Tip # 29 – Where to find Steelhead Rainbow Trout in the Fall
During the spring and fall months in North America, different types of fish begin to migrate from large bodies of water such as the oceans and the great lakes into the rivers and streams that are the tributaries of these water bodies. Be they salmon or trout, they can certainly result in an excellent fight when the enter the rivers. Couple their strength and endurance with the heavy current in most rivers during these seasons, you could well be looking at some of the strongest fish you can fight while fishing inland.
First off, conditions need to be right for these migrating fish species to begin to enter the streams. They’ll hang out at river mouths and estuaries waiting for fall rains or spring snowmelt and runoff. In the fall, they’ll wait for the water coming out of the river to cool, while in the spring the water must begin to warm slightly before they will make any drastic runs upstream to spawn.
When fishing for steelhead durning what is anticipated to be the first runs of fall, it is best to time your trips with the weather, and studying the rivers you wish to fish is a must. During a heavy rainstorm, rivers will rise quickly signaling the fish to begin moving upstream. They’ll do so very quickly so as to move when the water is high and probably off colour as well. At these times you should be focusing on fast runs as fish will be on the move. Fishing roe bags or spawn sacs right in the fast water with a large float seems to produce quite well when the fish are fresh and on the move. Holding spinners and spoons in the current and gently swaying them from side to side can trigger explosive strikes from aggressive fish. My favourite method is casting large streamers up stream with my fly rod when the fish are moving fast and are aggressive.
Once the rains have subsided and the river has come back down to near normal levels, fish will tend to hunker down in deeper pools and runs and do most of their moving at night under the cover of darkness. These types of situations usually require a somewhat scaled down approach. Avoid large, flashy lures or flies. The water is so clear now that these types of lures may only spook the fish. Instead, try single eggs or single egg flies, and where legal, try fishing a tiny nymph and egg fly in tandem under a small float or indicator. Takes will likely be subtle as fish will only mouthe the offering before spitting it out. They’ll also have a long close look at the fly or bait under these conditions, so fluorocarbon tippet is a must.
Tight Lines!
I wanna find them now now now…..can’t wait till fall, now I say