Techniques for Steelhead

Techniques for Steelhead

http://www.steelheadnotebook.net/techniques.htm

There are many different techniques that an angler may choose when fishing for steelhead. All of these techniques will catch steelhead under certain conditions. The key to success is to develop several techniques that can be matched to the particular river, or drift you are fishing, based on the current river conditions. Some techniques are better suited to fishing from a boat, such as pulling plugs, while others will work well while bank fishing. Some techniques are better suited to fishing downstream from the anglers position, while other can be fished upstream.

スティールヘッド釣りでは釣り人が選択するたくさんのテクニックがある．これらのすべてこテクニックは，ある状態でスティールヘッドが釣れる．上手くいくためのキーは，現在の川の状態に基づいて，特定の川やドリフトにマッチした技術を開発することだ．ある技術はプラグを引っ張るようなボートからの釣りに向いていて，他は丘釣りで上手くいく．また，ある方法は下流へ釣り下るのに向いていて，別の方法は上流で向いている．

Until 1997 I fished almost exclusively with standard drift gear (corky/yarn & eggs). I caught a lot of steelhead this way, but I knew I was missing fish in certain types of holding water because I could not present my drift gear properly. Although I knew of these other techniques, I did not have confidence in them, so I never took the time to learn how to fish them properly. When I made the decision to learn these other methods, success did not come right away. But I stuck with them and read everything I could about these other techniques. Soon I started catching steelhead, which led too increased confidence in these techniques. After awhile my success rate started to climb. I am now hooking more steelhead than ever. I am not saying that these other techniques will guarantee you more hookups, but they will provide you with the ability to more effectively cover certain types of holding water.

1997年まで私は標準的なドリフト仕掛け（ヤーン，corky，そしてエッグ）でもっぱら釣っていた．この方法で沢山のスティールヘッドを釣った．しかし，ある水域では失敗もした．と言うのは，ドリフトギアをうまくプレゼンできなかったので．他の方法を知っているが，確信がなく，まだそれを上手く釣る方法を学んでいないからだ．他の方法を学ぼうと決意したとき，成功はすぐにやってこない．困り果てて，他の方法でそう出来るすべてを読んだ．スティールヘッド釣り初めて直ぐに，これらの方法に信頼を持った．しばらく経って，成功割合が上がり始めた．いまは，」以前より沢山フッキングできるようになった．他の方法がたくさんフックアップすることを補償するというつもりは無いが，水域をより効率的にカバーすることが出来るようになるだろう．

Since a Steelheader spends most of his time fishing, rather than catching, it is important to choose a technique that is enjoyable. The links below will provide you with information on some of my favorite techniques for catching steelhead.

スティールヘッダーは取り込みより釣りに時間を割くので，楽しい方法を選ぶのが重要だ．次の方法は私の好みの方法で，あなたに情報を与えよう．

Drift Fishing：Fishing on or near the bottom with bait and/or drift bobber's such as Corky's, Spin and Glo's, Cheaters, Okies, etc.

ドリフトの釣り：

Drift fishing or bottom bouncing is by far the most popular technique for steelhead fishing. My first steelhead was hooked while drift fishing on the Elochoman River in southwest Washington. My Okie drifter was just completing its drift and was swinging towards the near shore, when suddenly my line went limp. Not knowing what was happening I began to reel in, and then noticed that my line was actually moving upstream. It took me awhile, but I finally realized that a fish had picked up my Okie and was swimming upriver. I reeled up the remaining slack and caught up with the fish. The fish turned and shot back downstream, finishing with a roll that threw my Okie, as I never set the hook into this first ever steelhead. That same year I hooked and landed several more winter steelhead on the Elochoman, finally becoming a successful steelheader.

ドリフト釣りまたは川底バウンド釣りは，現在までスティールヘッド釣りで最もポピュラーな方法である．私の最初のスティールヘッドはワシントン州の南西部のElochoman川でドリフトで釣った． My Okieドリフターはドリフトを終え，近くの岸方向へ泳いでいたとき，突然ラインが引いたときだ．何が起きたか分からなかったが，リールを巻き始め，そしてラインが上流へ動き出していることに気が付いた．しばらくかかったが，結局，魚がOkieを咥え，上流へ泳いでいた．リールを巻いてラインの弛みをとり，魚を釣り上げた．魚を川に返し，下流へキャストし，Okieをロールキャストで釣っていた．それが私の最初のスティールヘッドだった．釣った同じ年に，私はElochoman川で数匹つった．そして上手いスティールヘッダになった．

Drift fishing was the only method I tried during my learning years, and I eventually felt that I could distinguish the difference between my lead bouncing along the bottom, and the subtle take of a steelhead. I seldom drift fish anymore, as I prefer float fishing or tossing spoons for steelhead, but a vast majority of steelhead fisherman still prefer this proven method over others.

