As you get out more and more, you will just instinctively know which water to target.
There are a whole bunch of scenarios that can come into play here.
I'll give you the Steelhead strategy I follow.
Clear, sunny days with clear water:
- Pocket water days (although really any day is a pocket water day). This is by far the easiest water to fish. Hit up places like Tamihi and just pick a pocket and start walking and flogging away. Generally the fish will hit on the first or second drift, sometimes the 3rd. I normally take 1-3 casts in every spot I THINK could hold a fish, and 5 casts into spots that I KNOW will hold fish (due to hooking them there already, etc). Hit every pocket, don't pass anything up, even some that are 12 inches deep close to the edge (as long as they have some cover). You would be surprised in some places I've hooked Steelhead over the years.
-Runs. Hit up the heads of deep runs with lots of white bubbly water. This is normally the case where fast pocket water dumps into a big deep run. This can also be achieved in runs where there are large boulders in the middle of the flow causing disturbance. The fish will sit in this while bubbly water for both oxygen in low water periods, and also for cover.
Normal days (ie sunny but normal flow, cloudy low flow, cloudy normal flow)
- Pocket water is always a good bet as said before.
- Runs... mid sections and tailouts. I like to look for where fast and slow seams merge. It's also a good idea to look for shoals or steep drop offs and fish right along them. Fish will sit right in front of them where there is little water flow. Generally looks for runs 4-6 feet deep with some nice chop, seams. Go take a look at the river during low clear conditions. Make note of things on the bottom. If you see a boulder or log under water there is a good chance a fish will sit behind it in times of bigger/normal flow rates and river heights.
- Never underestimate side channels. As I said before I have hooked fish in weird places. One was in a side channel up against a log. The channel was maybe 8 inches deep with a massive log in the middle that had a 2 or so foot deep trench along it. Figured what the hell, threw a cast and was into a 10 or so pound chromer. If it looks like it could hold a fish and has decent cover, ignore the depth and throw a few casts, it can be surprising.
Dirty water:
- Right along the edges. By dirty water I mean 2 or less feet of vis. Fish along the edges (first 5 feet from bank) and shallow side channels. Use things like big pink worms, large colorados or big gobs of roe (roe flies worked well too
). I hooked probably close to 10 steelhead last year in less than a foot of water where I was surprised I couldn't see their backs sticking out.
Some other tips:
- This has been said over and over. If you hook a fish somewhere, keep going back. Chances are other fish will sit there under the same conditions. Start keeping some notes on water height, vis and conditions after every trip to help you out.
- Don't ignore any water. When I start with a new area I cast out from the bank in 1 foot intervals. 1 cast every 1 foot all the way out and anywhere from 3-5 in seams that I see of fishy looking spots. Cover water fast with one thing to pick off aggressive fish. Sometimes I'll go back through after with something different (normally the pink worm, fish it fast, fish it last).
- Create a circuit. Make mental notes of where you see people catching fish and where you caught them. I have had the same circuit on the Vedder for the last 3 years and it always puts out fish. Last year I only got skunked twice, and that was during the cold snap. Keep going back to the same spots, year after year even if possible.
Coho:
Slow tailouts and backwater. I've seen them holding in tree roots with water less than 2 feet deep and dead calm. And yes they will come out from under the log to bite if they aren't spooked badly enough. Watch for risers, they always give themselves away. When sight fishing them, watch for black tails. Colorados, spoons and roe are the key for these guys on gear. I am convinced that spoons and flies will out fish bait in most conditions, especially in right water. Best thing is, you can fish untouched water that isn't busy with spoons and flies that gear guys cant hit.
Springs:
Big deep pools. Cast right along fast and slow seams. Sometimes they will hold in water 4-6 feet deep as well, but most of the time they will be moving through runs like these. The pools don't necessarily need to be fast per say, but deep is always good if there isn't much surface action for cover. I like colorados and big gobs of pro cure roe for these guys.
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Topic: Reading water (Read 7285 times)