I had arrived at Walnut Creek around 7 a.m. on Monday, October 18th, with my 6-weight rod in hand and hoping to find both water and fish. Rain has been stingy this year and the Lake Erie tributaries have all remained low and relatively clear. Heeding the call of mother nature, the steelhead have nonetheless crept in under the cover of darkness or discolored water and poked their noses as far inland as they dared, flitting from hole to hole. I started fishing in the new holes below the Manchester Road bridge. Pressure on our beautiful steelhead has been very high. With all the publicity “steelhead alley” has been getting this year, anglers from far and near have been pounding the water with everything imaginable. The press of too many anglers in a limited area has brought out the worst in both people and fish; boorish behavior and lockjaw.

I moved from pool to pool exploring the new holding water and looking for some elbow room. I enjoy traditional steelhead fishing and lean towards the use of greased line presentations, Spey-style flies, streamers, and wet flies. To me, the quality of the fishing experience, not the quantity of fish caught, is of primary importance. Finding adequate space to fish was difficult and the water flow was barely marginal for the tactics I prefer. After picking up several fish, I elected to abandon my preferred techniques and try small nymphs and spawn flies. Several more nice, fresh fish came to hand and were released in due time. But the fishing wasn’t very exciting. Without sufficient water depth and breadth, the real power and majesty of the steelhead is severely handicapped; steelies need water to leap, fight, and run!

After having a sandwich and some cookies for lunch, I debated as to whether I would stay at Walnut or try someplace else; Elk Creek always calls to me because of its greater water volume. I decided, however, to try the main pool just above the Manchester Road bridge. Earlier in the day the place was lined with anglers standing nearly shoulder-to-shoulder. Not exactly my cup of tea. But by now, the pool wasn’t too crowded. Guys walking down stream told me the fish had been pounded by innumerable anglers all morning and weren’t being very cooperative right now. Undeterred, I pressed on. When I got to the pool I couldn’t believe my eyes. There were hundreds of steelhead in the water and about a dozen anglers were scattered along the western (un-posted) shore. Every once in a while a bait fishermen would get a take and pretty soon another fish would be added to a stringer.

Being the only fly fisherman in the group, I positioned myself near the tail-out water where I had a little casting room and some current to work. I fished hard for about an hour and picked up two fish on streamers worked deep and slow. Clearly, the fish were uncooperative so I switched to 6X tippet and tied on an assortment of small (sizes 14 to 20) nymphs and spawn flies. As the ranks of anglers thinned, I moved up through the pool and managed to pick up a fish every now and then. The trick seemed to be changing flies and colors often. My challenge was to find and present something to the fish that they hadn’t seen recently and to find one that was willing to take my offering.

Around three o’clock I was giving serious thought to moving on to Godfrey Run and fishing in the lake for a while. I had already had a very good day on Walnut, releasing about a dozen fish brought to hand. Perhaps, I mused, it might be fun to fish the big water where a hooked steelhead could really fight and run and jump as much as it wanted.

As I headed back down towards the bridge, the sun finally peeked out from behind the clouds. I paused and thought: “Why not try fishing a dry fly for a while?” While I had never heard of Lake Erie steelhead taking dry flies, I had nothing but time to lose and perhaps I might even entice a steelhead to the surface just like the West Coast anglers! Searching through my dry fly box, I picked out my largest, bushiest looking fly, a very heavily dressed size 12 Adams. I rubbed some floatant on it and tied it to the business end of some 4X tippet. Fishing near the tail-out, I cast across stream and let the current carry the fly down stream for a while. Periodically, I would “skate” the fly and then let it resume its normal drift. On my second cast, just after skating the fly, it disappeared beneath a bulge of water. Fish on! After emitting an uncontrollable shout of surprise and joy, I concentrated hard on bringing the fish to hand to prove to myself that it had really taken the fly. Sure enough, the fish was fair hooked with my fly clearly visible, and firmly lodged, in the corner of its mouth.

