Steelhead Myth Exposed!
Steelhead Myth Exposed!
Do Steelhead Trout really take a fly or are they just "lined" by a fly fisherman's fly line?
Many of you may have heard of the Discover show, "MythBusters"...Well, today I'd like to share with you the truth.
This article written by a Michigan newspaper sports writer reveals the truth about catching Steelhead on a Fly.
So, in our opinion, while it does happen occasionally, for the most part fly fisherman do not "line" the fish, instead the fish is hooked with the fly.
So, this myth folks....Is BUSTED!
Enjoy the article,
-Duke
===============================
Fly fishing effective winter technique on Pere Marquette
Sunday, March 26, 2006
By Bob Gwizdz
BALDWIN -- There's a common perception among some anglers that fly fishermen don't ever really catch steelhead, that they simply "line" them -- as in snag them in the mouth -- by pulling their flies into the fish and setting the hook.
And while there is, no doubt, some of that going on, veteran fly fishermen will tell you they've seen steelies come after a fly, turn on it and lunge, as it drifted past.
That behavior may be more noticeable in the fall, when the fish are fresh in the river, still full of spit and vinegar and actively feeding. But steelhead will take a fly in the winter, too.
Case in point: I was fishing with Ed McCoy, who guides out of Pere Marquette River Lodge, the end of the first week of March as part of a two-boat trip, when the boatmen pulled off to the side of the river to cook lunch. I jumped out and began drifting a black stone fly nymph (No. 14) through a deep run under a strike indicator when I saw the cork go down. Seven or eight minutes later, I was posing for pictures with a shiny 9-pound-plus hen.
My fly was running five or six feet under the indicator, but the hole was several feet deeper than that. There's no way it would be possible to line that fish with that rig.
After lunch, I went right back to the hole and on the first drift, hooked a 13-inch brown trout.
The trout inspired me. I spent the next hour throwing a big black streamer on a sink-tip line with no success (I did move one very nice brown trout, however), then went back to the indicator rig.
"I think (indicator fishing) is one of the most deadly techniques for any of the cold-water species," said McCoy, who has a degree in wildlife and fisheries from Michigan State and has been guiding fly anglers on the PM for five years. "It allows you to make a realistic presentation.
"Your flies are going to remain vertical pretty much as long as you keep mending your line. With chuck-and-duck, your flies are describing an arc through the water, like a pendulum.
"With a bobber, your flies are presented properly the whole drift."
Anglers can easily see what McCoy means when fish are on gravel. Cast out your line; when you take up the slack, the flies begin moving back toward you as they tumble downstream.
I would have liked to see how the indicator rig worked with fish on shallow gravel, but although there were plenty of highly polished redds around, there weren't any fish on them. That's because the high sun chased them into the holes, McCoy said.
"Spawning is all based on water temperature," he said. "Anytime the water temperature hits 40 and stays there for a day or two, the fish will start moving. The magic number is 42. When it hits that, it's game on.
"When it's cold, it's not an all-day thing. It's low-light hours, mostly evenings. Or in high water, they'll move up during the day.
"But they'll stay there all day once the temperature gets right."
McCoy said he'd seen fish working gravel in January this year and in some years has seen hundreds on gravel in February.
"I don't know if they were depositing eggs, but that's been fairly normal since I've been guiding here," McCoy said.
We worked the deeper runs behind the polished gravel. McCoy caught a nice steelhead and a short-time later, I caught another brown, a 16-inch specimen on an tiny egg fly. And that, again, inspired me to pick up the streamer rod.
"Most people don't look at trout fishing until the trout opener," McCoy said, as he pointed out likely brown trout haunts. "They're missing the boat. There's great trout fishing before the opener.
"We've got flies hatching right now. There's no reason you can't catch them on a nymph or even an occasional dry fly. But you're going to catch your bigger fish on streamers."
McCoy switched me to a white circus peanut, a long, articulated fly with a little sparkle tied into it. Fish started coming from a distance to chase it.
I threw it up against a deadfall, stripped it quickly, and watched a trout dart out after it, but not buy it. Two casts later, I hooked and landed that fish.
And about 30 minutes later, I hit another fish in the 16-inch range, a brown trout I'd consider a great fish no matter when or where I caught it.
"You'll catch better numbers on nymphs and eggs on light leaders, but once a brown trout hits 12 to 14 inches, it becomes piscivorous," McCoy said. "They're big enough to attack and kill something and they're looking to get more bang for the buck, rather than picking up bugs and eggs."
Steelhead fishing should be at a peak right now and continue for several more weeks. To book McCoy, or another guide, call Pere Marquette River Lodge at (231) 745-3972.
