On the run!

By -
Steelhead fishing can often be a lot of standing around in a river with cold feet, runny nose, and the dreaded wader back.  But, every now and then you get that fish.  You know the one, the one that made the whole trip worth while.

For some, there are great memories captured in a photograph.  For a lot of us there is no camera shot and the fish is never landed.  It might have been from all the logs and branches found in portions of the split rock, or maybe the often crazy fast, rock infested water of the Knife, or one of the hundreds of leader eating rocky bends that line our rugged North Shore Rivers.  For this angler it was just a fresh fish not having any part of being landed in the rough water of the this North Shore River.

So what is the solution to potentially landing more steelhead in these types of situations, when moving downstream is no longer a sensible option?  If you are sure the fish is heading for troubled water, but not quite there, slack line 'em!  That's right, feed him line and do it as fast as you can. The key is to trick him into thinking he is no longer hooked. I know this might not make sense, but if you have a solid hook set you might be surprised at the outcome. 

Once again, the key here is giving the fish enough line so he does not feel hooked any longer.  No longer feeling threatened a steelhead will often turn and move back to its previous holding location or further upstream to continue it's migration.  Now having said this, there are a few factors that may work against you.  Too much weight on your line, to much distance between you and the fish, and fast current seams between you and your catch. 

I have found that slack lining works best when the water is all pretty much moving at the same speed as in riffle water and long pools.  It also works best with rod tip-to-fish distances under 75', more than that and the weight of the line alone can cause irreversible tension.  I have been able to land several fish using this technique, fish that would surely otherwise been lost.

When you get into a pickle this spring and all your steelhead fighting tricks have been used up, try slack lining, you just might find your steelie will turn in your favor.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

2019 MNST Creel Project Results

By -
Image
The Minnesota Steelheader Creel Project - Celebrating 10 Years! Each year, Minnesota Steelheader collects angler-submitted creel reports of steelhead, kamloops and presumed coaster brook trout through our Creel Project page. This catch information is presented in ways we hope provides you with the most accurate picture of Minnesota's annual and long-term North Shore steelhead run behavior. This is not a scientific creel by definition. We do however incorporate and present as much of the available scientific literature as we can; the difference is that this is done from an angler's perspective. These tools provide an opportunity to be a more knowledgeable and most importantly, a more successful North Shore steelheader. While the primary focus has been fish caught in the tributaries during the Spring migration and spawning run, we appreciate and accept creel reports year-round . MNST analyzes reported catch dates, region caught, the numbers by species, measurement
Read more

Shorecasting the North Shore

By -
Image
Shore casting the North Shore of Lake Superior can at times appear to be a daunting task, it is, however, an enjoyable and very effective way to fish the big lake.  River mouths Most of us have seen the numerous fishermen lining the banks near the French or Lester rivers. Why? Because these are consistently good places to fish. A beginning shore caster would be smart to start their quest fishing river mouths, particularly early in the season when steelhead, Kamloops and lakers can be found in abundance. The river plumes provide warm water and a steady flow of bugs which fish like. Due to the fairly shallow water found at most mouths, it’s best to fish them in low light. Target these areas early in the morning and late in the evening or on a dreary overcast day. You will be less noticeable to the fish and they will be less apt to spook.  Seeing how there are over 25 potential stream/river mouths to fish it would be crazy to ignore these great areas. Fly and hardware fisherme
Read more

Pom-Pom Eggs - The Inexpensive Glo-Bug

By -
Image
One of the most useful and productive fly patterns you can carry when you fish the runs for steelhead, kamloops and salmon are eggs. Any time free drifting eggs are in the stream is a good time to fish them and, they can be fished with any type of equipment from Fly to Spinning rods. A wise SE Wisconsin guide once told me, "Any pattern will catch fish, as long as it has an egg in it." As with all flies, you will go through A LOT of them. One option is to purchase them, but at a dollar a pop or more, making your own is a simple and inexpensive proposition. In a short amount of time and with just a few simple tools, you can crank out eggs by the hundreds at just pennies per piece. I’m going to assume that you know how to do some basic tying; but if you don’t, this is a good pattern to start learning with because it will teach you some of the basics: How to Start Your Thread , how to position materials, and the Whip Finish . On Sizing I use the metric standard because it is eas
Read more