Well, one fish caught on a dry fly doesn’t prove anything. So, I went back to work. On the very next cast, same result; fish on! Amazing! Even though these fish had been hammered hard all morning, they were still surface oriented and willing to come up to take my fly. I had a hard time believing what had just happened. By now, my two-in-a-row was attracting attention and soon several guys were standing around. After I released the fish, I explained to them, in response to their “what are you using” question, what I was doing. A fly fisherman in the crowd said that he had never heard of our steelhead taking dry flies. I said, “neither had I.”

Perhaps feeling undeservedly confident, I agreed to demonstrate my technique. I again cast across stream, let the fly drift, skated it, let it drift, and nothing happened. At the end of the drift, when the fly was directly down stream and at the edge of the riffles, I twitch the fly and the surface exploded with a savage take! After three spectacular jumps and several high-speed runs up and down the pool, the fish was brought to hand. What a magnificent 12 pound specimen! Beautifully chrome colored and heavily bodied, apparently fresh from the lsake, the steelhead looked amazingly like an oversized football.

After now having caught three magnificent steelhead on three successive casts, I thought that I should rest the pool (and my nerves) for a while. As the ranks of the bait-tossers thinned, I slowly moved into position to fish other sections of the pool. Again and again, steelies rose to my dry fly and, with each fish hooked, I marveled at their power and beauty. Although not all rises resulted in takes, I was truly surprised by their degree of surface orientation. Perhaps it was the novelty of the presentation, the sunlight on the water, the clarity of the water, the amount of flow, the water temperature, or perhaps it was some combination of these factors.

Of the six steelhead I caught on a dry fly and released that day, the final one to rise to my fly seared a lasting image in my mind. I was fishing the middle section of the pool and the current flow was relatively slow. I cast to the middle of the creek, let the current carry the fly, skated the fly, then drifted, then skated again, then drifted. Suddenly, as if in slow motion, a large head and dorsal fin emerged from the dark green depths. With mouth open and eyes fixed on my drifting fly, the steelhead porpoised on my fly with about the front one-third of its body coming out of the water. In hindsight, I still can’t believe that I didn’t yank the fly away from that fish before it struck. Instead, frozen, I watched in awe (and with my mouth open too) as this wondrous event unfolded before me not more than 30 feet away. The take was clean and true; the fight was on; the fish was acrobatic, determined, and exhilarating. As I led the fish to hand and then released it, I marveled at what a remarkable day and special moment it had been.

What a wonderful new dimension dry fly presentations bring to steelhead fishing in the Lake Erie tributaries. Truly my day on Walnut Creek had been memorable. Twenty-three steelhead played to hand and released; most notably, six of them had proven that our steelhead will take dry flies. Right now, I must get to my bench and try my hand at tying some bombers!

New Wilmington, PA
October, 1999

P.S.

Although one season hardly qualifies as “substantial” experience, I have learned a few lessons about dry fly fishing for Lake Erie steelhead. First of all, it was a waste of time tying Bombers. The flies are too big and noisy for our intimate streams. Instead, I recommend that one simply tie more heavily dressed than usual dry flies in sizes 10 through 14. I have had good success using Adams and Elk Hair Caddis patterns. The presentation trick is to not overdo the skating part and to show the steelhead something that they will recognize. I have found that repeated casts to targeted fish (sometimes 10 or more drifts over the fish) might be needed to provoke interest and a strike. I have also found it helpful to think of the steelies as trout and to fish for them accordingly; basically give them a drag-free natural drift, match-the-hatch presentation. I only skate the fly sporadically and for a short distance in order to attract attention, just as I sometimes do for trout.

By the way, I managed to catch a total of 12 Lake Erie steelhead on a dry fly during the 1999-00 season. While most of the fish were caught in the fall, I did manage to catch several in the spring. I think water temperature and freshness of fish are critical factors in contributing to success. I found that it was not possible to move a dark “river rat” fish to a dry fly.

New Wilmington, PA
October, 1999

Content by John Deegan, Jr.

The post Erie Steelhead on a Dry Fly appeared first on fisherie.com.

Pennsylvania steelhead start collecting around the mouths of the tributary streams when the shoreline temperatures of Lake Erie drop to 68 degrees F. This usually occurs by mid-September, depending on that year’s particular weather pattern. Good runs of steelhead begin arriving in the tributaries by mid to late September if the early fall period is on the wet and cool side. It’s the cold, muddy run-off (created by fall rains) into a relatively warm Lake Erie that initiate fall runs of fish.

