# Chrome 3+miles upstream



## steelhead sniper 860 (Nov 6, 2013)

Picked up a chrome Steelie 3+ miles upstream today on a white rooster tail with a gold blade. Also caught a small smallmouth and missed a couple bumps. Fish was explosive, jumped 3-4x and made several drag peeling runs. Now that I use a centerpin 95% of the season I realize how I miss hearing the drag scream on a long run. Goodluck, after that cold snap the fish are definitely there in the lower stretches.


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## bustedrod (May 13, 2015)

way to go .... man i need to get out instaed of just sittin around wishin i was fishin....hahahaah


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## twistedcatfish1971 (Jul 21, 2013)

Very good sniper. Good to hear fish are up and in...I'm taking that this is west of Cleveland...

...I personally haven't heard or yet talk to anyone around the chagrin about fish being caught up abit in river...but know some are there. Harbor is loading up for sure though. 

Don.


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## TRIPLE-J (Sep 18, 2006)

supposed to get some good rain today so that should help bring some fish into the rivers


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## cast-off (Apr 14, 2005)

Nice. I have got 5 so far this year all on spinners. Love using them this time of year before the creeks get choked with leaves. With all the creeks and rivers so low and clear I feel there your best bet. Better than watching a float crawl painfully slow down stream. Best luck I been having with #2 vibrax crome color. Your right the drag screaming makes fun.


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## rickerd (Jul 16, 2008)

Curious Sniper, do you ever cast your rooster tail or spinners upstream and real back down to you? or are you always cast and swing across slowly? Just trying to figure techniques people use with flashy lures.
Rickerd


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## TRIPLE-J (Sep 18, 2006)

rickerd , usually you cast slightly upstream so your lure will get down farther in the strike zone (bottom). if the current is strong enough you really just keep your line tight and basically drift your lure through the hole and then reel in as it swings down below you ...its almost the same idea as bottom bouncing eggs or natural bait through a hole, keep your rod tip up so the line isnt dragging on the water surface which lifts your lure high in the water. if the current is light you have to reel the entire way but keep in mind the idea is to stay as close to bottom as you can... you will feel the spinner blade thumping as it swings down through the hole, if not you need to reel a little faster to get it going.. also try to position yourself so that your lure starts the SWING just about where you think the fish is holding.
and usually you have to give a spinner a little jerk at first to get the spinner going.
you can cast upstream and bring a spinner back down to you, but its usually hard to keep good contact with it and they tend to hang up while doing it unless you are really buzzing the lure through the hole, which can produce fish at times...
me i like to use spoons which i fish the same way while in the river....spoons is my favorite way to steelhead fish followed CLOSELY by bottom bouncing and then float fishing.
if you lose to many spinners you can cut the trebles off and use a small split ring and put a single hook on instead


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## rickerd (Jul 16, 2008)

I was wondering how you guys fish it. I thought it would be hard to cast upstream and reel fast to make it spin on way down. But a fly fishing guide I have been talking to used the upstream cast with rooster tails to catch hundreds of trout when he was growing up. Now he uses a similar technique with flys except no spinner. I have had good success fly fishing with what I call the upstream swing. Starts upstream, lands, a jerk on the rod to set nose downstream, as it passes me it becomes deaddrift, then swing below me at the end. If I cannot catch them with downstream swing and I believe fish are around, I will throw it upstream every 4 casts or so as I work down through the hole or run.

Rickerd


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## steelhead sniper 860 (Nov 6, 2013)

I was fishing deep areas in the lower stretches of the river, right now there is no flow so I’m just covering the entire hole casting whichever direction letting it sink a few seconds and steady slow retrieve. If there is a fishable amount of flow I will drift eggs, if I don’t have eggs I’d drift Shrimp. Typically when fishing Hardware I cast across the river or slightly downstream and retrieve sometimes stopping halfway in on a long cast and letting it sink a couple seconds and starting the retrieve again. I have caught fish casting upstream, across, down stream. When I’m at the mouth or pier I try to cover the water column, varying from fishing surface, middle, deeper, Just Depends


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## cast-off (Apr 14, 2005)

Just to chime in here. Casting up stream and reeling down is a great way to fish spinners. The key is to have spinning real that has fast retrieve. The one I use is about 34 in per turn so I can throw up stream and still have spinner spin properly. I think its more affective some times, especially in clear low streams like what we been having here lately. My thinking is there looking up stream and see it coming. When it comes from down stream it passes over them and won't chase as much. But what do I know I'm just another weekend angler. I ain't Al Linder.


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## jetdrivr (Sep 22, 2004)

Panther Martin spinners are the absolute best for casting upstream and retrieving with the current IMO. The inline blade spins up almost immediately when retrieved and they are trout killers!


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## steelhead sniper 860 (Nov 6, 2013)

All great info being shared! Hopefully the knowledge that’s been Given on this forum over the years helps someone to get out, catch some fish, and have fun on the water!


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## twistedcatfish1971 (Jul 21, 2013)

...don't know why I don't have alot of panther martin spinners...always liked them...fish killer lure right there.

...looks like I'm going to local bait shop and pick a few up lol.

Don.


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## jetdrivr (Sep 22, 2004)

"Proof is in the pudding" as they say. These two Panther Martin spinners landed 3 nice fish today. With another two strikes at the boat that were missed.









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## steelhead sniper 860 (Nov 6, 2013)

Nice fish


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## steelhead sniper 860 (Nov 6, 2013)

Caught another nice steelhead today On a white rooster tail with a gold blade. Caught it right at the 3 mile marker on the river. The fish fought well and was explosive. Peeled drag on several runs that were punctuated by jumps, fish was airborne at least 4 times. I saw another gentleman who was there before me land a smaller fish and claimed he landed one earlier in the morning as well. He was float fishing with a shiner in a virtually stagnant hole.


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## rickerd (Jul 16, 2008)

Hmm, dem fishes look like Manistees to me. Does anyone know if the Manistee strain was stocked at 50% last Spring or did they go back to 100% Manistees? I know those fish were not stocked last Spring BTW.
Rickerd


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## ejsell (May 3, 2012)

rickerd said:


> Hmm, dem fishes look like Manistees to me. Does anyone know if the Manistee strain was stocked at 50% last Spring or did they go back to 100% Manistees? I know those fish were not stocked last Spring BTW.
> Rickerd


I thought they did a mix again. I think I read Michigan did a mix also which I thought was weird.

Sent from my SM-G965U using Tapatalk


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## rickerd (Jul 16, 2008)

Did MI mix the Manistees with the Catfish again? 
.....

Now I'm just kidding. I love MI because they send us Manistees! and other reasons.
Rickerd


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