Steelhead fishing experts reveal their secrets

More steelhead have crossed Lower Granite Dam this year than any year since counting started in 1975, which means Idaho rivers are loaded with steelhead. Fish and Game plans to stock steelhead in the Boise River today.

GENERAL TIPS

® Learn to identify steelhead water. Steelhead hold in fairly distinct spots. Look for current that's about walking speed with underwater structures in the form of boulders or bottom contours where deep areas turn shallow.

Steelhead prefer water that's from 3 to 10 feet deep, but there's a lot of leeway there.

® Pay attention to seasons and conditions and know how they will affect fish. As the water gets colder, steelhead tend to like water that's deeper and slower.

® Learn a section of river. It's tempting to chase rumors of a hot bite, but if you know where fish hold in a particular piece of water, you're usually better off going there and waiting for fish to bite rather than trying unfamiliar water.

® Be adaptive. Steelhead fishing conditions are constantly changing. If you adapt with the conditions, you will catch more fish.

® Think presentation. No matter what tackle you're using, how it's presented is critical. Slower is usually better. You want your gear in front of the fish as long as possible.

® Learn the local tactics. People tend to fish the Snake River differently than the Clearwater River or Salmon River. Tactics even change between the lower and upper Salmon River.

PLUG FISHING

Kerry Brennan is the owner of Rapid River Outfitters in Riggins and a longtime guide on the Salmon River. He can be reached at (208) 628-3862 or www.rapidriveroutfittersllc.com.

® In cold water, fish the same holes that you did early in the season, but fish deeper and slower. Fish often can be found in 6 to 12 feet of water.

® When the water is clear, use metallic-colored plugs without rattles. When the water is murky, go with fluorescent plugs with rattles.

® Tune your plugs. They should wiggle, but not veer left or right. To tune a plug, hold it in the current and watch which way it veers, then slightly turn the screw in front in the opposite direction.

® "Hot Shot" plugs by Luhr Jensen are well-tuned out of the box and easy to tune if they are not. Re-check your plugs occasionally because fish will knock them out of tune.

® Use a snap, but not a snap swivel. A snap lets the plug run free, and you can change to another plug without having to re-tie a knot.

® Use plugs that are the appropriate size for the depth you are fishing. The longer or wider the lip in the plug, the deeper it will dive. Use smaller plugs in cold water and larger plugs in warmer water.

® Keep your hooks sharp. It's best to replace the factory hooks with larger ones. A large treble hook typically hooks fish better than two smaller ones.

® Treble hooks will land more fish, but if you're catch-and-release fishing, a single hook attached with a barrel swivel works well and makes it easier to release a fish.

® Braided line from 30- to 40-pound test is best for fishing plugs. If you fish monofilament, check for nicks and abrasions and frequently replace your line.

® A soft-tipped rod is best. A stiff rod can rip the hook out of a fish's mouth.

® Use a rubber-meshed catch-and-release net, which is much gentler on wild fish that you will have to release.

BAIT FISHING

Jeff Jarrett is owner of Jarrett's Guide Service in Orofino. He has fished the Clearwater River since he was a kid and guided on it for decades. He can be reached at (208) 476-3791 or at www.wefishhere.com.

® Keep your bait small. If you're using eggs, use an amount about the size of a dime or nickel, at most.

® Always wash your hands before tying on your hooks and baiting up. Your scent will turn them off quickly, but fish attractor scent works really well.

® Use long leaders that are at least 3 feet long for eggs-and-bobber fishing. The fish are smart and have seen a lot in the 400-plus miles it took them to get here.

® Be stealthy when the water is low and clear. Remember, noise travels faster in water than in air, and it can spook fish.

® Fish slowly and methodically in each good holding spot. The more times you put your bait in front of a fish, the more likely it will be to get tired of it and grab it.

® Fish with roe after a river has blown out and comes back down to normal flows.

® Sand shrimp works best when the water is clear.

® A bait and diver is an excellent combination. Fish bait behind a Jet Diver or a Hot-n-Tot with the hook removed and 4- to 5-foot leader running off of it to the bait. Use small baits.

® Don't set the hook immediately when you get a strike. Let the fish take the bait and hook itself.

FLY FISHING

Dave Tucker has been flyfishing for steelhead for more than 30 years. He owns Dreams on the Fly and guides for steelhead on the Grande Ronde River in northeast Oregon and other steelhead rivers. He can be reached at (208) 861-2853, or www.dreamsonthefly.com.

® When the water temperature drops below 40 degrees, switch to sink-tip lines.

® You don't have to dredge the bottom with your sinking line. It will work as long your fly is within 4 feet of the bottom.

® Don't swing flies in runs more than 8-feet deep because you probably can't fish them effectively, even with a sink tip.

® If you only have a floating line, use a sinking poly leader as a substitute. It will get your fly down deep enough in most cases.

® When the river is getting lots of pressure, fish out-of-the-way places like pocket water, and the fringes of popular runs. You may find fish holding in unlikely places.

® When fishing nymphs under an indicator, use a heavy fly in front like a stonefly or egg sucking leech, then trail a small nymph or an egg pattern behind it. In the spring, an egg pattern is your best bet.

® If there's lots of fishing pressure, fish with smaller flies, as small as size 10. Make sure the hooks are strong enough to land a steelhead.

® It's never too cold to catch fish on a fly, but when the temperature drops into the mid to low 30s, dead drift flies instead of swinging them.

® If you prefer swinging flies, swing them when the water temperature is rising, which makes fish more active.

Roger Phillips: 373-6615