three. I think having someone who is willing to show you the ropes helps a lot.


----------



## GobyOneGnoby (Apr 21, 2004)

Excessive Internet fishing. Spend time on the water not the computer. There is no substitute for experience and time on the water. Ask yourself each time, _'what did I learn today'_ and keep it in a log book. Refer to you log book until it's etched in stone.

When you release a fish watch where it swims. Often they swim to different holding water that you wouldn't think holds fish.


----------



## steelheader007 (Apr 8, 2004)

put the fish on the reel dont try and bring the fish in by hand pulling in the line!


----------



## ShutUpNFish (Apr 17, 2007)

ironfish...your #2 is what I find myself getting caught up in at times. My goal is to venture more this year. I don't mean looking for new spots either, what I mean is not get caught up in standing in one spot for too too long just because I know fish are there or that the spot historically produces fish. I'm actually going to try to limit myself to about 20-25 minutes in a spot, unless of course, the fish are on fire there. Good thread.

Good bait preperation is also key, especially when it comes to eggs.


----------



## steelheadBob (Jul 6, 2004)

gobyonegnoby said:


> excessive internet fishing. Spend time on the water not the computer. There is no substitute for experience and time on the water. Ask yourself each time, _'what did i learn today'_ and keep it in a log book. Refer to you log book until it's etched in stone.
> 
> When you release a fish watch where it swims. Often they swim to different holding water that you wouldn't think holds fish.


a big amen steve!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


----------



## RockyRiverRay (Jan 14, 2009)

steelheadBob said:


> a big amen steve!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


X1,000,000 amens.....

You need to get your licks in on the river in each and every spot and be persistent. There is nothing more important than time on the river. 12hr days sometimes...... LOL

Ray


----------



## kevin hanzel (Jun 2, 2010)

i tried for the first time last fall, then again, then again in the winter, then again in the winter, then winter AGAIN, the spring.... like 10 hr days freezing my berries off..... didnt catch a thing.... still loved it. then again i have NO IDEA what im doing out there..... oh well.... will try again this year.... if you see a young guy out there doing it ALL wrong that'll be me. say hello.


----------



## ShutUpNFish (Apr 17, 2007)

kevin hanzel said:


> i tried for the first time last fall, then again, then again in the winter, then again in the winter, then winter AGAIN, the spring.... like 10 hr days freezing my berries off..... didnt catch a thing.... still loved it. then again i have NO IDEA what im doing out there..... oh well.... will try again this year.... if you see a young guy out there doing it ALL wrong that'll be me. say hello.


You NEED to scroll up and read ohioman76's post and take the advice...get someone who knows what they are doing to take you out for a day, you will not regret it and will gain valuable knowledge that will ensure your time out on the water to NOT be a waste....You may love it now, but the more time you spend out there not catching anything WILL wear on you eventually. I'm sure there are many of guys willing to help you out on this very board who live in your area....Good luck this season!


----------



## GobyOneGnoby (Apr 21, 2004)

The three most important questions to ask someone who is catching fish while your eating skunk.

1) What are you using?
2) What color?
3) How deep?

Or you can pout like a bitch and ask for some Ketchup.


----------



## Rippin (Jan 21, 2007)

GobyOneGnoby said:


> Excessive Internet fishing. Spend time on the water not the computer. There is no substitute for experience and time on the water. Ask yourself each time, _'what did I learn today'_ and keep it in a log book. Refer to you log book until it's etched in stone.
> 
> When you release a fish watch where it swims. Often they swim to different holding water that you wouldn't think holds fish.


best advice yet...


----------



## Carpman (May 18, 2005)

GobyOneGnoby said:


> The three most important questions to ask someone who is catching fish while your eating skunk.
> 
> 1) What are you using?
> 2) What color?
> ...


I usually pout like a B because I am too stubborn to ask. 

Seriously though......For me, the biggest thing when I first started hitting the rivers regularly was finding where the fish hold. At first I was just going to the crowded areas that everyone knows about. Then I started walking a bit and found some areas that look exactly like the crowded ones, but not a soul to be found. Ended up teaching myself where to fish just by exploring. Again this didn't happen overnight, it took me about 3 years to really get the hang of where to look on certain rivers. 

Presentation is not a big deal if you just read this forum. The first time I went steelheading on the rock I ran into an old timer that asked me where the fish were. I said, it's my first time out and I have no idea......he looked puzzled and said, "but your rigged up perfectly?" I told that I had been reading about steelhead far before I even went to the river. He said I was ahead of every other noob on the river. Made me laugh.

There are a million other factors that come into play, especially since our steelhead are in the rivers for 3 seasons.


----------



## Flyfish Dog (Nov 6, 2007)

If you got a dog that loves the water then use it for searching and watch the fishs darting out. Come back the next time with the proper gear.I have used this to my advantage on everything.


----------



## CARL510ISLE (Jan 8, 2010)

Getting discouraged. 
Being too concerned with only results and not learning something useful each time out whether catching fish or not.
Not asking enough ?????
Not fishing varying conditions enough and getting caught in a "prime" water (no brainer bite) rut, and wondering why fishing is so difficult when water conditions vary. 
Not adjusting rigging methods to match water conditions.
Simply lack of TOW; definitely not a mistake - just inexperience. 

Go fishing....

C510I


----------



## kevin hanzel (Jun 2, 2010)

i grew up fishing the lake from the shore off the bottom and bass fishing... that was it.... pretty basic stuff.... now im trying to broaden my horizons if you will. whats a leader? what strength leader do i us? how many lb. test? what size hook? what would a basic set up consist of?


----------



## FISHIN216 (Mar 18, 2009)

Flyfish Dog said:


> If you got a dog that loves the water then use it for searching and watch the fishs darting out. Come back the next time with the proper gear.I have used this to my advantage on everything.


thats funny...sure would'nt be if someone was fishing there which I accidentally did to a guy on the rocky before I even knew about steelhead. he acted cool but I knew he was fuming


----------

