Steelhead Fishing: The Metal Head is One Tough Fish

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It seems like no other fish can instill the deep rooted passion that the steelhead can implant. But when you do hook one of these chrome trophies it makes all those hours spent on the water worth while. Read more and learn when and where to catch steelhead, and how to choose tackle.

Two distinct strains of steelhead are stocked in Lake Ontario. The winter run "Washington strain" enters the tributaries of  Lake Ontario in mid-September, with the run PEAKING in mid-October through November. Lake Ontario is the closest to my home in Massachusetts and actually has one of the best steelhead stocking programs in the country.

The winter run for the Washington will slow considerably as water temperatures drop into the 30's. However, warming periods will bring new fish into the tributaries throughout the winter months. Many love the winter fishing, because of the small crowds and the surprisingly good cold-water fishing.

The "Skamania steelhead strain" is a summer run/spring spawner which was developed by the State of Washington from wild stocks on the Washougal River. The Skamania are only stocked in the Salmon and Little Salmon River and usually can enter the river in May with the bulk of the run coming in the late spring and summer.

What's it like to catch a steelhead?

Steelhead are powerful competitors, and pound for pound can match up with anything that swims. Many steelhead are lost within the first long run of the hookup - any little mistake made by angler or flaw in their equipment will often result in a lost fish.

The initial power run

• Don't try to stop or turn the fish on the first long run, try to get line back on your fly rod as quickly as possible - hold the rod tip high, and let the drag do the work. 
• If the steelhead gets distance on you downstream, in fast water, you usually have to chase it down.
• Keep the pressure on the fish and don't play the fish to exhaustion, especially if you intend to release it.

Although many like to chase steelhead with a fly rod, some of the other successful fishing techniques are spin tackle with spinners, spoons, and the very popular, float and salmon egg combo.

 Here is a video explaining steelhead fly rod setup!

 

Steelhead Water

Look for areas of pocket water formed by boulders in fast current. Logs or boulders, can buffer the fast current and also provide security. Steelhead seek-out spots of the river with moderate to fast flow with a medium depth range of  3-4 feet.

Steelhead do not prefer the bottoms of deep holes like Chinook Salmon . But when faced with low water conditions or heavy angling pressure they will seek-out a large pool, usually holding in the head and also in the tail out. Also look for seams in the river where two currents come together.

A mint silver colored fish color or "chromer" is a fresh run fish that recently left the lake and entered the river system. The longer the steelhead has been in the river, the darker in color it will become. Fresh run chromers are usually the most aggressive and easiest to catch. Steelhead prefer river temps in the 45 to 58 F range.

 On sunny days fishing is best at dawn and dusk, because steelhead have an aversion to bright light. On overcast rainy days, steelhead will remain active and moving all day.

Brown Trout Fishing: What You Need To Know To Be Successful

The brown trout  is native to Europe and Asia but has been stocked successfully in the North America and other regions.

Browns are the largest among the three types of trout species. Freshwater brown trout (Salmo trutta morpha) vary in color from silvery with few spots and a white belly, to the typical brown fading to creamy white on the fish's belly, with medium sized spots surrounded by lighter coloration.

The silver colored brown trout are sometimes mistaken for rainbow trout.

They may be the most difficult trout species to catch as they are finicky eaters and are cautiously intelligent. Intelligent in a way that they are always alert when it comes to baits. Frequent hang-outs for the browns are holes and the deeper runs. They like to feed either early morning or in late afternoon.  A 10 pound brown trout is considered a trophy catch and may exceed 30 inches in length.

Browns prefer cold or cool streams, rivers, lakes and impoundments. The species is more tolerant of higher water temperatures than other members of the trout family. A optimum water temperature range is 50 to 60 degrees, although the fish can tolerate water temperatures in the low 70s.
Older large brown trout live in deep lakes while you'll find the smaller guys and rainbow trout varieties in shallower, fast moving streams. The smaller brook trout is found in brooks and clear streams.

Within the United States, brown trout introductions have created self sustaining fisheries throughout the country. Many are considered "world class" such as in the Great Lakes and in several Arkansas tailwaters. Introductions of brown trout into the American West created new angling opportunities, none so successful from an angling perspective as was the introduction of browns into the upper Firehole River in Yellowstone National Park in 1890s. One of the earliest accounts of trout fishing in the park is from Mary Trowbridge Townsend's 1897 article in Outing Magazine "A Woman's Trout Fishing in Yellowstone.

Trout in general, whether it be brown trout or species like the rainbow usually require low temperatures and uncontaminated clean water with abundant oxygen supplies in order to thrive. Their foremost food sources are usually invertebrates like freshwater shrimps. They also feed on other aquaculture such as small insects which might fall into the river from the shrubs and trees around the river banks. The prime fishing water to look for when fishing for Browns is slow moving water with logs, under cuts in the banks, over hanging trees and brush, and rock shelves.

Brown trout can live 20 years, but as with the Atlantic salmon, a high proportion of males die after spawning, and probably fewer than 20% of anadromous female kelts recover from spawning. The migratory forms grow to significantly larger sizes for their age due to abundant forage fish in the waters where they spend most of their lives. Sea trout are more commonly female in less nutrient-rich rivers.

River and Stream Environments 

Depending on where in the world and which part of this country your talking about rivers and streams can have dramatically different patterns. Understanding how moving water shapes the stream channel makes it easier to find trout.

In most streams, the current creates a riffle-run-pool pattern that repeats itself over and over. 

A deep pool may hold big brownies, but rainbows and smaller browns are likely found in runs and riffles. Riffles have a fast current and shallow water. During the day light hours you will find small trout, called troutlet, feeding in these areas. Larger trout like feeding the ripples during morning and evening. Trout usually spawn just above or below riffles, but may spawn right in them.

Runs are found between riffles and pools and are generally deeper than riffles with a moderate current. The bottom is made up of small gravel or rubble. These hot spots hold trout almost anytime, if there is sufficient cover.

The deepest parts of the river are pools. Pools will appear smoother and look darker than the other areas of the stream. The deep, slow-moving water generally has a bottom of silt, sand, or small gravel. During midday high-light conditions, pools make good midday resting spots for medium to large trout, and should be your first "target" area during the day.

What Do Trout Feed On

Much like other aggressive gamefish, trout generally feed on other fish. When forage fish are not available, soft bodied aquatic invertebrates, such as flies, mayflies, caddisflies, stoneflies, mollusks and dragonflies, make up much of the trout diet. 

Nymph of a Golden Stonefly 

In lakes, various species of zooplankton often form a large part of the diet.

In general, trout longer than 12 in. prey almost exclusively on fish, where available.

Adult trout are very aggressive and will devour smaller fish up to 1/3 their length. Trout may feed on shrimp, mealworms, worms, insects, small animal parts, and eel.