Terminal tackle for drift fishing is rather simple. Tie a swivel on the end of your mainline, and attach pencil lead or a slinky. Add a leader with a drift bobber such as a Corky, Okie, Cheater or Steelhead Rag and you are set. You may choose to add a small piece of yarn to this setup, as this will add some contrast as well as help hold scent. The yarn will also help keep your hook in a steelheads mouth a little longer by hanging up in the teeth of the fish. This may be just what you need to feel the soft bite of a steelhead.

ドリフト釣りは，私の練習期間で試した１つの釣り方だ．結局，川底のオモリの弾みと，スティールヘッドの僅かなアタリを区別できるようになった．私はフローティングやスプーンの釣りが好きなので，ドリフトはほとんどやらない．しかし，大半のスティールヘッドの釣り人はこの証明された方法が好きだ．

ドリフト釣りのタックルは比較的単純だ．メインラインの終端にシーベルを，ペンシル型オモリかslinkyを付けろ．Corky, Cheater, Steelhead Tag, そして自己流ウキのようなドリフトbobberをリーダに付けろ．また，小さなヤーンも加えろ．香りと同様，それはコントラストを加えることになるだろう．ヤーンはまた魚の歯に引っかけて，少し長く口の中にフックを留めることになる．スティールヘッドの柔らかいバイトを感じるに必要なものとなろう．

Any type of bait can be added to the basic corky(コルク) and yarn setup. I've used roe, prawn meat, sandshrimp, squid, and night crawlers, and caught steelhead with all of them. The added scent and taste will help a steelhead find your rig in off colored water, and may cause the fish to hold onto your hook a little longer, giving you a better chance of feeling the bite and setting the hook. Although fresh bait can help, it is not necessary to hook steelhead, especially in fast water. In this situation the steelhead only has a few seconds to make a decision whether or not to take your presentation, so visual attraction is much more important than scent.

餌釣りのどんなタイプでも基本的なコルクとヤーン仕掛けに加えられる．私はヘラジカ，エビの肉，大ミミズを使っていた．そして全部でスティールヘッドを釣った．加えられた香りと味は濁った川であなたの仕掛けを離れて見つける助けになる．そして少し長くフックに魚を留まらせることが出来る．新鮮なベイトは有効だが，急流ではスティールヘッドを釣る必要では無い．この状況ではスティールヘッドはフライを食うべきか否かの決定に数秒かかる．そして視覚的魅惑は臭いよりもっと重要だ．

I won't go into much detail on colors as they will all catch fish. Matching the size of you drift bobber to the current water conditions should be a much more important decision. I believe proper presentation of your drift rig will make a much greater difference in your success. In my opinion most drift fisherman use too much weight when drift fishing. Your drift rig should move along at the same speed, or only slightly slower than the river current. Instead of your weight constantly banging the bottom, you should only feel a bump every few seconds. The exception to this rule is during periods of reduced visibility where a slower presentation is necessary to allow the steelhead see your offering. Successful drift fisherman are the ones that are constantly changing the amount of weight used to match the particular drift they are fishing. Proper presentation is a must to consistently hook steelhead.

釣るための色について詳細に検討したい．水流にドリフトbobberのサイズをマッチさせることはもっと重要な決定だ．ドリフト仕掛けの適切なプレゼンは釣りの成功に最も違ったものにする．私の意見では，ほとんどのドリフト釣り人はオモリを重くしている．あなたのドリフト仕掛けは一定のスピードで流すべきだ．あるいは，水流より少し遅く流せ．オモリを川底にいつも当てる（ガンガン）代わりに，数秒でその接触（コツコツ感）を感じるべきだ．この例外は，スティールヘッドがあなたのフライが分からないくらい川の透明度が低い場合だ．ドリフトの上手い釣り人は，そのドリフト釣りにマッチするようにオモリの量を時々変えている．適切なプレゼンはスティールヘッドを絶えず釣ることができる．

Then take this information to the river with you and apply it. Don't be afraid to experiment with your drift gear, try different color and bait combinations until you find one that you have confidence in. As I've said before confidence is a very important factor for success in steelheading. If you are having trouble hooking steelhead on drift gear, get some books and gather as much information as you can about the subject.

川の情報を得て，それを適用せよ．ドリフト仕掛けの経験を恐れるな．自信が持てるまで，違った色，ベイトの組み合わせを試せ．前に述べたように，自信はスティールヘッド釣りで重要な要素だ．もしスティールヘッドのフッキングで困ったら，本を見たり，できるだけ情報を集めよ．

Float Fishing：Fishing with a float or bobber, with bait or a jig suspended below it. One of my favorite year round techniques.

