2008 November | Steelhead Salmon and Trout Fishing

Scenic Clearwater River A Steelhead Fishing Paradise

The Clearwater River in North Central Idaho is home to some of the largest Steelhead in the continental United States. It is well renowned

for its Steelhead Runs along with a very Good Salmon and Cutthroat trout fishery. The Clearwater River is one of those spots that most fly fisherman only dreams of experiencing. And yet it is one of America most easily accessible rivers with Idaho State Highway 12 following it across the state.

The Clearwater starts its journey to the Snake River in the back country of the Bitter Root Mountains that form the border between Montana and Idaho and winds its way through some of Idaho’s most beautiful landscape until it reaches the Snake River in Lewiston.

Take highway 12 as you leave south of Lewiston and you will follow one of the most pristine rivers in the state as it works its way east. There is a number of public access points along the way many have boat launches picnic and camping areas. As you dive along this beautiful river you will be able to see an abundance of wild life turkeys, deer, and elk abound along the entire stretch of the river.

My Main passion for this river however remain with its exceptional fishery Steelhead can be found and caught from September through April, in April you start to see some of the first Chinook as they make their way upstream and they usually have fishing for these great fish until the end of June as well. From June to September you can enjoy some of the best Cutthroat Trout fishing imaginable any where in the United States.

If you want to have the Fishing experience of a lifetime while enjoying some spectacular scenery you should really consider a trip along the beautiful Clearwater River here in Idaho.

By: RR Smith

Make Idaho Your Next Fly Fishing Destination

Salmon River At Riggins Idaho

The best part about the sport of fly-fishing is experiencing the scenery and calmness around you as you are trying to hook your trophy fish. Idaho has many great places where you can find some solitude while fly-fishing. In fact, the vast expanses that surround the rivers and streams in Idaho provide you with some of the most relaxing solitude anywhere not to mention some of the most scenic country you will ever experience.

Anglers from all over the world travel to Idaho to experience fly fishing in its Blue Ribbon Trout Rivers and unspoiled mountain lakes. Whether the angler is seeking to battle trophy sized wild rainbow trout, steelhead or salmon on the Snake, Salmon or Clearwater Rivers you can find a secluded spot to fish. Maybe you want to experience the solitude of a high mountain lake, of which Idaho has many. Idaho provides fly fishing experiences like no other place on earth. Weather you like fly fishing streams or lakes Idaho has a place for you just waiting there.

Idaho provides so many opportunities that visiting anglers frequently have trouble deciding where they want to start their fly-fishing journey. There are so many beautiful places in the canyons and mountains of Idaho that can provide both solitude and great fishing, many people are overwhelmed. However, theses choices provide for some amazing chances at bagging that championship fish!

For example, the shallow water and heavy weed growth make Henry’s Lake a fly angler’s dream. Henrys Lake is probably the finest fly-fishing lake in Idaho. Flanked by mountains, this lake is not only a beautiful place to catch fish; it is also an amazing spot for reflecting and relaxation. You can also fish the Henry’s Fork this river is a world-renowned fly-fishing destination and for a good reason trophy, sized fish are caught here on a regular basis.

Then you have the Snake River, the Snake River is the longest river in Idaho. The upper reaches are free of any major dams, and its flow is not regulated in any way, so you can find an abundance of fish in the solitude of the mountain air. In fact, the Snake River is internationally known as one of the premier trout rivers in the United States.

Even though you can expect to catch a variety of trout including rainbow and cutthroat trout, you will also find whitefish and sturgeon aplenty. Even though the Snake River is quite well known for its fly-fishing throughout the world, it is not overtaken by so many fly anglers, that you cannot find a spot to yourself. It remains a wonderful secret available to those who are looking for the solitude and beauty of the Idaho countryside.

The Clearwater River located in the North central portion of the state is also a renowned fly fishing river the upper reaches of the Clearwater also known as the Selway Basin provide amazing cutthroat populations. While the lower section of the Clearwater River is a world renowned steelhead and salmon fly fishery. The Clearwater River is known for their large B-run steelheads, which are among some of the largest steelhead in the world with many weighing in at over twenty pounds.

