Winter Steelhead fishing can be an incredible experience. Snow covered banks, beautiful scenery, minimal traffic on the river and peace and quiet as you shake hands with the iconic fish that you can’t seem to get enough of. However, many find it to be difficult and frustrating, as following these fish as they transition away from their fall runs and tendencies can leave you scratching your head with an abundance of questions you can’t seem to answer. This article is going to cover some of the crucial unknowns about winter steelhead. Where they go, how their behaviors change from fall to winter and most importantly how to get them to bite.
One of the many misconceptions about winter steelhead is that they make a mass movement and they all fall into the deepest slowest holes the river has to offer. Those are great places to target and you should expect to find fish there. However, that is not the only kind of water they are utilizing. No matter how cold the water gets, the steelhead will still sit in your shallow holes and runs. Generally if it fishes well in the fall, it will likely fish in the winter with exceptions of course. What you will find is that they are in the same spot or general area they were in the fall, but they are utilizing it differently, sitting in a different spot within the spot. There is no perfect formula to tell you where exactly, as it depends on the river, and the run you are fishing. But look for places that would be easy for them to hold and hunker down without exerting too much energy.
In the fall when we find steelhead, we typically find big pods of biting fish in a run. In the winter especially, just because they are there doesn’t mean they are biting.One they are spread out more, two a lot of these fish have likely been in the river for awhile when it comes to winter steelhead fishing and it is very likely they have been caught and hooked a few times by now. That being said they get smarter and a little more fussy.
When it comes to getting your bites there is a few options to consider. This may very based on your river system or, the situation you are in, walking/wading, boat and how much river you have access to. One of the approaches is to target a hole or run that you know has fish or very likely has fish and to work away at it. Cycling bead colors, jigs, spawn bags and slowly working at the fish getting a bite here and there. But the key is making changes in your presentation to trigger bites from some of these finicky fish. Option two is to power fish, it takes a bit of knowledge of the river and you have to have enough water to fish for the allotted time you have to make this possible, but it can be effective if done right. You fish your trusty beads and or bait and you move fast looking for quick bites and cover a ton of water. This can also work against you, considering there are days that you quite simply have to pester them until one slips up and takes the bait.
Winter steelhead fishing doesn’t have to be as tough as it’s cracked up to be. Find the slow resting water they hole up in, find a program that works best for you and your situation and be ready to go to work. The reward is always worth the struggle and the more time spent on the water the easier it gets!
John Wielinga
269-277-9293
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