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[clarkii]

Will rainbow trout take steelhead flies? And vice versa?

I know guys (and know I have gotten a couple hits) whilst fishing for cutthroat and whitefish with our 10' 3 weights (same flies a bow would hit) that have landed steelhead as bycatch.  On the flipside I had a rainbow hit a squidro I had thrown, so they will hit other flies, its what I would refer to as an uncommon occurence though, maybe once a year a steelhead will hit a nymph each.

It also usually happens to be the same nymph, which is a killer pattern that is a secret, so naturally the whole comp community in BC knows it.

[Every Day]

its what I would refer to as an uncommon occurence though, maybe once a year a steelhead will hit a nymph each.

It also usually happens to be the same nymph, which is a killer pattern that is a secret, so naturally the whole comp community in BC knows it.

You spend most of your time fishing for trout, and could probably count the number of steelhead you've encountered on one hand. How could you possibly be confident enough to call steelhead eating nymphs an irregular occurrence or "maybe a once a year thing"?

It's a known fact that steelhead, especially summer runs feed. Honestly, my absolute go to fly for summer run fish is a stone fly nymph. In fact, in low and clear water, I'll often reach for a fly rod with stone flies, rather than for my old trusty spoons and spinners. They work, and work extremely well. These fish are eating - they think it's a natural food source. If you land it in front of them, even on pressured rivers, they'll eat it nearly every single time. IMO it's the single most effective way to fish in low and clear water.

Trout with the fly:


Steelhead on the fly:


The same thing can be said for winter run fish - and there is one trip/example that really comes to mind here. A buddy and I were fishing a heavily pressured Van Island river in late January. The water was so low and clear we could see every single fish. We threw ghost shrimp, prawn chunks, roe bags, chunk roe, trout beads, jigs, pink worms, spoons, spinners, yarn ties... literally everything, spending at times up to 30 mins on each fish changing our presentation every cast, with not a single movement from any of those fish.

At the very top run I noticed I had my fly box on me. I put on the stone fly and fished it the rest of the day. Again - low, clear, pressured river where bait is allowed. -1C that day and extremely sunny. Put on the stone fly nymph, and I landed 8 of those WINTER run steelhead. Many times those fish moved upwards of 20 feet for that size 10 pattern drifting helplessly down current.





So - absolutely steelhead will hit trout flies. Another river where this is a well known occurrence is on the cowichan, and rumour has it that the 42 inch fish caught 2 weeks ago was on one. Some days they will work better than anything else you can throw. Is it common? Maybe not as common as some would like, but it's a heck of a lot more common than once a year. In the end, don't be surprised at all if you pick up a large steelhead on a tiny trout nymph.

[clarkii]

You spend most of your time fishing for trout, and could probably count the number of steelhead you've encountered on one hand. How could you possibly be confident enough to call steelhead eating nymphs an irregular occurrence or "maybe a once a year thing"?

It's a known fact that steelhead, especially summer runs feed. Honestly, my absolute go to fly for summer run fish is a stone fly nymph. In fact, in low and clear water, I'll often reach for a fly rod with stone flies, rather than for my old trusty spoons and spinners. They work, and work extremely well. These fish are eating - they think it's a natural food source. If you land it in front of them, even on pressured rivers, they'll eat it nearly every single time. IMO it's the single most effective way to fish in low and clear water.

Trout with the fly:


Steelhead on the fly:


The same thing can be said for winter run fish - and there is one trip/example that really comes to mind here. A buddy and I were fishing a heavily pressured Van Island river in late January. The water was so low and clear we could see every single fish. We threw ghost shrimp, prawn chunks, roe bags, chunk roe, trout beads, jigs, pink worms, spoons, spinners, yarn ties... literally everything, spending at times up to 30 mins on each fish changing our presentation every cast, with not a single movement from any of those fish.

At the very top run I noticed I had my fly box on me. I put on the stone fly and fished it the rest of the day. Again - low, clear, pressured river where bait is allowed. -1C that day and extremely sunny. Put on the stone fly nymph, and I landed 8 of those WINTER run steelhead. Many times those fish moved upwards of 20 feet for that size 10 pattern drifting helplessly down current.





So - absolutely steelhead will hit trout flies. Another river where this is a well known occurrence is on the cowichan, and rumour has it that the 42 inch fish caught 2 weeks ago was on one. Some days they will work better than anything else you can throw. Is it common? Maybe not as common as some would like, but it's a heck of a lot more common than once a year. In the end, don't be surprised at all if you pick up a large steelhead on a tiny trout nymph.

I am going on the number of occurrences in which the circle I know have encountered steelhead on the per each basis going after whitefish and cutts.  I stand by my initial assessment.  We also happen to be fishing rivers like the Stave involving winter runs, high pressure, etc and not the summer runs like you do on the island.

I know of other occurrences on the island as a good friend of mine knows the Cowie like the back of his hand.  But last I looked we are talking the mainland.