You can rest assured that finding solitude while fly-fishing in Idaho is a relatively easy proposition. All you need to do is a little bit of research and ask those who have visited Idaho. Those who have fly-fished waters in Idaho are always more than happy to share the beauty of their trip with anglers who are looking to fish the waters of Idaho. If you want to relax, enjoy some fantastic scenery, and even catch some nice fish, then you should think about making a trip to Idaho and see for yourself why so many anglers come to Idaho

Five Reasons to Upgrade to a Baitcasting Reel Today

Have your fishing friends been out fishing you with their baitcasting reels? Do they seem to have increased casting accuracy and distance? Have you have been thinking it is time you make the move to improve your fishing success and get yourself a baitcasting reel? Today’s baitcasting reels are easier to use then ever before, with the ant-backlash systems. Stop waiting and get a Baitcasting Reel today.

The Baitcasting reel will give you more control over your casting accuracy than other reel. You will be able to place lures right up next to brush, stumps and logs, or within inches of the shoreline or docks. Reach those seams out in the river that you friend have been hitting and pulling those trophies from that seam you never were able to reach. You no longer have to worry about baitcasters reputation for being more difficult to use than other types of reels.

Once you learn the proper technique, and have the reel set correctly, you can learn to use a baitcasting reel like the pros.

The Five Reasons to switch to a Baitcasting Reel:

Added distance to your cast: With a baitcasting reel, you line spools smoothly from the reel. Unlike a spinning reel that has to uncoil, as the line is being cast. This causes friction not only against the spool face but also in the air and against the rod guides as these coils wobble their way through you rod.
Increased Accuracy: Once you learn the basic technique you will have greater control over you cast which will allow you to now pinpoint where you lure is going to land.
Now Even Easier to Use: Improvements to the baitcasting reel after years of research and development have now made the levelwind “baitcasting” reels even easier to master. The dreaded backlash has been virtually eliminated with the addition of the magnetic spool braking systems. Once this is set correctly, you will seldom find yourself untangling a backlash.
A Smooth Full Range Drag Setting: You can fight your trophy fish without having to worry about twisting you line. If you have ever fought a big fish and did not watch to see if your line was coming in with a spinning reel you know what I am talking about. The next time you try to cast your line it jumps off the spinning reel like a spring. This will not happen with the levelwind reel. Once you have the drag set for you line weight you can simply forget about the drag and enjoy fighting the fish.
Smooth Fast Retrieves: Weather fighting a monster Bass or pulling a plug, you will enjoy the smooth action that the baitcasting reel provides. These reels work so smooth that you will find yourself feeling the lightest of hits. This is important if you are fishing species like steelhead that can not only hit hard but also so light that you may not even know you are getting a hit. Since the line does not have to coil around the spool, you will be amazed at the difference. You will now be able to feel how you lure is working through the water and any slight difference in its action.

With all the improvements that have been made to the baitcasting reels, there is no reason to fear them. They are now easy to use and provide the angler with many benefits that will improve their fishing success. Start making those longer more accurate casts allowing you to get you lure out where the fish are today.

Written on November 3rd, 2008 , Reels Tags: Fishing Gear

Deadly Steelhead Fishing Technique

When fishing for steelhead in large bodies of water pulling plugs is a deadly steelhead fishing technique. This technique works well throughout the season and is one that I prefer when the water temperatures fall and the steelhead become sluggish. You are able to keep this plug waving around in front of them longer and encouraging a strike. In order for this to work for you, it is important that you know where their holding spots are or at least what a holding spot would look like. You could spend the day drifting your plug through nothing but open water if you are not familiar with steelheads habits and knowing where they like to hold is necessary in order for pulling plugs to be successful.

Some of the popular plugs here in Oregon, Washington and Idaho include:
• Hotshots,
• Wiggle Warts,
• Tadpollys,
• Kwikfish,
• Flatfish,

Just about any bass plug that dives from six to fifteen feet and is available in good steelhead colors will work for steelhead. Hotshots and Wiggle Warts would be my first choice if you were just starting out or on a tight budget.

Some of my favorite colors are red, blue/silver, chartreuse/silver, red/white, and bright blue. The angler should have several colors to use throughout the day, as different colors seem to be preferred at times by that crazy steelhead.

Plugs are commonly used from a jetsled or driftboat. However, side plane drifters are also becoming popular throughout the area. You begin at the top or upstream portion of steelhead holding water and backing down slowly trying to keep the plug in the steelheads face. Usually they will get irritated when the rattling plug is near pushing them out of where they want to be and they will slam it violently.

Pulling plugs is a very exciting way to spend the day on the river and when the fish are active, it will keep you in suspense waiting for one of those violent strikes that are so common when fishing this way. If you ever have a chance, I recommend giving pulling a pug a try.