ウキ釣り：

During the fall of 1997 I started using a bobber and jig while fishing for Chum Salmon, and began having tremendous success. This technique worked when the Chums would not touch standard drift gear. That winter I decided that I would give this technique a serious effort while steelheading. I tried the bobber and jig technique for steelhead on days when I was not getting any hookups with my standard drift gear. Needless to say, I did not have much luck with this technique and found myself reverting back to the ole corky and yarn that I had a lot of confidence in.

1997の秋，chum salmonにbobberとジグを使い始め，非常に上手くいった．これはChumが普通のドリフト仕掛けでは喰わなかったときでも，有効に機能した．スティールヘッドを釣りながら，その冬にこの仕掛けにまじめな取り組みことを決めた．ある日，普通のドリフト仕掛けではまったく釣れないときにbobberやジグを試した．言うまでも無く，上手くいかなかった，自信を失いコルクとヤーンに戻っている自分に気が付いた．My first steelhead caught on a jig was a wild summer run from the Humptulips River in early June of 1998. I spotted this fish laying in a slick tailout. My movement spooked the fish, moveing it upriver twenty feet where it then resumed holding. I cast the small 1/16 oz. red and white marabou jig twenty feet upstream of his position and let the tiny jig float towards the fish. When the tiny featheres jig was about eight feet from the fish the steelhead raced up to the jig, then turned and slowly moved towards the deeper water in the middle of the river. I didn't realize he had taken the jig, because I was watching the fish and not the bobber. When I finally figured out that my bobber was not on top of the water, I quickly reeled up the slack and set the hook. To my surprise the fish still had a hold of the little jig. After a good fight I landed the buck, a nice ten pound native, which I released after a quick photo. Since that day I have used this technique regularly, and it has become one of my most effective techniques, especially for summer runs.

ジグで釣った最初のスティールヘッドは1998年の６月上旬のサマーランで，Humptulips川だった．なめらから流れのtailoutで見つけた．私の移動は魚を警戒させ，20フィート上流に移動させ，そこで再び定位した．私は小さな1/10oz.の赤白の間ラブージグを，彼の位置から上流へ20フィートキャストし魚の方へジグを浮かせた．羽のjigが魚から8フィートになったとき，スティールヘッドはジグに向かい，そして反転し，ゆっくり川の真ん中の深場へ移動していった．私は魚がジグを咥えたことを認識できなかった．と言うのは私は魚を見ていたが，bobberを見ていなかったので，最終的に，bobberが水面に無いことに気付いたとき，ラインの弛みをとるために素早くリールを巻き，釣り上げた．驚いたことに，魚がまだジグを咥えていた．いいファイトのあとで，雄のスティールヘッドを釣り上げた．10ポンドの素晴らしい野生の魚だった．素早く写真を撮ってリリースした．その日は，この仕掛けをずーっと使っていたので，サマーランに対しては最も効果的な仕掛けになった．

Most of the jigs I use are made up of marabou or rabbit fur, and range in size from 1/32 oz. to 1/4 oz. For summer runs I use mostly 1/16 oz. or 1/8 oz. sizes and in winter I prefer the 1/8 oz. or 3/16 oz. sizes for my cold water fishing. These jigs have a very lifelike motion in the water and appear to be alive when fished under a float. Effective colors for my summer fishing include pink/white, red/white, pink/purple, black/red, black/pink and black/cerise.

私か使う大抵のジグはマラブーかウサギの毛で出来ている．サイズは1/32 ozから1/4 ozの範囲だ．サマーランに対しては，1/16 oz. か 1/8 oz.を使う．ウィンターの寒水では 1/8 oz. か 3/16 oz. が好きだ．これらのジグは水の中ではまるで生きてるように動き，ウキの下で釣れたときは，生きていることをアピールする．夏の釣りの色はピンク，白，赤・白，ピンク・紫，クロ・赤，黒・深紅を含んでいる．My favorite colors for winter fishing are pink/white, pink/cerise or hot pink. Other colors will also work but these are the ones I fish with 90% of the time in winter. In the winter and early summer I have also been having good results with bead jigs with yarn tails, tipped with a small piece of prawn meat. I like to use the 51/60 count prawns you can buy at the local grocery store. Peel them and cut them into pieces about the size of your little fingernail. Put these in a ziplock baggie and store them in your freezer until its time to go fishing. Tipping your jigs with a prawn can be a real killer at times. Be sure to check the regulations for the waters you are fishing to be sure bait is legal. You can also try dying your prawns a hot pink color using a commercial bait coloring, but usually I fish them just the way they are.