Do Steelhead Trout really take a fly or are they just "lined" by a fly fisherman's fly line?
Many of you may have heard of the Discover show, "MythBusters"...Well, today I'd like to share with you the truth.
This article written by a Michigan newspaper sports writer reveals the truth about catching Steelhead on a Fly.
So, in our opinion, while it does happen occasionally, for the most part fly fisherman do not "line" the fish, instead the fish is hooked with the fly.
So, this myth folks....Is BUSTED!
Enjoy the article,
-Duke
===============================
Fly fishing effective winter technique on Pere Marquette
Sunday, March 26, 2006
By Bob Gwizdz
BALDWIN -- There's a common perception among some anglers that fly fishermen don't ever really catch steelhead, that they simply "line" them -- as in snag them in the mouth -- by pulling their flies into the fish and setting the hook.
And while there is, no doubt, some of that going on, veteran fly fishermen will tell you they've seen steelies come after a fly, turn on it and lunge, as it drifted past.
That behavior may be more noticeable in the fall, when the fish are fresh in the river, still full of spit and vinegar and actively feeding. But steelhead will take a fly in the winter, too.
Case in point: I was fishing with Ed McCoy, who guides out of Pere Marquette River Lodge, the end of the first week of March as part of a two-boat trip, when the boatmen pulled off to the side of the river to cook lunch. I jumped out and began drifting a black stone fly nymph (No. 14) through a deep run under a strike indicator when I saw the cork go down. Seven or eight minutes later, I was posing for pictures with a shiny 9-pound-plus hen.
My fly was running five or six feet under the indicator, but the hole was several feet deeper than that. There's no way it would be possible to line that fish with that rig.
After lunch, I went right back to the hole and on the first drift, hooked a 13-inch brown trout.
The trout inspired me. I spent the next hour throwing a big black streamer on a sink-tip line with no success (I did move one very nice brown trout, however), then went back to the indicator rig.
"I think (indicator fishing) is one of the most deadly techniques for any of the cold-water species," said McCoy, who has a degree in wildlife and fisheries from Michigan State and has been guiding fly anglers on the PM for five years. "It allows you to make a realistic presentation.
"Your flies are going to remain vertical pretty much as long as you keep mending your line. With chuck-and-duck, your flies are describing an arc through the water, like a pendulum.
"With a bobber, your flies are presented properly the whole drift."
Anglers can easily see what McCoy means when fish are on gravel. Cast out your line; when you take up the slack, the flies begin moving back toward you as they tumble downstream.
I would have liked to see how the indicator rig worked with fish on shallow gravel, but although there were plenty of highly polished redds around, there weren't any fish on them. That's because the high sun chased them into the holes, McCoy said.
"Spawning is all based on water temperature," he said. "Anytime the water temperature hits 40 and stays there for a day or two, the fish will start moving. The magic number is 42. When it hits that, it's game on.
"When it's cold, it's not an all-day thing. It's low-light hours, mostly evenings. Or in high water, they'll move up during the day.
"But they'll stay there all day once the temperature gets right."
McCoy said he'd seen fish working gravel in January this year and in some years has seen hundreds on gravel in February.
"I don't know if they were depositing eggs, but that's been fairly normal since I've been guiding here," McCoy said.
We worked the deeper runs behind the polished gravel. McCoy caught a nice steelhead and a short-time later, I caught another brown, a 16-inch specimen on an tiny egg fly. And that, again, inspired me to pick up the streamer rod.
"Most people don't look at trout fishing until the trout opener," McCoy said, as he pointed out likely brown trout haunts. "They're missing the boat. There's great trout fishing before the opener.
"We've got flies hatching right now. There's no reason you can't catch them on a nymph or even an occasional dry fly. But you're going to catch your bigger fish on streamers."
McCoy switched me to a white circus peanut, a long, articulated fly with a little sparkle tied into it. Fish started coming from a distance to chase it.
I threw it up against a deadfall, stripped it quickly, and watched a trout dart out after it, but not buy it. Two casts later, I hooked and landed that fish.
And about 30 minutes later, I hit another fish in the 16-inch range, a brown trout I'd consider a great fish no matter when or where I caught it.
"You'll catch better numbers on nymphs and eggs on light leaders, but once a brown trout hits 12 to 14 inches, it becomes piscivorous," McCoy said. "They're big enough to attack and kill something and they're looking to get more bang for the buck, rather than picking up bugs and eggs."
Steelhead fishing should be at a peak right now and continue for several more weeks. To book McCoy, or another guide, call Pere Marquette River Lodge at (231) 745-3972.
posted by The "Duke" at 12:28 PM
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