Written on November 3rd, 2008 , Steelhead Fishing Tags: Steelhead Fishing

Fly Fishing for River Steelhead: Information to Get You Started

Fly fishing for steelhead really is no different than any other kind of fishing once you learn the basics and start expanding on what you have learned you will be out there catching Steelhead and be hooked just like the rest of us.

Selecting your Fly Rod and Reel
If you’re new to the sport of fly fishing I recommend that you use the KISS system (keep it simple system). You need to select a rod and reel that will handle these large and sometimes very aggressive fish. That means you should use a heavier rod 7/8 or 8/9 weight rods are a good choice you can use the 5/6 weight but you will need to know how to effectively manipulate these larger fish therefor for the beginner I recommend going with a heaver rod. Rod length depend on what type of river you plan to fish longer rods allow you to make longer cast but are sometimes hard to use along the river bank if there is any amount of brush trees ect along the bank.

Selecting A Fly Reel
Your reel choice is a matter of personal preferences. You do need to match it with your Rod and make sure that it is capable of holding a good amount of backing. Having a drag that will work smoothly for the beginner is a great advantage it keeps the inexperience fly fishermen from having the fish start what I call bucking and ending up getting away.

Backing Fly Lines and Leaders
The backing severs two purposes one to fill your reel and second it gives you extra line for fighting the fish, any braided or Dacron line will do. You could us the super braided lines if you feel you will need the extra line for fight your fish. Match the line weight to match the fish size you anticipate on catching you shouldn’t need anything heavier than 20 lb test however. I like using the brighter colored lines as it helps me watch my line when I do get down to the backing. Remember when fly fishing you are casting your line not the fly for this reason I recommend that you use a weight forward fly line there are other types out there but this is the one I use. I like this type for two reasons one I’m still able to see my fly line and yet I am able to get the fly down where the steelhead like to lay. Make sure you use a good knot to attach your fly line to your backing it needs to be a knot that will travel through the guide on your rod. One of the knots I like to use is the blood knot it’s easy to tie and works well for me. If you feel you need to be official you can buy fly leaders which come in different sizes and lengths and tippet you could really get confused with all these I still do. Normally I just use 10 up to 20 pound (depending on the size of the fish and fishing conditions) fluorocarbon fishing line. In certain situations this line can make a big difference in getting fish to strike, while also offering impressive abrasion-resistance. If there are a lot of snags as there usually are when steelhead fishing I recommend going with a heavier leader. You can then decide for your self as to the length of your leader 10 to 12 feet seems to work well.

Flies and Bait
Their are a number of different fly and lure patterns out there we could talk about this for weeks and still not cover them all. Your best bet is to talk to someone who has fished the area and see what they recommend. I can tell you what I use and have had success with here in Idaho. They are and this is my number one choice the egg sucking leach, egg patterns, wooly buggers. As for what color and size to use just follow this simple rule in stained water use brighter colored large flies and in clear water use smaller drab or natural colored Flies. To get your fly down to where the still head are laying you will probably need to place a small split shot about 12 to 18 inches above your fly you want to just touch the bottom every now and then. If it is hanging up all the time you may have on to much weight play with this until you are getting a good drift.

Fishing Techniques
I have found that most of the time you do not have to make long cast. Fishing most of the rivers here in Idaho my cast are shorter than 25 feet. We could discuss fly casting techniques for ever just strip off 12 to 15 feet of line pull off another 9 to 12 feet of line and let it flow through your guides now just use the normal 9 o’clock 2 o’clock small pause 9 o’clock motion and try to get a smooth flow of your line when you cast it will come with practice. Now hold your pole tip up and follow your drift keep your eye on the furthest part of your line you can see and watch for the indication of a strike. This could be your line changing directions, stopping, or sinking suddenly set the hook and enjoy the battle.

These are just the basics but if you follow them and expand and modify them for your fishing style I’m sure you will be catching those mysterious Steelhead in no time.

The best information will be of little use if it’s not able to be understood you don’t practice it and modify it to suit your needs and then start using it. That being said I hope these few pointers get you started in what I feel is one of the most exciting and challenging ways of fishing for Steelhead.

Written on November 2nd, 2008 , Fly Fishing, Steelhead Fishing Tags: Fly Fishing

Newer Entries >>

Steelhead Salmon and Trout Fishing is proudly powered by WordPress and the Theme Adventure by Eric Schwarz
Entries (RSS) and Comments (RSS).

Categories

Pages

Scenic Clearwater River A Steelhead Fishing Paradise

Information and products for your steelhead salmon and trout fishing