I fish my jigs using a fixed cork bobber for my summer fishing, or 3/4" x 4" foam "dink" style floats for winter fishing. Here is how I rig up for summer jig fishing and winter jig fishing. Many times I fish the jigs only eight to twelve inches below the float. I catch many steelhead in less than three feet of water, both winter and summer. Don't be shy about fishing the soft current seams right next to shore. This water is often overlooked by drift fisherman. I have watched anglers walk right past a little seam on the Carbon River, only to have a fish take my jig on the first cast, much to their dismay. On other occasions I have watched anglers wade out to their knees or higher, to fish the far side of the river. They end up standing in the exact spot I was hooking fish in earlier that same day. Don't overlook the water right at your feet, right next to shore. Always start shallow and increase your depth if you are fishing deeper runs. Remember, you want your jig at least a foot or two off of the bottom. If the water I am fishing is four feet deep I would set my jig eighteen inches to two feet below my float. Fish cannot see down, so you want your offering to drift above the fish. They will come up to grab a jig, even during very cold water conditions encountered in winter. I seldom fish the jigs more than four feet under the float, even in deeper water. This has a little to do with the rivers I prefer to fish, which are small shallow streams with a lot of cover. I rarely fish jigs in water over six feet in depth, areas which can be more effectively covered with drift gear or spoons. I pass up such water and concentrate on shallow riffle's and current seams close to the bank, or pocket water behind logs and boulders.

I prefer to use a longer rod for this type of fishing. Good float rods are 10' to 14' in length, my favorite being a 10 Lamiglass I picked up a few years ago. This length is perfect for fishing the rivers I frequent, but I know of other float anglers who prefer even longer rods. A longer rod helps keep your line off the surface, helping achieve a drag free presentation. This drag free presentation is critical for success when fishing jigs. Although a longer rod is beneficial, it is still a matter of personal preference, use equipment you are comfortable with. My summer rods are light action spinning rods, while in the winter I use baitcasting rods. This is because the smaller floats and lighter weight jigs I use in the summer can be cast easier with a spinning rod & reel. In the heavier flows of winter I like the extra backbone and control I have with my baitcasting rod and level wind reels.

The float & jig technique provides a chance for the angler to cover water that cannot be fished effectively with standard drift gear. One such example would be a narrow slot of slightly deeper water right next to shore, along a brush-covered bank. The only place the angler can cast to this slot, is from a position directly downstream. A cast made directly upstream, above the slot, and allowed to float back downstream towards the angler will often produce a fish. Another advantage to positioning yourself downstream of the holding water is to avoid spooking fish during low, clear river conditions, such as during an extended cold spell in winter. These low clear conditions are also common during the summer months, and the upstream approach will prevent the fish from being spooked by the angler's presence. Fish cannot see directly behind them, and many times you can spot the fish before they see you.

Another advantage fishing floats provides for the beginning steelheader, is decreasing the amount of down time, caused by breaking off and retying. Seldom will you lose any gear if you have your depth set properly. Remember, you want your jig floating above the fish, at least a foot off the river bottom. Steelhead will come up off the bottom to take your jig. By decreasing your down time you will increase the amount of time your offering is in the water, thus increasing the chances of a fish seeing and taking it.

Float fishing can also be used for floating bait, such as sand shrimp or roe, over a steelheads position. This can be very effective in slow water, where standard drift gear will hang up on the bottom. Adjust your depth properly and present your bait with a drag free drift and you will hook fish. In the summer time try drifting a nightcrawler with no added weight uder a float. Summer steelhead readily take these morsels in the summer months, and the natural presentation under a float is hard to beat.

Try adding float and jig fishing to your arsenal of tricks used to entice steelhead. I am confident you will catch fish in areas you could not effectively cover with other techniques.

Spoon Fishing：Quickly becoming my favorite Winter Steelhead technique.

スプーンの釣り

A few years ago the only time I would tie a spoon on the end of my line was when I could not find a fish with the normal drift gear I had gotten so used to using. Needless to say I did not have much faith in these lures but I did give them a try once in a while. This all changed in late January of 2000, while fishing for winter steelhead on the Carbon River near the town of Orting, Washington. I had been consistently hooking fish in a little riffle I found early in the season, on jigs drifted beneath a float. Early one day I had worked my jigs through this riffle hard without a bite. After fishing upriver with the same results I returned to the riffle I had fished earlier, and on a whim tied on a 2/5 oz. brass Little Cleo spoon. On my first cast, as the lure was swinging across the riffle, it was abruptly stopped, followed by several heavy head shakes. I was caught with my waders down and missed the fish, as it swirled just under the surface.