I do happen to know the effectiveness of black stones on steelies, I don't forget.  However they are a lot bigger in profile then the size 10 or smaller nymphs being used for whities.

[Every Day]

I am going on the number of occurrences in which the circle I know have encountered steelhead on the per each basis going after whitefish and cutts.  I stand by my initial assessment.  We also happen to be fishing rivers like the Stave involving winter runs, high pressure, etc and not the summer runs like you do on the island.

I'll start off by saying that I gave you a winter run example. The river example I gave is on a river that I guarantee see's much higher pressure than the Stave, along with much higher bait usage. It's one of the busiest on the island. The other busiest river - the Cowichan - also sees winter runs commonly taking stone flies when guys are fishing for trout. I quite commonly fish for mainland summer runs too, as I spend most of my summer and fall working there. In fact, most of my true summer run experiences are on the mainland and not the island (not to mention on "busy/high pressure" rivers as there aren't many mainland summer flows).

The main thing to remember here is that you are targeting totally different water, in rivers that have significantly fewer numbers of steelhead than the Vedder. I wouldn't expect to catch a steelhead in most of the sloughs, ditches, lakes, etc that you, or the people you know fish. While there are chances at steelhead in the Stave, I would argue your chances of encountering steelhead in the Vedder, Chehalis, etc are much higher (and surprise - I rarely fished these for trout, or knew anyone that did!). Again, it's the water you fish that determines your steelhead by-catch. My point is - your description of "a steelhead" (you didn't specify summer nor winter) taking 1 nymph per year is grossly exaggerated, and it's mainly due to your lack of fishing for them.


You forget, that for a good number of years, all I did was fly fish for cutties on the lower mainland. Again, probably 80% of the time I spent fishing was on waters that did not ever have steelhead (sloughs, small creeks, ditches, and lakes), so I wouldn't have expected by-catch. On times I did fish flows with steelhead, I would get them occasionally. Most cutty flies are regularly taken by steelhead. Many steelhead love eating nymphs, alevin and fry. I rarely ever used anything less than a size 10 for cutties, and therefore, that's what I've caught most of my "trout fly" steelhead on, size 10-8 streamers and nymphs. The ONLY stone flies I fish are size 10, no need to go bigger for steelhead (even when I'm targeting them, both winters and summers). If you're only fishing for whitefish, right on bottom with tiny nymphs, then of course I could see a decrease in your by-catch. The initial question was about steelhead taking trout (rainbow/cutthroat) flies, using trout tactics - not whitefish flies fished right on bottom.

Plus you're also forgetting the original question:

Will rainbow trout take steelhead flies? And vice versa?

The answer to that is yes (mainland wasn't specified, and it shouldn't need to be). Steelhead DO take rainbow flies all the time (they are just a big rainbow, that still eat and have trout preferences!), and I quite often catch rainbows on steelhead flies too (you can see the intruder tucked into its mouth there, a blue and black):

[clarkii]

Plus you're also forgetting the original question:

The answer to that is yes (mainland wasn't specified, and it shouldn't need to be). Steelhead DO take rainbow flies all the time (they are just a big rainbow, that still eat and have trout preferences!), and I quite often catch rainbows on steelhead flies too (you can see the intruder tucked into its mouth there, a blue and black):

oh=7d015bde04053d34a6fef927c1a5ec63&oe=574A15C9[/img]

I know guys (and know I have gotten a couple hits) whilst fishing for cutthroat and whitefish with our 10' 3 weights (same flies a bow would hit) that have landed steelhead as bycatch.  On the flipside I had a rainbow hit a squidro I had thrown, so they will hit other flies, its what I would refer to as an uncommon occurence though, maybe once a year a steelhead will hit a nymph each.

It also usually happens to be the same nymph, which is a killer pattern that is a secret, so naturally the whole comp community in BC knows it.

No, I didn't. 

What I did was gave an example of steelhead taking on small stuff to emphasize that point

[Every Day]

What you actually did was emphasized the point, and then crushed it by making a bold statement that steelhead will only take 1 nymph per year each (which may as well negate the fact they take trout flies). You also said steelhead taking trout flies is an uncommon occurrence in the same sentence. This is not true in waters that steelhead actually frequent with regularity (especially in the spring time months). IMO to make comments like that, you better have some numbers and actual fishing experience in that area to back the comment up.

Bottom line is they will take a trout fly, probably close to every time, if you hit them in the face with it - whether that be a nymph, an alevin or fry pattern, or a mini intruder. It is not uncommon, and a lot of people use small size 10 nymphs (stone flies and caddis come to mind) to target steelhead with regularity, whether they be winter or summer run fish.

[halcyonguitars]

Sounds like a lot of different things can work then. Great!

[SilverChaser]

You spend most of your time fishing for trout, and could probably count the number of steelhead you've encountered on one hand. How could you possibly be confident enough to call steelhead eating nymphs an irregular occurrence or "maybe a once a year thing"?

