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[ByteMe]

RalphH........I have been using very sparse flies tied on both weighted and unweighted AJ steelhead iron hooks on 15ft mono leaders,sinks like a stone.On moderated flows,I can tick the bottom in 3-4ft of water,the cast is made directly across  with an upstream mend,when it reaches 45 deg,I'll make a downstream mend and lead it to the dangle slowly feeding line  hoping to keep the fly from riding up under tension,seems to work so far...........when the flows are too heavy,I'll stay at home

[Flytech]

here's a good article on mending and fly fishing for winter steelhead.

http://dougroseflyfishing.com/blog/?p=46

remember this stuff is for winter fish on the coast not summer or fall fish either on the coast or the interior. Some of the accomplished anglers from the last generation like Art Lingren tried the dry line big fly approach a la Bill McMillan on the Chilliwack but decided it was mostly unsuited as the V-C usually has a higher water volume and faster currents than smaller rivers like McMillan's home Washougal.
 

Byteme, are you using a straight 15 feet of say 10 or 12lb mono? Seems that will sink better than a tapered leader

I've been doing everything but the initial pulling the rod tip upstream before the mend. You learn something new every day.

[tburns]

here's a good article on mending and fly fishing for winter steelhead.

http://dougroseflyfishing.com/blog/?p=46

remember this stuff is for winter fish on the coast not summer or fall fish either on the coast or the interior. Some of the accomplished anglers from the last generation like Art Lingren tried the dry line big fly approach a la Bill McMillan on the Chilliwack but decided it was mostly unsuited as the V-C usually has a higher water volume and faster currents than smaller rivers like McMillan's home Washougal.
 

Byteme, are you using a straight 15 feet of say 10 or 12lb mono? Seems that will sink better than a tapered leader

Really appreciate the article RalphH.  I'm having the same troubles as the OP :/.  I went out with Hook a couple months ago and he suggested getting a floating line instead of the sinking intermediate that I have.  I'm not ready to blame my gear and change yet though as I'm sure my swing has a ton of flaws that I'm not seeing

[bigsnag]

RalphH........I have been using very sparse flies tied on both weighted and unweighted AJ steelhead iron hooks on 15ft mono leaders,sinks like a stone.On moderated flows,I can tick the bottom in 3-4ft of water,the cast is made directly across  with an upstream mend,when it reaches 45 deg,I'll make a downstream mend and lead it to the dangle slowly feeding line  hoping to keep the fly from riding up under tension,seems to work so far...........when the flows are too heavy,I'll stay at home

I think RalphH was asking whether if you are using a tapered leader or straight mono.

[ByteMe]

I think RalphH was asking whether if you are using a tapered leader or straight mono.

oops.....senior moment,RalphH,straight mono,works even better with flouro but too expensive

[HOOK]

Really appreciate the article RalphH.  I'm having the same troubles as the OP :/.  I went out with Hook a couple months ago and he suggested getting a floating line instead of the sinking intermediate that I have.  I'm not ready to blame my gear and change yet though as I'm sure my swing has a ton of flaws that I'm not seeing

I think I suggested a floating line because it would help with ease of casting. Intermediate heads are tougher to learn with because of their sinking. Once you figure out how to cast and mend it well it can become a very good line however it is more suited for slower types of water.

We did have a good morning out there Tburns and fished some good water

[tburns]

I think I suggested a floating line because it would help with ease of casting. Intermediate heads are tougher to learn with because of their sinking. Once you figure out how to cast and mend it well it can become a very good line however it is more suited for slower types of water.

We did have a good morning out there Tburns and fished some good water

I've gotten the casting figured out with it for the most part.  I think the harder part with it will be following the guidelines in that article ralphh posted about mending and not disturbing my fly.

Thanks for the pattern...    I Coulda put a bit more contrast in it but this was a pretty quick tie.  I'm gonna be out on the vedder this Sunday.  Are you planning to head out?

[HOOK]

nope, no fishing for me this weekend. I'm on afternoons next week so I'll be getting out a couple times before work

[GENERAL-SHERMAN]

I don't know if this advice will help or not but ill chime in on my opinion and past experience... when I was younger I tried for years to catch steelhead on a single hand fly rod and always came home empty handed... I eventually got really good at drift fishing and learned to cover water faster and not waste my time in certain low percentage water. I agree with hook 100 percent on the drab colors with a sparse hint of color to get the fishes attention late season when they have seen it all. On rivers like the vedder fish are getting pounded on every day. a lot of the time you are swinging through fish and sometimes multiple fish and don't even know it . just keep coving water and don't second guess yourself. iv seldom pulled fish out on the vedder second time through a run and have found that second guessing yourself can only lead to covering less water and hurt your odds even worse. I don't really like fishing big water mostly because I find most of my fish on the spey I pull out of those little smaller transition pieces and little mini runs that can cover quickly. sometimes the small water gets overlooked(especially late season when the gear guys fence post the deeper holes). I don't like wasting my time on a huge run that could have been destroyed on gear and lose half my day. I like fishing the mow tips most of the time and find they give me a better presentation on short swings. Iv had pretty decent results over the whole river mostly using mole leach style flies in drab and darker colors, some flashy minnow styles and smaller fleshy flies that get down quick and move lots in the current. I do okay now and usually average a fish or 2 every few trips out. don't expect to much and maybe fish with somebody who knows the river well with a spey and can show you the type of water to spend your time on.