# steelies! argghhhh!! haha



## Fishaholic69 (Apr 6, 2007)

went out today and got skunked like usual. seen 2 guys 1 spin and 1 fly guy. they both caught stuff! not me tho? I must be doing something wrong? I used clousers, buggers, eggs, stones even a egg with a dropper stone and fished the tailwaters. I have yet to get me a steelie while drifting anything. always got um on the swing with streamers so far. I try and get it on the bottom like everyone says but never any luck hooking up with anything but the bottom? found this real stonefly nymph floating by. heres a couple quick pics. visability was like 8-12 inches if that.. will try again tomorrow. I refuse to give up. I got to get me a steelie on a egg or nymph!!!


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## riverKing (Jan 26, 2007)

you will get one nymphing just keep it up! remember caddis and eggs are easy to tie so put that indecator 8-10ft above your shot and lose some flies, it'll help you get bit.
nice little stone, those are a pretty common "hatch" through the next probably 1.5-2months, about a #14-16? I think those are early blacks, Taeniopteryx somthing or another, I think those are the ones that as adults look alot like caddisflies, maybe the steelies will start sucking down a #16 elk hair (I can dream cant I?)
remember keep it simple #16-12 flashback PT, same size green caddis, and smaller eggs, pink peach and pink, keep them down and set the hook on anything. oh yeah, if you dont get bit in about 5 good drifts, move now or you will get stuck thinking there should be fish there. thats a lesson I learned hard, even though tom had been telling me that over and over, but its very true, I would bet half the pools I have caught steelies in I hooked one in the first two drifts.
goodluck and keep the updates going! and I want too see a pick of your first nymphed up steelie, and the story of the three you lost before it


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## Fishaholic69 (Apr 6, 2007)

will try again tomorrow. should I really be 8 to 10 feet above the split shot? the spots I fish are like 3 to 5 feet deep at most?


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## Shortdrift (Apr 5, 2004)

He is telling you to be sure and get the nymph right in front of their nose, on/near the bottom which is where you have to be this time of year. What kind of strike indicator are you using? Are you stacking your shot or just relying on a single shot? Egg patterns have to be small now, 1/8" dia.


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## Fishaholic69 (Apr 6, 2007)

I only got size bb shot and I been using 1 or 2 12 -14 inch above my fly. as the river is only 3 to 5 feet in the tailwaters where I fish. also today I tried a sz 12 glo egg with a sz 10 beadhead stone for a dropper and I was easily ticking bottom with both setups. thats just using football indicators for the 2 rig dropper and the drift indicator for the splitshot. I got football, lil ball/toothpick and drift indicators which point up if you are drifting natural. any advice or tips? pm me if needed, if I can get this drifting nymphs and eggs down I will be set! I can already get um on streamer patterns all day in the fall/spring. just suck in the winter.. also been using making leader 9 ft mono tapers 25 to 10lb then adding 8lb flouro. should I be using 6lb?


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## JoesEyedUp (Apr 18, 2006)

I hear ya.
I was skunked on Wednesday out there freezing my butt off. 
I saw this guy land 4 on a center pin and a group of kids walk off with 6 or so on spinning gear. 
From what RiverKing said sounds like I need more leader. Sometimes I could feel my spilt shots dragging bottom but when I moved further down the pool I couldn't. 
Why is it I can't tie a simple egg but my streamers and other flies like sucker spawn are coming out pretty good?
Very frustrating.


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## Fishaholic69 (Apr 6, 2007)

are you using sharp scissors?


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## riverKing (Jan 26, 2007)

lighter line will help you get down and will help the flies drift more naturally, 6-8 are typically what I throw. personally I dont think you need your shot more than 6-10in above your point fly, but I like to keep my two flies atleast 18in apart. and no you may not need to fish 10ft between your shot and indecator but trust me, there are places that I have fished three shot and an indecator that high to get down into 3ft of water, sometimes getting where others think they are getting counts. on erie tribs somtime there were places where fishing with one shot and a shallow set work but just always think, am I snagging bottom.

Jeyedup, try bending a razor blade, the curve will help shape the egg. and if its ugly who cares, the fish just see a ball of color, there are not alot of (any) size 12 pink eggs out right now, so if its a little raggad it shouldnt be a problem
oh yeah, try yellow too

and finally the biggest key to getting a good drift, imo, is slack, lots and lots of it, mend some line up stream of the indecator and keep the rod tip up and keep mending so that indecator is not effected.


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## JoesEyedUp (Apr 18, 2006)

I think they are sharp I just got them. I bought them cause the kit I originally got me into tying flies the scissors weren't that good.

I talked to a few guys before I went out on Weds I was feeling confident. 
The drift I was getting and the mending I did I thought was pretty good.
Maybe Not!
I picked up a few books and I learned alot from them.
The total length of my leader is about 9'.
The strike indicator was about a foot from fly line. The split shots were about 5-6' from that and then the flies were about 18" from split shots. 
They aren't heavy shots but I did have 3 on then went to 5 then I could feel bottom. 
I was trying to keep the fly line out of the water as much as I could.


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## Fishaholic69 (Apr 6, 2007)

thanks for all the tips on drifting! I will keep at it! eggs are not too hard once you get the hang of um. I use this video for help.


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## Patricio (Feb 2, 2007)

I say, dump the weights, the bobbers and the double rigs. concentrate on two things, the fly as it bounces along the bottom and the line as it reacts to this. keep as much line out of the water as possible. anything between the rod tip and the fly will come between you and a strike.


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## MuskieMan35 (Mar 5, 2008)

fishaholic- I second what patricio said.. lose your indicator and bounce the bottom and wait for that subtle strike...if your using eggs- MAKE sure your on the bottom with weight. The farther you throw out the more slack you got to pull in with your off hand, so keep it in tight. You literally want your rod tip directly above your line where it goes in the water. If you get no hit after say... 10 drifts, switch colors but make sure your on the bottom!
I've been calling this method "tight-lining" and I've had 13 hookups in the last two trips out (about 6 hours of fishing total) using pink & orange eggs ONLY. My egg flies were literally 6-8" away from my last split shot- (this is muddy water fishing so, maybe in cleaner water run them further apart)
now... if I could only get them to cooperate AFTER their hooked!  (only landed 2!)


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## Fishaholic69 (Apr 6, 2007)

cool thansk guys.. will have to try that. never tried bottom bouncing without a indicator before but sounds more my style. I am not a fan of indicators much. I rather swing streamers all day


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