Fly fishing steelies

[Terry]

I like tying a very sparse muddler head on 2/0 hooks with just a marabou, or craft fur wing in black, or purple. It gets down and then has nice movement on the hang down. I usually just tie in a thread body in different colors.

I got into some steelhead on top this last fall on the Willamette riffle hitching muddler minnows. Most people do not think the valley fish will rise, but a friend I fish with and I proved that theory wrong.

 

[MontanaMoose]

Steel on dries

Steel on dries

Yeah, i never would have believed it either, especially on big steel till i saw a 35"er casually glide up behind my dead drift #4 adult stone up on the North umpqua. That was a good day to be on the water.

Black or purple, gotta agree with that. So no tailing or tag on the 2/0 muddler head/thread body pattern? I need to fish up on the Willamette in different places. Are there steel above Dexter? I ask this because way up on that drainage i found chinook in just a trickle of a feeder. Could hardly believe my eyes.

Cheers,

MontanaMoose

 

[joesnuffy]

I've been fishing a lot with with a sink tip and weighted flies (swinging)

I think i need to switch to nymph fishing (maybe under a thing'a'ma'bob) because after an hr or so my arm and shoulder is worn out......

I haven't landed a Steelhead on a fly yet this season and I think it's about time.......

 

[Kenjamin]

I always heard and could be wrong but shouldnt you use a fly that mimics the insect in that enviroment around you??? or is that not true?

 

[bigsteel]

I always heard and could be wrong but shouldnt you use a fly that mimics the insect in that enviroment around you??? or is that not true?

a lot of the time yes,,,,then you have searching patterns which dont really resemble anything..

 

[MontanaMoose]

Steelhead flies that mimic...

Steelhead flies that mimic...

I think a lot of traditional steelhead flies do mimic the local insect and that often consists of nymphs that are mostly black in color. If you look at some fly plates of steelhead patterns you might find that many of them are mostly black or at least have black as one or more of the basic colors. One of the most popular steelhead flies could be the green butt skunk, black body and black collar. The white over wing and green butt give the contrast that fish like. One of the favorite trout/steelhead eats are 'drifting stone' nymphs and they'll key on them just about anytime of year if they're keying on anything at all.

Another killing pattern for some time now is the egg sucking leech...almost all black materials save the red, orange, pink, or chart head or 'egg' part of the pattern. Take away the head and add rubber legs (black) and you've got an all black steelhead pattern that is deadly at times. Most of these i've seen for sale are weighted with barbell eyes and sink like a 'stone'...heh...

Cheers,

MontanaMoose

I always heard and could be wrong but shouldnt you use a fly that mimics the insect in that enviroment around you??? or is that not true?

 

[mlw]

Are there steel above Dexter? I ask this because way up on that drainage i found chinook in just a trickle of a feeder. Could hardly believe my eyes.

No steelhead, that I have heard of - but somewhere I have heard of chinook released up there, one version of the story involved a hatchery release due to flooding - my old memory isn't what it used to be.

Re imitative flies for steelhead: my theory is the longer they are in freshwater, the more likely they will hit a nymph, or something like what they ate as smolts - but when they are fresh from the salt, I would use something that looks like what they eat at sea - which could be a lot of things depending on where they roam, but often krill, squid or shrimp like, and bright colored or black. I probably tie 3-4 dozen steelhead flies a month, and fish only a fraction of those, but in the end I don't think the fly is near as important as the presentation.

Michael

 

[MontanaMoose]

That would explain the chinook

That would explain the chinook

Thanks Michael, i won't spend any time worrying about steel up there anymore...yeah, the salmon were so big they were showing their dorsal and tail fins on the redds. I remember parking upstream from that hard to pronounce campground and just bustin' brush till i found this stream. I was trout fishing and just put the fly in the keeper and stood back in awe at the salmon doing what they do. Gave them a good long look and left them alone. I'm guessing they use Dexter for their 'ocean'.

Good thought on the 'sea related' steel patterns and i have hooked them on shad patterns whilst persuing smallies in the early fall. #6's.

Thanks for the reply.

Cheers,

MontanaMoose

No steelhead, that I have heard of - but somewhere I have heard of chinook released up there, one version of the story involved a hatchery release due to flooding - my old memory isn't what it used to be.

Michael

 

[Terry]

I have heard of some steelhead being shipped over the dam also, but have not seen them. I have seen the salmon. They want them to die up there so they will add to the nutrients for bull trout. And maybe get a wild strain started, but that part is less likely.

No tail on that big muddler. I just tie the wing a little past the hook bend. It really has nice motion, especially with the craft fur. I saw a guy pull three fish out of one slot with that pattern on the North Umpqua.

 

[MontanaMoose]

#2 muddler..

#2 muddler..

Ok, this is beginning to make sense and i'll be on the lookout for steel up there at appropriate times of year, but not with confidence. Not targeted bulls way up there, but wouldn't mind hooking one...maybe i'll slip some 6/7inch rbt streamers through some runs...see what shakes out.

Well your muddler sounds easy enough to tye, no body, tail, or tag...a pic would be great if possible. I'm looking at some #2 hooks and am leaving myself a note to spin some hair. Guessing black thread body and i'll go with black marabou for starters. I know exactly what you mean by 'out of one slot' on the N.Umpqua. There's so much of that structure there. Thanks Terry.

Cheers,

MontanaMoose

I have heard of some steelhead being shipped over the dam also, but have not seen them. I have seen the salmon. They want them to die up there so they will add to the nutrients for bull trout. And maybe get a wild strain started, but that part is less likely.

No tail on that big muddler. I just tie the wing a little past the hook bend. It really has nice motion, especially with the craft fur. I saw a guy pull three fish out of one slot with that pattern on the North Umpqua.

 

[halibuthitman]

I've been fishing a lot with with a sink tip and weighted flies (swinging)

I think i need to switch to nymph fishing (maybe under a thing'a'ma'bob) because after an hr or so my arm and shoulder is worn out......

I haven't landed a Steelhead on a fly yet this season and I think it's about time.......

If your arm is getting tired you are holding your rod too high and too far from the side of your body, you shouldn't be feeling anything in your shoulder... very little, if any shoulder is used in a cast... but the kind of work you do for a living can have effects on ones recreation.