Fall steelhead are of the mint silver variety. Some steelheaders call them “chromers,” a far cry from their dark coloration of late winter and early spring. After they enter a tributary stream in the fall, they do not actively feed like they have in the depths of Lake Erie. Once in the streams, their stomachs shrink and they begin to live off their body fat and reserves. But ask any steelheader and he will tell you that they indeed “feed” and will take your fly with authority. This is a result of a strong, aggressive feeding instinct developed in the lake over the summer months.

Early fall tributary run-off, which can range from 65-50 degrees F, means active and aggressive steelhead. These fish move out of their way to take a fly in these water temperatures and hold in the faster-moving areas of the stream, such as pocket water, fast runs, chutes and the heads of pools. This is the opposite of winter steelhead. These ice-water fish take flies very softly, and at times, imperceptibly while inhabiting very slow current areas.

The major tributaries of Erie County include 12 Mile, 16 Mile and 20 Mile Creeks east of the City of Erie, and Elk, Walnut and Crooked Creeks west of Erie. Major access is available from Routes 5 and 20, which run parallel to the Lake Erie shoreline and intersect all these tributaries. There are numerous other tributaries of smaller size (such as Raccoon, 2 Mile, 7 Mile and 4 Mile Creeks), which have less fishable water but nonetheless are also good. All of these waters drain south to north in Erie County over ancient shale beds, which also contain large amounts of a greenish-clay. Over the millenniums, this run-off has eroded and carved the shale, creating ledges, chutes and sharp drop-offs in the stream beds. This is what makes Erie County tributaries so unique and challenging to fly fish for steelhead. These lake-run fish will use the maze of stream bed topography to their advantage for resting and holding areas.

The fly fisher who knows these areas intimately (low water is a good time to learn) improves his chances of finding and therefore catching steelhead. The initial steelhead runs of the fall are usually short. That is, the steelhead will not migrate as far upstream as they do when they get closer to their spawning time in early spring. This means the steelheader should concentrate his efforts on the lower part of the tributaries to intercept the bulk of the run.

As stream temperatures slowly drop into the 40’s and 30’s you will notice that steelhead push further and further upstream. Simply put: If you get rain, you’ll get runs of fish into the Erie tributaries in the fall. Knowing this, the astute steelheader will plan his fishing trips around weather systems. He monitors the weather and tries to get on the stream just after high water as it starts to drop and clear up. “Prime conditions” will occur when the water develops a slightly opaque green tint to it (a result of suspended clay particles). Steelhead are very catchable in this type of water because their visibility is just good enough to see your fly offering, but not too clearly. These conditions usually don’t last more than 24-48 hours due to the tremendously fast run-off rates of the Erie tributaries. Eventually when the streams become low and clear, the areas of fishable water are drastically reduced and the steelhead can become quite difficult to catch. These circumstances often require lighter tippets and much smaller flies.

If it is relatively dry fall with very little run-off, steelhead are still available in the tributaries. Look for them holding just above the lake in the first couple of deep pools and runs. Here they will make tentative probes upstream only to be held up by low water. This scenario can mean a really high concentration of fish in a relatively small area. Crowded fishing conditions are almost guaranteed. Waiting for run-off and steelhead movement upstream will spread steelhead out, as well as anglers, making for a better fishing experience.

Successful fly patterns used to catch Erie steelhead include wooly buggers, streamers, spring wigglers, nymphs, glo-balls and the ever-popular sucker spawn. Because fall steelhead are very active, they will chase wooly buggers and streamers with reckless abandon at times. In fact, “stripping” these flies in at the end of your drift can result in some hard-hitting hook-ups.

Egg imitations like glo-balls, sucker spawns, blood dots and scrambled are also deadly, but only when fished on a drag-free drift. Fish these imitations as you would bottom-bounce a nymph in trout fishing. If you stay on the bottom you’ll hook steelhead. For slow current areas along ledges, try some sort of floating indicator (like a little corkie) to suspend your fly just off the bottom as it drifts downstream.

