# How NOT to catch a steelhead.



## redingtonb (Jul 28, 2009)

Up before dawn for trip to Erie to go after some steelhead. Picked my bud up in Euclid and headed to Wildwood. My bud had been there the prior evening to scout the action, which he was glad to see was hot.

Arrived before sunrise, 2 fishers already there on the west breakwall, one at the tip, one closer in to the mouth of the stream. Me and my buddy setup between the 2 and started tossing spoons across the channel to the steel pier 25 yards away. It was a beautiful morning, and the lake was almost flat, the water was really clear.

2 other guys show up within the hour. All quiet at first, then the inside guy hauls in a hog of a steelhead. He's throwing a gold spoon about the same as mine. Then the guy at the point pulls in a hog, throwing a silver spoon. The late arrival then lands a hog.

Me and my buddy are not getting hit at all. Over the next 3 hours, all three of the hog catchers hook up again with a second hog apiece. Nobody else gets jack.

I switch over to a green Little Cl*o, nada. Then a plastic tail on a orange jig, then a white jig and gray tail, both tipped with G*lp maggot or G*lp worm.

Despite our best efforts, my buddy and me were skunked. No bumps, nothing. Were matching retrieval speeds of the catchers.

My rig, pictured below, is 8 lb. clear mono, tied with an improved clinch knot to a size 0 silver ballbearing swivel, clipped to a small bronze croslock, attached to the silver split ring on the spoon.

Any advice?

PS: One of my spoons is stuck in the rocks.


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## creekcrawler (Oct 5, 2004)

Some days, you get the bear. Some days, the bear gets you. 

Had a day like that on an unmentionable trib. I got three in the first hour or two. My bud? Zilch.
It was a cold day and he's freezing. Wouldn't quit for another three hours until he finally got one, lol.


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## Ron Y (Dec 2, 2020)

Lure tasted bad, line smells, your technique different than guys catching, cranked too fast, cranked too slow or it just wasn't your day. Its a blessing, you did not have to clean fish when you got home.


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## creekcrawler (Oct 5, 2004)

You were obviously standing on the wrong rock.


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## dugworm (May 23, 2008)

You guys did better than me. I caught a lot of $h!t on my production floor for 10hrs today.


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## matticito (Jul 17, 2012)

Rub some procure on it.


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## Redheads (Jun 9, 2008)

Go again in the morning and enjoy it for what it is........catching or not


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## ohiotuber (Apr 15, 2004)

I fish with a flyrod for steelhead, so I may be speaking out of turn but from looking at the attached picture, I would guess you were using too much hardware.

Mike


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## bustedrod (May 13, 2015)

trout run the walls alot you just got stuck in the middle, one ahead one behind... switch over to a black jig w minnow or maggs on a bobber about 5 ft deep


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## Eye Dr (Mar 23, 2010)

The hook on the spoon looks like a circle hook. If so, you might want to replace it with a “j” style hook or treble. Circle hooks are primarily used for bait fishing.


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## DeathFromAbove (Oct 21, 2008)

Thats why they call it fishin' , not catchin'.


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## Ten Bears (Jan 12, 2012)

Fished Monday and caught three. Fished until abut 8AM with no fish. Tried a bronze/red Cleo and nailed three in a half hour. Go figure.


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## Hammerhead54 (Jun 16, 2012)

I agree with eye dr. about the circle hook.


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## Goodlife61 (Sep 29, 2021)

It happen this way at times .


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## c. j. stone (Sep 24, 2006)

Next trip, just for “$h***&giggles”, try throwing(use minimal weight-a few splitshot, crank it-don’t let it go too deep!) a single spinner/hook/(orange and black) beads(similar to a Mayfly rig) with half a crawler(steelhead favor lures w/orange!). I’ve trolled that breakwall area(out in front&creek-side) this time of year, and had many great experiences in the past with just that rig! They “smash” it!(circle hook fine on this rig!) Something like this(bait minnow, piece of crawler, or curly tail):


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## bdawg (Apr 14, 2009)

Keep changing lures until you find the right one for that day. I kept switching Saturday morning until I finally caught one at 10am on a green ned rig, trying for smallies. Never caught steel on a ned rig before, but it worked on Saturday!


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## RiverDoc (Mar 12, 2010)

redingtonb said:


> Up before dawn for trip to Erie to go after some steelhead. Picked my bud up in Euclid and headed to Wildwood. My bud had been there the prior evening to scout the action, which he was glad to see was hot.
> 
> Arrived before sunrise, 2 fishers already there on the west breakwall, one at the tip, one closer in to the mouth of the stream. Me and my buddy setup between the 2 and started tossing spoons across the channel to the steel pier 25 yards away. It was a beautiful morning, and the lake was almost flat, the water was really clear.
> 
> ...


Just timing and luck. Next time will be a slam.


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## Ohioagainsttheworld (Oct 3, 2017)

Just happens sometimes…I fished with my buddy off the rocks off CLE a few years ago and went 4/6 in about 3 hours. I’ve never had a day that good off the rocks before / since. My buddy was standing on the rock right next to me and didn’t get bumped the whole time. He was fishing the exact same lure as me with the same rig…I know because I let him borrow one because I felt bad! He was literally matching retrieve with mine and it didn’t matter. Crazy how that works.


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## HappySnag (Dec 20, 2007)

i prefer main line to swivel,24" mono leader to dual snap.
i would change the hook to inline hook 2/0,3/0,4/0 what ever you like.
it could be location or mooving your rods and retreeve.somting was trigering the fish.


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