That one brief encounter was all it took to make me a believer in the effectiveness of spoons. I made up my mind that I would concentrate the rest of the winter steelhead season fishing with spoons. Only occasionally did I switch back to jigs & floats. The Carbon River remained on the low side most of the late winter, but I continued to hook big native steelhead, when most anglers left without a bite. My confidence in spoons increased with every trip, and I ended that winter season hooking more steelhead than I had in the last several winters. And this was in a year when alot of the steelhead anglers I know had been having horrible seasons, complaining about the lack of fish. Most of the fish I hooked that winter were from only one river, the Carbon. I did make a couple of trips out to the Hoh and Sol Duc Rivers in March. Under marginal river conditions I hooked numerous big natives, all on spoons.Rod lengths for spoon fishing are pretty much a personal choice, though I prefer a longer rod with some backbone to it. The extra length and backbone are needed to help drive the larger single siwash hooks I use into the bony plates in the jaws of large steelhead. The extra length also helps keep your line up out of the water, while fishing soft current seams on the other side of the river.I stick with heavier test lines for spoon fishing, usually fifteen pound test Ande. I may go heavier when making a trip out to the coast for large natives in March. These fish can really test your tackle, and are not the least bit line shy. The heavier test lines will also help drive the hooks home. Heavier line will help get these natives in quicker, increasing their chance of survival upon release. It is always a good idea to land these fish quickly, instead of fighting them until exhausted.Good quality spoons can be found anywhere, but I usually get mine from rvrfshr Products, a mail order tackle shop in Seattle, Washington. They are high quality and are a much better value than buying your spoons from a sporting good store. You can purchase these spoons ready to fish, or buy the components and do some minor assembly to save a few bucks. Give Joe Hart a call and tell him you heard about rvrfshr Products on Steelhead Notebook and he will take care of you. You can find a link to Joe's web site on my tackle links page. If you prefer to shop at a local tackle shop, pick up some 2/5 oz. brass Little Cleo's. I have had good luck with these spoons. The only recommendation I have is to replace the cheap treble hook that comes on the spoon with a good quality wide bend treble or single siwash.

As far as finishes for my spoons, I prefer the brass or copper in clear water, and go with a genuine silver spoon in off color water. Don't be confused into thinking that genuine silver and chrome are the same thing. The chrome finish available on most store bought spoons appears almost black in the water, reflecting very little light. The genuine silver finish provides the most flash available, almost appearing white in the water. The genuine silver finish can only be found from mail order shops such as rvrfshr Products.These two finishes are all you need for most winter steelheading conditions. The exception to this rule is during extended cold snaps, which can drop the river levels to summer low, gin clear conditions. During these conditions the water temperatures can drop into the low 30's, and you will need the extra flash of the genuine silver plated spoons to entice these lethargic fish to move from their holding position to take your spoon.

Spoon fishing for steelhead can be very productive, if done properly. The biggest mistake most first time spoon fisherman make is working the lure too fast. Try to present the spoon as slowly as possible, it should just be wobbling, not spinning. I try to fish my spoons much like standard drift gear. Cast across, let the spoon flutter down to the bottom, and then slowly work it through the drift. Don't be too quick to reel in the spoon after it completes its swing. Sometimes a steelhead will follow a spoon a long way before striking it. After the spoon swings into the slower water directly downstream from your position, let it hang there for a minute before slowly reeling it back in. Many times a steelhead will hit the spoon as it is fluttering in the slower water below you, even though this water may only be twelve to eighteen inches deep.

Give spoon fishing a try this winter. If you take the time to learn how to properly fish these lures, you will hook more fish this season. If you need any additional information on fishing spoons drop me a line using the link below.

Spinner Fishing：Very effective for both winter and summer steelhead.

スピナーの釣り

Spinners are a very effective lure for both winter and summer steelhead. I used to fish summer runs almost exclusively with spinners and had tremendous success with them. Today I actually spend more time fishing jigs for summer steelhead, but I still enjoy swinging my favorite #2 tarnished brass spinners through some choice riffles during the long, hot days of summer. I have not fished spinners very seriously for winter runs but intend to start using them more in the coming seasons.Summer run steelhead seem to respond well to spinners in virtually any conditon you may encounter. With the higher metabolism due to warmer water, summer runs will strike a rotating spinner with wreckless abondon, often as soon as it hits the water upon making a cast. Other times they will attempt to seperate your arm from its socket with an arm wrenching yank as they hammer your spinner while it swings seductivly through a shallow riffle. These types of solid strikes will forever be embedded in your memory and be relived many times over when discussing summer run steelhead with your buddies.

