Minnesota Steelheader

As we prepare to share stories and experiences of steelheading ladies, I figure it's time to provide a glimpse into my own journey. Many folks envision a successful steelhead angler as someone with a particular grace with a fly rod.  An example of intense focus and patience.  A person at ease on the rugged terrain that must be traversed through dense forest and swift, flowing rivers.  An individual who exudes that special sense of peace when in nature... There I stood one April morning on a North Shore stream for the first time.  The cute guy I had convinced to take me fishing had provided a couple lessons in casting, drifting, knot tying and yarn cutting but that was the limit of my training. As gentle rays of the new day's early light peered delicately through the trees, we began to fish.  After a few unfruitful drifts we trudged further upstream and again I presented that little snippet of yarn, while in the back of my mind wrestling with the rati...

DATE: 05/27/2016 Lower Shore Species Brook Trout Steelhead Kamloops Number Reported 0 0 1 Total Reported 13 338 214 DATE:  05/17/2016 Mid Shore Species Brook Trout Steelhead Kamloops Number Reported 2 10 0 Total Reported 56 321 12 DATE:  05/27/2016 Upper Shore Species Brook Trout Steelhead Kamloops Number Reported 11 9 0 Total Reported 22 95 4 DATE:  05/27/2016 Shore-Wide Totals Species Brook Trout Steelhead Kamloops Number Reported 13 19 1 Total Reported 91 754 230

Wow, we just cannot seem to get a jump-start from stream temps. Fish are active and sneaking in when stream temps peak in the afternoons, but we just have not gotten that first major up-bound migration yet: Lower Shore Creel Tre nd as of 04.08.2016 Mid Shore Creel Tre nd as of 04.08.2016 Upper Shore Creel Tre nd as of 04.08.2016

DATE: 04/15/2016 Knife River Flow: 349 CFS French River Steelhead Kamloops Total Number Captured 19 204 223 Total Captured 103 1108 1211 DATE:  04/15/2016 Index River Avg Temp: 41.36°F Knife River Steelhead Kamloops Total Number Captured 386 1 387 Total Captured 531 2 533 DATE: 04/11/2016 Knife River Flow: 166 CFS French River Steelhead Kamloops Total Number Captured 84 231 315 Total Captured 84 904 988 DATE:  04/11/2016 Index River Avg Temp: 33.43°F Knife River Steelhead Kamloops Total Number Captured 2 0 2 Total Captured 145 1 146 DATE: 04/06/2016 Knife River Flow: 130 CFS French River Steelhead Kamloops Total Number Captured 0 673 673 Total Captured 0 673 673 DATE:  04/06/2016 Index River Avg Temp: 31.81°F Knife River Steelhead Kamloops Total Number Captured 0 0 144 Total Captured 143 1 144 DATE: 04/05/2016 Knife River Flow: 142 CFS French River Steelhead Kamloops Total Number Captured 0 0 0 Total Captured 0 0 0 ...

A fisherwomen's checklist - Part one: Being equipped properly on the water is not just a matter of comfort.   It is a matter of safety.   All anglers will find themselves in a risky scenario at some point and that is when you need to be confident that you can trust your gear with your life.   Let’s review the basics: Polarized sunglasses, stocking foot waders, wading boots, base layers, hat and hip pack Polarized Sunglasses: Whether you are whipping fly line around or dislodging a snag, you want your eyeballs to be protected from flying hooks and sinkers.   Shades are essential.   The functionality of the polarized lenses will become apparent as you learn to look through the water versus at the water.   Not only will you be able to spot your target fish in some instances but the ability to see through the water will also give you a boost of confidence as you begin crossing rivers. Polarized shades are pretty easy to find.   Just ...

  Steelheaders are a unique breed.   Not many who try it will stick with it and of those who do, very few are women.   It is a tough sport for anyone regardless of their gender, and organizations such as Minnesota Steelheader play a pivotal role in the success of many novice anglers who are just starting out.   Rainbow trout anglers encounter unique challenges in their quest for Steelhead and Kamloops on Minnesota’s North Shore and while the general issues are addressed very well by Minnesota Steelheader and like groups, support networks available  specifically to women are virtually nonexistent.   Minnesota Steelheader’s new women’s program Women on the Fly , is on a mission to change that.   As an avid female North Shore angler myself, I’m familiar with the issues women face on the water.   From the comical scenarios such as trying to piddle in the woods while outfitted in waders and full rain gear, to the aggravating circumstance of ...

WOW, talk about getting the rug yanked out from underneath... Just when things were starting to get really interesting, mother nature played one hell of an April Fools joke on us. Temperatures which had been doing a steady climb suddenly retreated to the cellar along with much of the fish activity. To be sure, there are fish around, but they have developed a case of lock-jaw with average stream temps now hovering in the 31-32F range. Can you still catch them? Yes. Will you have to work your tail off to do so? You bet your sweet bippy! Our latest creel update which includes numbers through April 3rd illustrates it pretty well: Note the catch trend from the 29th - April 1st. The biggest player here were the daily average temps at just over 34 combined with high temps approaching 40F. If you were out at the right time of day, you were catching fish. The storm dropped both average and high temps into the 31-32 range which brought most activity to a virtual stand-still. If the...