Fly Fishing for Steelhead

[sealegs]

First, I hope you all are having a great Christmas season( and be safe out there).
I noticed this fly fishing board isn't very active and wanted to get things started by asking who is fly fishing for Steelhead this winter? No need to tell me where you fish..

I just started to FF for steelhead( no luck yet and been out once) with my new 8wt and was wondering what flies you might recommend.

[skagit510]

I chase them swinging a fly. For early season hatchery fish I like moderate size (1.5-3") on bright colors. Marabous, intruders, egg sucking leech, and various other home built stuff. Have some dark patterns too but I always like a hot spot or bit of contrast. Of course if you find a fish that will chase a swung fly anything will do. Some will likely suggest egg patterns under an indicator. This is effective and if your goal is to fight a fish on a fly rod then great. It is however more fun in my opinion to use a centerpin or spinning rod for this type of fishing as it's really not fly fishing. The most important aspects are going to be line choice and presentation when swinging and not fly selection. Tell me more about your setup and what type of water you are fishing. Remember most fly caught steelhead are taken in waist to neck deep walking speed water. Also I believe I have a surplus of flies, if you are close you can have them. I don't see myself getting to fish them and I'm likely be tying more.

[sealegs]

thanks for the feedback skagit. I just starting using my Rio veritip 2(Type 6 sink (6 - 7ips) on an echo solo rod and Lamson Guru 3.5 Reel. I brought the only two flies( pink/white and purple/black)on my first trip to the Snolqualmie this past weekend. no bites, but good practice.
I will probably fish just the sky and snolqualmie this winter.
Oh, I work in Beacon Hill and live on the eastside.

[skagit510]

I'm a way's from you and seldom get that far north. However the setup you have is a good way to go. In fact starting with the single hand rod will in the long run likely be to your advantage. I would say get bright and dark patterns in both weighted and unweighted. You week be able to change your depth quickly by changing flies only which is faster than changing tips. Another thing i advise is to stick to a river or two and get to know them intimately. They're very few spots that will produce regularly for swinging the fly. Learn them and spend the bulk of your time there not prospecting new all the time. This sounds odd but will pay dividends. The more time your fly spends on productive water the better. Avoid people at all cost or at least try for rested water. The fish you are after are dumb and aggressive not bombed by ten casts a minute in front of a hatchery pipe. Yes you can catch them there but I would rather have less fish and less pressure as I believe it will yield the best results. Patrick's fly shop is near you and can be of assistance.

[sealegs]

Sage advice. I don't like crowds and the value of standing next to 12 anglers is almost zero for me. I fish for a peace of mind and finding a nice quiet place or two is priceless. you can IM me where you are at and I might be able to pick up whatever flies you are willing to part with!

[mistercooper]

You are on the right track, sink lines tend to work better here than floating lines with a sunk fly.
On the west side avoid intermediate depths. Keep it deep. Western coastal steelhead are not ready risers, unlike their brethren in the Columbia and Snake systems. When the water is below 43deg keep it near the bottom. For some reason on the east side (Wenatchee, Grand Ronde, Methow, etc.) they will rise to the surface or near-surface year round.

Also think about how your fly is meant to be presented. Some of them, like the intruders, work best when they are diving aggressively at the target.

For me the number one factor with Steelheading is keeping the faith in your approach. Most of our non-hatchery small water is a shadow of its former glory and even a little pressure can leave holes un-fishable for hours. You just need to be at the right place at the right time with the right presentation.