When choosing spinners for summer steelhead I tend to stick with just a few proven patterns that have worked well for me over the years. These are typically smaller darker spinners without a lot of flash. You do not need the same flash and vibration that is required to wake up lethergic steelhead found in the cold water of winter. You only want your spinner to have a presence in the water, enough to elicite a strike without spooking the fish. Summer steelhead rivers will usually run much warmer, and the result is that steelhead holding in this warmer water become hair trigger torpedoes, ultra aggressive. A small spinner cast anywhere close to these fish will be attempted to be removed from the food chain with savage strikes. Surface strikes are fairly common with fish in this state of aggression. These surface eruptions have provided some of my fondest summer run memories.The spinners I use for summer steelhead would never do well on a retail tackle shop. They are meant to catch steelhead not steelhead anglers. I purposely tarnish my brass components to reduce the flash that may spook a ultra agressive summer run in low clear flows. This can be accomplished in many ways,but the quickest and easiest is to hold your brass parts over an open flame such as a candle for a short time to dull the finish of a shiny new blade. I explain this process in more detail on our tips & tutorials page. Another finish that does well for summer runs is black oxide. These can be purchsed from several mail order stores including rvrfshr Products, Fisherman's Shack, and Pen-Tac. The only commercially made spinner that comes in this finish is the Vibrax spinners made by Blue Fox. These are readily available in most retail tackle shops.

Spinner sizes for summer steelhead fishing vary a little depending on many factors including water temperature, lighting and angling pressure. My choices in spinner size range from #3 down to #1, with a #2 spinner my preferred size for most of my summer fishing. I tend to fish the larger #3's early in the summer when water temperatures are a little cooler, but after the spring runoff I will usually reach for my favorite #2 McKenzie Medium as my spinner of choice on the small streams that I like to fish.If I could only choose one size and finish of spinner for winter steelhead it would be #5 genuine silver with red adornments called the "Winter Standard" by spinner guru Jed Davis. During the cold flows of winter, steelhead behaviour is very predictable and the maximum flash and vibration put out by this spinner will work in almost any conditions you may encounter during the winter months.Winter steelhead will be found in awide variety of holding water during the winter and it is up to the angler to decide where to fish for these steelhead by understanding the ever changing river conditions encountered during the rainy season. A specific type of holding water that you found fish in a few days ago under normal winter flows may be barren of fish today with the river a foot lower due to lack of rain. It is important to adjust your fishing to match the ever changing conditions we encounter during winter.

Spinner selection is far less important for winter steelhead, but reading water and knowing where fish will hold at varying levels of river height and clarity is critical for consistent success. Learn how to read water and fish spinners that provide maximum flash and vibration to wake up those lethargic winter runs, and you will get hooked up.

When fished properly spinners will catch steelhead in any season, under a variety of river conditions. A must read for anyone serious about fishing spinners for steelhead is the legandary book, "Spinner Fishing for Salmon, Steelhead and trout" by Jed Davis. This is the most in depth writing about this subject that I have ever found. I highly recommend it for all steelhead anglers as it goes into great detail about steelhead behaviour as it relates to water temperature.

Pulling Plugs：Deadly technique when fishing from a drift boat or sled.

Pulling plugs, or "hot shotting" as it is often reffered to, can be an absolutely deadly steelheading technique when done properly. This technique is commonly used by guides in the northwest, and is a great way to get a beginning steelheader onto their first steelhead.

Pulling plugs is a technique that incorporates diving plugs, such as "Hot Shots", "Wiggle Warts", or "Tadpolly's", that are let out downstream from the boat, while the boat is held against the rivers current with oars or a motor. When the plugs have been let out the proper distance from the boat, around 35' - 40', the force of the rivers current will cause the plugs to dive. The boat is then allowed to move slowly downstream, letting the plugs wiggle enticingly into the hole, and hopefully right into the face of a holding steelhead.

I've seen many fish caught by steelheaders anchored up in a drift with plugs working below them. Although plugs will catch fish this way, I have found that they are much more effective when worked slowly downstream through likely holding water. By allowing the plugs to work slowly downstream, any steelhead that may be in the area are forced to make a decision. The fish will either strike at the lure to remove the threat, or move downstream as the plug moves towards it. If the fish continues to be "pushed back" into shallower water at the tail of the drift, it will once again have to make a decision to strike the lure or move out of its way. Many times the decision will be to strike the plug, which can result in savage hooksets that will bury the tip of the rod beneath the rivers surface.