Fly size and color are important considerations, especially when fishing egg patterns like glo-balls and sucker spawns. During high, turbid water periods, a large fly is a must (# 8’s and # 6’s) since it is very difficult for a steelhead to see your fly under these conditions. As stream levels drop and clarity improves, use # 14’s and # 12’s.

Fly colors range from black, brown and white (for woolly buggers, spring wigglers and streamers) to bright neons in chartreuse, orange, yellow and pink (for egg flies). Pastel shades of some of these bright colors are also good (especially cream). If you were to pick one color for the Erie tributaries, it would have to be chartreuse. It is extremely effective in the turbid water conditions of high run-off.

As far as specific fly equipment goes, trout-type fly rods in the 5-7-weight range work sufficiently well for the beginner to intermediate level angler. But as you fly fish for Erie steelhead more and more, you realize that the longer more limber fly rods (usually custom-made from spinning noodle rod blanks) are the ticket. These rods (10 1/2 feet is an ideal length) provide tremendous reach for line control and mending which is critical for drag-free presentations. They also can play the big steelhead on light tippets like 5X or 6X (which is sometimes required when the Erie tributaries are low and clear).

Trout fly reels also work well since storage of large amount of backing line is not required on the small Erie tributaries. But a reel with a progressive drag adjustment (with fine drag settings) will help to prevent over spin or backlash when a hot steelie makes a run, as well as protect light tippets.

A floating fly line (in a weight forward or triangle taper design) works best for fly presentations along with a long, tapered leader (9-12 feet). Tippet sizes used range from 3X-6X, depending on water clarity and flow. If you do go to a 5X or 6X tippet, be prepared for an increase in hook-ups but also an increase in break-offs. This is usually a result of line cuts from steelhead teeth or gill plates, as well as stream bed shale, which can be razor sharp.

Fighting fresh-run, fall steelhead is both a tremendous thrill and a challenge. After first hooking-up, try to keep your rod vertical and high to absorb the initial runs and surges. When the steelhead jumps, drop your rod to release tension in your line to prevent tippet breakage. Eventually the steelhead will begin to settle down. At this point begin to apply side pressure on the fish (in a pumping fashion) by bringing your rod down parallel to the bank. This angle of the rod is the most efficient way to put steady pressure on any fish and will quickly tire it. As you get your fish close to the net again, raise the rod high to absorb any unexpected surges (steelhead don’t like nets)

This article is an excerpt taken from the newly revised and expanded 2nd edition of STEELHEAD GUIDE, Fly Fishing Techniques and Strategies for Lake Erie Steelhead by John Nagy. Mr. Nagy is a professional guide on the Great Lakes steelhead streams.

The post Autumn Leaves and Silver Bullets: Pennsylvania Fall Steelheading appeared first on fisherie.com.

If a tributary has an impassable upstream barrier like a dam or waterfall, spring steelhead will stack up below it. These areas will hold a concentration of pre-spawn, spawning and spawned-out steelhead.

Usually spring steelhead fly fishing requires locating spawning areas. Ideal spawning areas are riffles that are 1 to 4 feet deep which contain dark colored gravel bottoms. Next to these areas are usually deeper runs, pockets, or pools that harbor pre-spawn fish and spawning fish that have been scared off their beds.

Prior to spawning, a female steelhead moves into a spawning area and digs out a redd. She does this by turning on her side and making powerful upsweeps of her tail in the gravel. The current washes away loose gravel, forming a saucer-shaped hole that will hold the eggs. Males are attracted by this digging activity and begin competing for spawning rights, with the largest and most heavily kyped males winning out.

They use their superior power and large kypes (hooked lower jaws) to drive inferior males from the redd. After the female drops her eggs, about 20 percent of what she is carrying, the dominant male fertilizes them.

Sometimes one, or possibly two, sub-dominant males will also participate. The female will then move immediately upstream to begin making another redd. The displaced gravel from this redd covers the previously fertilized eggs downstream. The female continues this process until she is spawned out.

When you are fly fishing a spawning bed there are several things to keep in mind. If you don’t notice any spawning activity on the bed itself, fish the adjacent deep-holding areas. These areas often hold pre-spawn or spooked spawning steelhead.

