# winter pointers if you guys could ?



## WISH IT WAS YOU (Jul 25, 2006)

i have been fishing for what i consider to be quite a few years and pretty much got everything down except steelies.
idk what its is about these damn lake run fish.any warm water species just dont compare to the struggle to find and land these steelhead i mean i have caught a good number steelies in my life but most are at lowhead dams and in areas that are now off limits to the public but i cant really seem to figure them out at all this year except at these lowhead damn and its kind of a boring style of fishing.
i fish both spinning and fly and mainly use my fly rod and have been throwing smaller wollybuggers smaller streamers and a some nymphs and egg patterns and they all work at the dam but i cant figure out this winter pattern of finding fishing. sorry my little rant but after spending a good amount of trips from youngstown up to the ash and connie this year with little luck i feel like i lost my touch or somthing 

i guess im trying to figure out what kind of water should i focus on this time of year deep pockets shallow pockets front of the pools back. fast or slow moving water.and do you guys change your gear from fall and spring for winter. 

idk if its my line stren 6lb blue mono 
i know its easyer to switch to live bait and pull out the spinning gear but i really find it rewarding breaking out the fly rod 

any help would be loved im heading to the ash and mabye two unnamed east bound streams in the morning.
:C


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## Patricio (Feb 2, 2007)

Im heading out in a few hours. early on, about day break ill be targeting faster water as the fish will be on the move. when the sun pops up the fish will be heading to deeper water and holding there. 

im using larger buggers and dead drifting them.


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## gildor (Oct 12, 2008)

Hi there,
Steelhead are a challenging fish; the title "Fish of a Thousand Casts" is well-earned. Getting success involves invested time on the river, commitment to the chase, and learning about the fish. 

I primarily fly fish as well; it's been my chosen method of chasing steelhead for the last 3 years or so. The first year I didn't really get out much and didn't feel like I knew what I was doing, so I picked up Dec Hogan's book _Passion for Steelhead_, which I highly recommend. After applying some techniques I learned, I started hooking into fish the following year. Much of his discussion applies to double-hand rods, but is easily applied to use of single-hand. The technique employs swinging a wet fly, and he spends considerable time with reading water, flies to consider, equipment considerations . . . everything.

As far as "where" to fish is concerned . . . I'm the type of guy that will explore fishing the whole river, and not just tailouts, pools, etc. Fish can be found in several parts of the water, and learning to read the water surface for hints of holding areas will be key. These can be water transition areas, (where fast meets slow), boulders and rocks, or anything else the fish could perceive as cover. A good graphic on fish location can be found here which discusses fishing high-water steelhead. High-water steelhead fishing is a real treat as fewer people are out, putting less pressure on the fish, and the fish will tend to be closer to the shoreline where the water flow is lighter.

Consider several approaches when working a parcel of river . . . swinging the streamer, dead drifting it, nymphing . . . be creative and be open minded, and above all, be patient. If the fish is in a mood to strike, it will. 

Another thing . . . there are people who will indicate that winter steelhead will not rise to a fly swung down-and-across . . . that is not true. Fish that are in a mood to strike will rise, and the take is incredible.


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## WISH IT WAS YOU (Jul 25, 2006)

thanks for the reply ill have to check out his book. and its just the winter steelheadn that really gets me i went four days in a row and finnally on the fourth fished i fished a ditch and had some hook ups but i dont feel like it was true steelheading kinda just had to get the skunk off my back. gonna head up to the real rivers when we get a tad bit warmer weather


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## Fishman (Apr 5, 2004)

dry flies over shallow spawners


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