A seasoned plug puller will have the plugs put out well upstream of the area he wishes to fish, and will have them working properly when they drop into the head of the hole. Fresh steelhead will be holding right at the head of the drift, yet many plug fishermen dont let their lures out until the boat is right ontop of the fish. I can not tell you how many times we have picked up a steelhead right at the head of the hole when other boats have already worked the drift. They did not begin their presentation soon enough and as a result missed the fish.

Choice of plugs is a personal decision, as they will all catch fish. My favorites are "Hot Shots" and "Wiggle Warts", but many other anglers prefer "Tadpolly's", "Hot & Tots" or "Kwikfish". As far as finishes go, I stick pretty much with the metallic colors, leaning heavily towards greens, blues, and pink. The general rule of thumb is bright finishes on bright days and dark finishes on dark days.

Pulling plugs will never be my favorite way to spend a day chasing steelhead, but it will always be one of the top producing techniques. If you are having a hard time catching steelhead, and have a chance to fish from a boat, give this deadly technique a try. At times pulling plugs will catch steelhead when all other methods fail.

Fly Fishing：Increasingly popular technique for chasing Steelhead.

毛針の釣り

Flyfishing for trout on the small streams around Packwood, Washington was what really got my love affair with fishing rivers started. I have yet to catch a steelhead on my fly rod, but I also have not given it a very strong effort. Every year I get the itch to pull out my fly rod and go after these wonderful fish, but never seem to find the time. There is some kind of mystique that surrounds catching steelhead on a fly, that has always attracted me.

ワシントン州のPackwood周辺の小さな川の鱒に対してフライフィッシングは，私を釣りに本当に熱狂させた．もうフライロッドでスティールヘッドを釣ったことがあるが，その苦労はしていない，毎年，フライロッド引っ張り出して素晴らしい魚を求めている．しかし，そんな時間は得られそうも無い．フライでスティールヘッドを釣ることには神秘的なものがあり，いつも私を魅惑する．

Instead of trying to offer tips on fly fishing for steelhead, I suggest you visit Dennis Dickson's Fly Fishing website. You can find the link to it on my fly fishing links page, and you will find much more valuable information on his site than I could ever give you. I will however update this page with any information I learn whenever I attempt to hook a steelhead on a fly.

On August 1, 2001 I hooked my first steelhead on a fly! What a feeling, and although this fish came unhooked, it lit another fire in me. Since then I have began to hook steelhead on the fly more frequently, and each season finds me spending more time chasing steelhead with the bug rod in hand. In 2005 I landed three nice summer runs on a fly, and during the winter of 2006 I hooked over fifteen winter steelhead on my flyrod.

As I continue to progress as a steelhead fly angler I will try to share what I learn here. Once again my passion for pursuing these magnificent fish has been renewed and it appears I'm heading back to my roots of chasing trout on the stream with my fly rod in hand, ....and boy does it feel good!

スティールヘッドのフライフィッシングのテップ(tips)を述べる代わりに，Dennis Dickson's Fly Fishing websiteのサイト紹介しておく．そこに沢山の有益な情報がある．

2001年の８月１日，フライで最初のスティールヘッドを掛けた．何という手応えだ．この魚は結局釣れなかったけど，心に他の火をつけた．フライで頻繁にスティールヘッド釣り始めてから，各シーズンに，ロッドでキャスティングに時間を掛けたることに取りかかった．2005年にフライ１つで３匹のサマーランの型の良いスティールヘッドを釣った，2006年には15匹以上のウィンターrunのスティールヘッドを上げた．

スティールヘッドアングラーとして上達を続け，ここで学んだことを共有しよう．これらの素晴らしい魚を追い求める情熱は再生すると，フライロッドを手に，鱒釣りの私のルーツへ戻ろう．少年のときの愉快な釣りへ．

The Pink Worm：A favorite lure in British Columbia which is becoming increasingly popular in Washington State.

ピンク・ワームの釣り

The pink worm is a lure that has been catching steelhead in British Columbia for many years, but is just now beginning to develop a following on Washington State rivers. I began to experiment with this lure in 1999, and tried it a little more each season, but it was not until the winter season of 2001-2002 that I became a believer in this lure.

ピンクワームは長年ブリティッシュ・コロンビアでスティールヘッドが釣られてきたルアーで，ワシントン州の川でいま広がりつつある．私は1999年にルアーを始め，各シーズンでほとんど試さなかった．2001-2002の冬のシーズン，そのルアーの信者になるまでは試さなかった．

The pink worm can be rigged several ways. In Canada the pink worm is most often fished below a float, with several split shot added to the line to get the lure down to the fish. These worms float, so it is necessary to add weight to keep them in the steelhead's field of vision. Adjust the depth below the float to keep the worm a foot or so off the bottom.

