Fly Fishing: Fly Friday Steelhead...

Terry Throckmorton, Salmon River, ID, Steelhead 

Grab your rod, head over the hill to Salmon, ID, word on the street is the ice recently went out at Deadwater which of course means, steelhead are once again on the move and the fishing will heat up...for the next month or so steelheading will be about as good as it gets...which in past couple years has been pretty damn good...Most everyone I know seems to expect pretty much more the same this time around. So there you have it, ya miss it, don't say I didn't warn ya...over and out...

Fly Fishing: Steelhead Time Is Now But...

Salmon River A-run Steelhead

...as long as the yo-yo like weather continues it still might be awhile before things really heat up. Typically late February and March are prime times but right now the fishing prospects are more a crap shoot than the real deal. The best fishing last week was on the S.F. Clearwater where surveyed anglers reported about 5 hours to catch a steel head and about double that for kept fish. While the catch rate is lower elsewhere on the upper Salmon no Survey is being taken; apparently ice and continued cold still has the fishing on hold.

Terry, who has steelhead fishing pretty well pegged,  fished the S.F. last week and said, "while we caught a few fish it wasn't good."

The sub-zero stuff is supposed to begin moderating after this morning. Next week's highs are supposed to be in the high 30s to mid 40s in some of Montana's warmer spots so assuming Salmon, ID follows suit I'm keeping fingers and toes crossed the fishing gods will once again be happy, the ice will disappear, the steelheads will start moving and...

Stay tuned I'll let you know...over and out...

Salmon River Steelhead: Part 3...Crossing the Line?

Back in the day fly fishing was a gentle sport, ideally practiced by gentle men and the occasional gentle woman. Unheard of were addicts, bums and maniacs; no beadheads, no coneheads, no rubber legs, you had your dry flies and wet flies and streamer flies and fish porn portraying gonzo jokers, fly rods clenched in teeth, wasn't even a dream; nobody talked of ripped lips and a pig was the main ingredient for New Year's Day dinner.

Some would say "since then we have indeed crossed way over the line." Others would argue...well, otherwise. Nothing to get all fussed up over...beads and cones and plastic lures and strike indicators (believe it or not some of us still call 'em bobbers) and all the rest of it is just...well, just the way it are these days.

Progress my man, simply progress.

Such were our thoughts as we floated the Salmon. As it were grinning fiendishly, much like two kids drooling the candy counter. Hooked steelhead, one we figured every 30 minutes or so, lunged and leaped to rid themselves of us, or perhaps more to the point, the hook point currently imbedded in their jaw--no doubt stinging like hell. Like is it really "fly fishing" rigged as we were with plastic beads pinned to our leaders with toothpics, weighted down with slinkies no less--yes the gear head sort--all of course set just so in the current beneath our bright pink/orange bobbers? 

I know our conclusions but what do you think? Let me know, never mind how hurtful your angst.

Salmon River Steelhead Part 2

A few miles downstream of Salmon, that is north of town. River right Tower Rock looms high against the now dark, ominous sky has been spitting snow and cold rain all afternoon. Impressive in its own right to me the most awesome thing is the house size chunk resting on the bank. The shape and size of the rock leaves no doubt where it originated... high on the face of Tower.

Daydreaming how scary to have been floating past when it broke loose and not paying attention. Suddenly the rod is nearly torn from my grip, line peels from the reel and I'm fast to yet another Salmon River steelhead.

Since late morning Terry and me have netted something like 20 steelhead. Missed, lost, broke off several more, one of which proved hefty/strong enough to straighten a # 6 Gamakatsu hook. Known for stout this is the first Gamakatsu either of us has ever seen straightened.

We are fishing fly rods but some might question our terminal tackle--a dropper rig, sporting two artificial eggs and enough split shot to sink the Lusitainia all off course hung below a bobber--strike indicator if you please. If all this makes you gag all I can say is too bad on you and I do feel sorry you're missing all the fun...really.

Following the typical tug of war eventually the steelhead is beached, requisite photos shot and it's my turn on the oars. Rowing back up far enough so Terry can try his luck in the same run I manuver the boat into position, slow it to match the bobber's drift and...Voila! Steelhead on...And so it goes.

A few hours and several fish later we reach our campsite. Tie the boat up for the night, filet up a couple bison burgers for good measure and call her good. How good is that, eh?

Salmon River Steelhead

With Salmon River steelheading just two hours away who knows why I don't fish steelhead more often but I don't. Without a doubt one reason is of the few times I've tried steelhead for me have been few and way far between...like I don't know diddly. So when Terry called the other day it didn't take much arm twisting to get me packin.

We arrived in Salmon,ID late afternoon so I decided to start my 3-day license next day. Too late to even consider launching the boat Terry headed upstream toward Challis to bank fish a few familiar runs.

Rigging up his gear rod (a typical bait/plug casting outfit)unbelievably (to me) he hooked up first cast. And I might add much to the dismay of a nearby angler who voiced a string of expletives the gist of which being he had been fishing up and down the run all afternoon with nary a bite. Anyway the steelhead turned out to be a wild hen, and as turns out the only "wild" fish we would catch of 20 something in the net over the next two days.

Later back at camp with daylight fast disappearing he again hooked up but this one slipped the hook before we could get it in the net...Not a bad start considering we talked to several anglers and the consensus was the recent fishing pretty much sucked.

Not for us. Over the next two days we floated two different sections of the Salmon and our catch rate was an astounding (to me) one hook up about every 30 minutes! And on fly gear no less. In two days we saw only four others casting fly rods, all the rest were using gear rods one way or the other. If any of the many anglers we ran into (Terry not only "KNOWS" steelhead he seems to know just about everyone on the river)were having similiar luck they sure weren't bragging...We of course didn't either, replying "doin ok" to any inquiries.

Anyway when day three dawned nasty we agreed it couldn't get much better and decided to bag it. Thanks to a great coach who shared more tricks than I might have learned on my own in several seasons now that I think I can I no doubt will more often...And with a little luck who knows I might just put a few in the net left to my own devices.