# Unorthodox Steelhead Bait Suggestions?



## Mhebbs (Dec 19, 2020)

I typically float fish jig and maggot or spawn sacks, but I don't live near a bait shop and often find myself in a situation where I do not have enough sunlight left in the day to drive to one and hit the rivers. Anyone have luck on less than conventional baits I could pick up at a grocery store? Perhaps shrimp or something similar? Thanks!


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## johnboy111711 (Apr 7, 2004)

uncooked shrimp, de shelled, and tie just like you would an egg sack


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## 1MoreKast (Mar 15, 2008)

You don't need to tip your jigs with bait, they work pretty good in most cases without it. Crappie tubes, power minnows, other soft plastics work fine. If you're pretty dead set on using some variety of larvae then check your local pet store. Otherwise, shrimp x2.


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## InlandKid (Aug 29, 2006)

Salad shrimp, add some neon food dye, cure with borax and they will last you all season, add anise extract if you want additional scent.


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## TRIPLE-J (Sep 18, 2006)

Or stop at any gas station and pick up a dozen crawlers...caught many steelhead over the years on a hunk of a crawler bounced on bottom


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## matticito (Jul 17, 2012)

Dynamite


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## matticito (Jul 17, 2012)

InlandKid said:


> Salad shrimp, add some neon food dye, cure with borax and they will last you all season, add anise extract if you want additional scent.
> View attachment 462400


Needs zesty cocktail sauce


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## Mhebbs (Dec 19, 2020)

Thanks everyone for the input! I have decided to try salad shrimp, tipped with a stick of dynamite...fingers crossed!


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## snagless-1 (Oct 26, 2014)

Try small pieces of hot dog or cheese under a bobber,caught trout out of Punderson,and Sadow lake using these baits.


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## Erie Knight (Jun 27, 2011)

Try some frozen calamari. Defrost and cut the tubes into minnow size strips. Drift through your favorite spot. Awesome drift action and the scent drives the steelies crazy. Good luck.


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## creekcrawler (Oct 5, 2004)

Y'know, I forgot the squid. After our last trip to the Keys, I thought,"Why not here?"
Cut some squid strips and fished them like a minnow. Smallmouth were loving it in the river.


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## Flathead76 (May 2, 2010)

Early in the fall run I used to pound them on drifting a night crawler on a small jig. Steelhead will eat anything. Presentation is everything.


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## youngblood (Feb 9, 2012)

Ever try a Wooly Bugger black fly ? No bait needed. I haven't stream fished in years but they can be deadly in stained water.


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## 1MoreKast (Mar 15, 2008)

Flathead76 said:


> Steelhead will eat anything. Presentation is everything.


I need this on a T-shirt.


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## Steelhauler (Apr 7, 2004)

I've caught them on gummy bears in the past.


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## ranger487 (Apr 5, 2005)

Single or double piece of canned corn. I have caught regular trout on canned pee's also they are hard to keep on the hook but the fish ate them lol


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## hailtothethief (Jan 18, 2017)

Marshmallows but i eat them before i get to the river


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## El'lonyo (Jan 31, 2021)

Use a bead.


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## Ten Bears (Jan 12, 2012)

Flathead76 said:


> Early in the fall run I used to pound them on drifting a night crawler on a small jig. Steelhead will eat anything. Presentation is everything.


Use crawlers for everything.


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## The Fishing Addict (Mar 19, 2014)

Crayfish and leeches


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## The Fishing Addict (Mar 19, 2014)

Erie Knight said:


> Try some frozen calamari. Defrost and cut the tubes into minnow size strips. Drift through your favorite spot. Awesome drift action and the scent drives the steelies crazy. Good luck.


I’ve tried this before but not much success!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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

Flathead76 said:


> Early in the fall run I used to pound them on drifting a night crawler on a small jig. Steelhead will eat anything. Presentation is everything.


X3! 
Growing up in southern WV, we caught many stocker rainbows(even goldens) on cigarette “filter” flies! Take a butt(new or used!), tear the filter off, carefully pull half of the wrapping paper, off, (circumferentially, not length-wise!) and push a hook thru the filter, eyelet first, from the fuzzy end til you can tie to the eyelet. With your fingers, roll the exposed filter material to “fuzz” it out sort of like the end of a tube jig. Tie to end of line, couple splitshot to get it to roll along the rocks==trout! We found these in the stomachs(along with small sticks and rocks!) of some we cleaned is how we stumbled onto them. Yes, they will eat Anything that “might” be food!


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## A-5 (Apr 9, 2017)

*take a jig and cut a pink trick worm or a pink senko in half. Cheaper than mad river and DIY hack. Ned rig







*


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