It's a known fact that steelhead, especially summer runs feed. Honestly, my absolute go to fly for summer run fish is a stone fly nymph. In fact, in low and clear water, I'll often reach for a fly rod with stone flies, rather than for my old trusty spoons and spinners. They work, and work extremely well. These fish are eating - they think it's a natural food source. If you land it in front of them, even on pressured rivers, they'll eat it nearly every single time. IMO it's the single most effective way to fish in low and clear water.

Trout with the fly:


Steelhead on the fly:


The same thing can be said for winter run fish - and there is one trip/example that really comes to mind here. A buddy and I were fishing a heavily pressured Van Island river in late January. The water was so low and clear we could see every single fish. We threw ghost shrimp, prawn chunks, roe bags, chunk roe, trout beads, jigs, pink worms, spoons, spinners, yarn ties... literally everything, spending at times up to 30 mins on each fish changing our presentation every cast, with not a single movement from any of those fish.

At the very top run I noticed I had my fly box on me. I put on the stone fly and fished it the rest of the day. Again - low, clear, pressured river where bait is allowed. -1C that day and extremely sunny. Put on the stone fly nymph, and I landed 8 of those WINTER run steelhead. Many times those fish moved upwards of 20 feet for that size 10 pattern drifting helplessly down current.





So - absolutely steelhead will hit trout flies. Another river where this is a well known occurrence is on the cowichan, and rumour has it that the 42 inch fish caught 2 weeks ago was on one. Some days they will work better than anything else you can throw. Is it common? Maybe not as common as some would like, but it's a heck of a lot more common than once a year. In the end, don't be surprised at all if you pick up a large steelhead on a tiny trout nymph.

What size nymph?

[Every Day]

"Put on the stone fly nymph, and I landed 8 of those WINTER run steelhead. Many times those fish moved upwards of 20 feet for that size 10 pattern drifting helplessly down current."

[Fish or cut bait.]

And that happens everyday on the Veddar.
For real Dan? For reel?

Some folks here night think it's the magic wand.

When truth be told it's how well you use your equipment  most of the time.
not what you use.

[Flytech]

Thank you for this thread. I've learned a few things.

[Every Day]

And that happens everyday on the Veddar.
For real Dan? For reel?

I've personally hooked steelhead on the Vedder on stones under a float. I've also hooked them on alevin patterns. I've seen the same thing done many times in the spring by friends/acquaintances (one of my buddies tried the stone in early January last year on the Vedder and hooked 2 on it in prison run behind his own bait). I've also had some friends catch fish on the Vedder in March that are puking up alevin. It happens more than you might think.

It works well in the stack holes, because that's where the fish have seen everything. The "stack holes" also tend to be slower water that is conducive to this method - they need time to see it coming at them. The takes aren't hard, a very slight wobble or dip, because they simply suck it in, unlike they do with other things. I've had it many times sight fishing them where the float doesn't move. This is why it's better done on a fly rod - more "feel." While it might not be the "magic wand," it is another thing to add to your arsenal in low and clear conditions. That being said I wouldn't try it this year unless the water gets low and clear. The vis has not been appropriate at all.

When truth be told it's how well you use your equipment  most of the time.
not what you use.

Lastly, I would tend to disagree with that statement. Having put in over 100 trips each of the last 3 years in a row on steelhead - and on many occasions sight fishing them, I would say more often than not it is the gear you use (probably a 60/40 split) and not just knowing how to use the gear.

Of course there are the high water days, or un-pressured rivers, or where a fresh push comes in that the fish will hit almost anything. Once you have a few guys through, and the water drop though, the gear often matters. Many times it changes day to day - it can even literally be the same fly with different colours (it even changes based on run: fast/slow, smooth/choppy, etc). I tend to cycle through as many things as I can in the first good hole where I know there are fish, see what they hit on, and then run and gun that for the rest of the day. On heavy pressure rivers like the Vedder, it actually can help to have guys around you. See what the fish are hitting on, throw that on, and run and gun it elsewhere where other people aren't using it.

There are a lot of variables with steelhead - I'm finding that out the more I fish for them. My MAIN point with all the replies I've given to this thread though, is that I WOULDN'T be SURPRISED if you fished "trout flies" in the Vedder and got a steelhead. They work, plain and simple. Maybe not as well as bait, but they do work, and work extremely well some days.

[Sandman]

Will rainbow trout take steelhead flies? And vice versa?

Yes.  Both are very aggressive.  I have laughed at the size of the fly a small rainbow will attack, and most of my steelhead were on what would be considered trout flies, the first was on a stonefly and the second was a muddler, and my first on the Vedder was on a single egg.  The stone and egg were both dead drift under an indicator, while the muddler was swung and the steelhead took it on the strip.

[halcyonguitars]

Lots of brand new ways for me to not catch fish;)

[Fish or cut bait.]

I was more giving you the gears Dan. 
My point was more that: getting in the zone is often as important, if not, more so than what is at the end of your line.
A lot of people are just looking for the perfect offering and will miss fish with it 'cuz they're not in the zone.

There are folks out there who could catch fish with a string tied to the hook.