Fishing on the redds has a simple strategy. Fish for the males or “bucks”. They are easy to distiguish from the females, or “hens,” because they are almost black, while the females are bright silver. If you catch the female first, the males will quickly scatter. These aggressive males are very territorial. They are not actually feeding, but they will chase flies to dominate the redd.

Before fishing, position yourself slightly upstream and to the side of the redd. If the water is less than 2 feet deep you have to be concerned about the fish seeing you. Avoid detection by keeping a low profile by crouching, or if necessary, getting on your knees. Locating yourself next to the redd with brush and trees to your back and wearing drab clothing can also help conceal your presence.

Next, cast your fly far enough above the redd so that it can reach stream bottom as it drifts through the redd. Mend your line to maintain a dead drift and keep a tight line so you are able to quickly set the hook. When a male takes your fly he will usually only snap at it, then quickly spit it out. So watch your fly carefully as it drifts through the redd, and set the hook at the appropriate time. If water visibility is good, you should be able to target a specific male. If you do hook a female, you will notice that their takes are much more deliberate.

A tandem fly rig of a large streamer or wooly bugger (size 4 or 6) as the point fly (bottom fly), with a smaller egg pattern or nymph as a dropper fly (top fly), works well when drifted over a redd. Spawning steelhead can become intimidated by the larger fly and will move away from it (usually toward you) as it is drifting downstream. When it makes this move it will quickly encounter the egg pattern or nymph which is drifting behind the larger fly. This smaller fly is moving toward a more inside position (where the steelhead has moved) and is often taken by the steelhead.

Drifting two smaller tandem flies over the redds is also very effective especially when spawning steelhead seem to be moving constantly on the redds. If a moving steelhead doesn’t intercept the point fly he will more than likely encounter the dropper fly as it drifts or swings over another area of the redd. To ensure that the steelhead sees at least one of these flies adjust the distance between the two flies on the leader to correspond with the approximate side to side movement of the fish.

Another technique is to stand directly upstream of the redd, without spooking the fish, and drop the fly right down onto the noses of the steelhead. You can sweep the fly back and forth in front of the fish or just hold it stationary. Amazingly, this technique can induce some tremendous strikes from spawning steelhead (especially males).

In off-color flows it will be difficult to see the fish on their spawning beds. This is usually the result of spring run-off that causes high, turbid water, or a spawning bed with a dark bottom. You can often spot the brighter females, as they turn on their sides and shake their tails. This action gives off flashes of silver in clear water and gold in murky water. Wearing polarized sunglasses on bright days is a tremendous help in seeing these flashes.Mentally mark this spot in the stream and fish to areas just downstream where the males will be holding.

Fishing steelhead spawning beds has its proponents and detractors. In the Pacific Northwest, this practice is strongly discouraged on rivers with wild steelhead because of concern that it is very detrimental to successful spawning. On the other hand Michigan steelheaders, however, seem to have no problem with fishing on the beds, even though 50% of their fish are known to be naturally reproduced.

Most of southern Lake Erie’s tributaries support steelhead runs which are based on stocking programs, not natural reproduction, so fishing on spawning beds is not a harmful to the fishery. On tributaries like the Cattaraugus River in New York, however, a significant amount of natural reproduction is developing. Here it makes sense to stay away from the spawning beds. This will protect what someday could be a self-sustaining fishery.

The Ontario tributaries on the northern shore of Lake Erie support steelhead runs that have been estimated by the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources to be 90% wild fish. In order to protect this wild steelhead fishery most of Ontario’s tributaries are closed during the peak-spawning season. The normal open season for southern Ontario tributaries is April 29 to Septemper 30 with an extended season on most of the major tributaries from October 1 to December 31.

This article is an excerpt taken from the newly revised and expanded 2nd edition of STEELHEAD GUIDE, Fly Fishing Techniques and Strategies for Lake Erie Steelhead by John Nagy. Mr. Nagy is a professional guide on the Great Lakes steelhead streams.

The post Spring Steelhead Strategies and Tactics appeared first on fisherie.com.