| With the colder nights and that first frost | | | | |
| brings forth the beginning of steelhead | | | | |
| season in Pennsylvania. For many anglers the | | | | Fly Fishing Techniques |
| arrival of the steelhead in creeks like | | | | |
| Walnut, Elk, and 20 Mile brings a sense of | | | | |
| excitement that is unmatched by other forms | | | | |
| of fishing in the state. Steelhead Salmon | | | | Dead drifting with an indicator - To dead |
| are an extremely powerful fish that can make | | | | drift with a indicator simply put on a |
| the drag on a reel scream and push your rod | | | | indicator or small trout bobber about 6 foot |
| to it's limits. | | | | up the leader then attach some weight 2 BB |
| | | | sinkers or 1 3/0 sinker about a foot above |
| | | | the fly. You will need to move your |
| | | | indicator up and down your leader to find the |
| Now how do you go about fishing for these | | | | depth of the water. To get a true dead drift |
| silver bullets? There are several techniques | | | | your indicator should stand straight up and |
| but the most common forms in Pennsylvania are | | | | down and not have the appearance of dragging |
| fly fishing and drift fishing. In this | | | | the bottom. (This is easier said then done; |
| article we'll go into detail on how to fish | | | | there are all types of indicators to help |
| for steelhead in the Pennsylvania streams and | | | | with getting a true dead drift) |
| what streams to fish in Pennsylvania. | | | | |
| | | | |
| | | | |
| | | | Dead Drifting without an indicator - This is |
| Fly Fishing | | | | my favorite way to fish for steelhead! I use |
| | | | this method on the larger streams of |
| | | | Pennsylvania and New York with great success |
| | | | and you can't beat the strike you get when a |
| First, lets talk about fly fishing and what | | | | steelhead slams your fly while it is swinging |
| type of gear you will need to have to tackle | | | | or at the end of the drift. You can use this |
| these fish. The following is a list of | | | | technique whether you are fishing egg |
| commonly used fly fishing equipment for | | | | patterns, streamers, or nymphs and is |
| fishing for steelhead in the PA streams. | | | | extremely versatile in any type of water |
| | | | depth or current. |
| | | | |
| | | | First, You need to have a leader and tippet |
| Gear | | | | any where from 10 to 15 feet depending on the |
| | | | size of the creek you are fishing. If |
| Fly Rod = 7 to 8 weight rod from 9 to 10 | | | | fishing Elk Creek or Walnut creek in Erie, PA |
| foot | | | | you will want to keep your leader around 10 |
| | | | to 11 feet. Next, depending on the depth of |
| Fly Reel = Any fly reel with a good drag. | | | | the water you want to put a sinker any where |
| Large arbor fly reels are preferred, they | | | | from 3 feet to 6 feet up your line. The |
| pick up the fly line a lot faster and tend to | | | | sinker should be a single 3/0, 7, or 5 |
| have a better drag system. | | | | depending on the depth and speed of the |
| | | | water. Finally, you should cast your fly |
| Fly Line = 7 to 9 weight forward floating | | | | upstream at about 1 to 2 o'clock then mend |
| fly line | | | | your line upstream immediately then get your |
| | | | fly rod high in the air then let it drift and |
| Leader = Taper leader from 20 to 15 to 10 | | | | then swing through to the end of the drift. |
| pound test leader material then connect 8 to | | | | Don't pull the fly out of the water to |
| 6 pound fluorocarbon as a tippet. If water | | | | quickly to cast again let it hang for a few |
| is clear use 6 then 4 pound fluorocarbon as | | | | seconds. Some of the most incredible hits |
| tippet. | | | | are at the end of the drift. If you prefect |
| | | | this technique you will have some of the most |
| | | | fun days you have ever had fishing for |
| | | | steelhead. |
| Flies | | | | |
| | | | |
| Egg Patterns = Sucker Spawn, Blood Dots, | | | | |
| Crystal Meth Flies, Estez EggsSizes - 12, 14, | | | | Spin Fishing with a Drift Rod |
| 16 size nymph hooks 2X strong or 8 or 10 live | | | | |
| bait (egg hook) | | | | |
| | | | |
| Streamers = Egg Sucking Leech, Wooly | | | | One of the most effective techniques of |
| Buggers, Crystal BuggersSizes - 2, 4, 8, 10 | | | | fishing the tributaries of Lake Erie is |
| salmon hooks or streamer hooks | | | | fishing with bait and a dead drift rod. I |
| | | | have seen more fish caught on skein, egg |
| Nymphs = Stone Flies, Prince Nymphs, Hairs | | | | sacs, and minnows than any other technique. |
| Ears NymphsSizes - 10, 12, 14 size nymph | | | | Fishing with bait you can consistently catch |
| hooks 2X strong | | | | steelhead and 20 plus fish days are not |
| | | | uncommon when the fish are running. |