ピンク・ワームはいくつかの方法で仕掛けルことが出来る．カナダではルアーを更に沈めるためにスプリットショットを付けたピンクワームはウキ釣りで最も釣れる．ワームは浮くのでスティールヘッドの視覚範囲にワームを保つためにオモリを付加する．ワームを川底に届かないか，川底になるようにワームの水深を調整せよ．

They can also be fished on a bare jig hook under a float, this is the method I prefer for native winter runs. I also prefer to use smaller 3"-4" worms, rather than the larger 6" ones. The smaller worms seem to result in fewer missed strikes. I rig this setup the same as I do my jigs, below a fixed float, and try to adjust the depth so that the worm is at least a foot off of the bottom. The first steelhead I caught with the pink worm was on the Carbon River just before dark. The hatchery hen really inhaled it, and provided a fitting end to an afternoon of verbal abuse I received from my fishing partner about using a bass worm for steelhead. The last laugh was on him, as this fish completed my two fish limit of hatchery steelhead, while he went home empty handed.

ウキの下にbare jig フックでも釣れる．これは冬の野生のスティールヘッドで好きな方法だ．また，6”の大きなワームより大きな小さな3”-4”のワームを使うのも好きだ．小さなワームはアタリのミスが少ない．ウキの下にジグと同じように仕掛けを作る．ワームは少なくとも川底から１フィート離れるように深さを調整せよ．ピンクワームで最初に釣ったスティールヘッドはCarbon川で，dark前だった．養殖の雌はそれをガツガツ喰った．そして，スティールヘッドにバス用ワームを使うことについて釣り仲閒から暴言を浴びせられて，午後にふさわしい終わり方をした．最後の笑いは彼に対してであった．この養殖魚で私の養殖魚制限の２匹に達した．彼は空っぽで家に帰った．

The pink worm was the hot ticket for native winter steelhead for me during the winter season of 2002, and now accounts for over 70% of the native winter steelhead that I hook. The native fish readily take these lures, and many times I have hooked fish in water that has been heavily fished by other anglers using standard drift fishing techniques. I believe that showing the fish something different can be the deciding factor in an angler's success, or lack of same. The increasingly popular pink worm has turned out to be my go to lure for large native winter runs.

ピンクワームは2002年の冬のシーズンに野生のスティールヘッドに対するホットチケット(流行の最先端)であった．いまは釣った魚の野生のスティールヘッドの70%以上を占めている．野生のスティールヘッドはこれらのルアーを容易に喰う．他の釣り人によって，普通のドリフトで釣られた場所で，ピンクワームで何度も釣っている．何か違う物を魚に見せることは，釣りの成功の重要な要素だ．ピンクワームの人気は冬の野生の大きなランに対するルアーになった．

The pink worm can be rigged for drift fishing as well. Use a bait threader, or long needle to thread the leader through the worm. Add a bead onto the leader just above the hook to keep it from pulling into the worms body. Tie this onto your swivel and fish just as you would a standard corky and yarn rig. At the end of your drift let the worm hang downstream from you for at least ten seconds before reeling in. Many times a steelhead will follow the worm and take it as it dances enticingly in the soft water below you.

ピンクワームはドリフト釣りではうまく取り付けれる．ワームをリーダに通すためには，baitスレッダーか長いニードルを使え．ワームのボディーに絡まないようにフックの上のリーダにビーズを加えろ．リーダにシーベルを結び，普通のcorkyやヤーン仕掛けのように釣れ．ドリフトが終わったら，リールを巻く前に少なくとも１０秒下流に垂らせ．多くの場合，スティルヘッドはワームを追ってきていて，下流の緩やかな流れで誘惑的な泳ぎをさせたら咥えるだろう．Another increasingly popular setup for boat fishing is to run the pink worm on a five foot leader behind a diver, and backtroll the setup just as you would plugs or bait divers. One of my buddies showed me how this works out on the Hoh River and I must say those native steelhead really clobber this setup.

ボートで他の人気を増している仕掛けは，ダイバー(diver, 潜水板？）の後ろにピンクワームを付ける方法だ．友人の一人はHoh川でどのように泳ぐか見せてくれた．野生のスティールヘッドには本当に有効(clobber)な仕掛けだった．

Check out Bob's Piscatorial Pursuits tips section for a detailed look at how he rigs the pink worm. As I said earlier, I prefer to fish them on a bare jighead. I rig them up to be drifted beneath a float, exactley as I do with my jigs, substituting the pink worm for the standard jig.