There are many great articles that explain wonderful ways to fight and land a steelhead. The advice is solid, the tactics work and they all prove there are many ways to get from A to B and successfully land a steelhead. If you are skilled at landing steelhead, in all likelihood you can attribute…
When the down and across angler becomes competent with casting and basic mending techniques the next step in the progression of line control is tension management. When and how you apply tension controls both speed and position of the fly and assists in managing belly in the line, sink tip and leader. Unless you are fishing…
Over the past few years I have met a number of two-handed anglers that can boom big, beautiful Spey casts and look absolutely poetic doing it. They work hard, fish often and are occasionally rewarded with a tug and breath-taking chrome fish. Sadly, for many of these anglers their skills dwindle the moment their…
I was recently listening to April Volkey’s podcast, “Anchored”, where she interviewed Jeff Liskay. During the podcast Jeff & April briefly discussed swinging egg flies. Both agreed that it was an effective method for catching steelhead but didn’t delve into the topic at great length — but should have. Setting aside the purist debate over swinging…
Great Lakes fly anglers have a history of treating salmon and steelhead different than their west-coast ancestors. For decades, third-coast anglers were convinced that steelhead would only eat egg flies bounced along the bottom until they made a commitment to using west-coast streamer tactics and were rewarded for their efforts. It’s not surprising that salmon…
Swinging a fly on skinny water presents the down and across angler with a myriad of technical challenges. Like larger rivers, runs, pools and riffles occur through these small waters however, by virtue of the stream size, current speeds and transitions occur in small, compact spaces. While fishing a popular Wisconsin tributary recently I ran…
Fishing gravel for steelhead is a touchy subject – for valid reasons. There are two types of steelhead rivers; those that support natural reproduction, and those that exist purely through stocking programs. In the case of wild steelhead rivers, the abundance of fish relies solely on natural reproduction. In these instances, I fully support the…
At some point in a career of swinging flies, you’re going to catch a fish on the dangle – and that unanticipated thump on the end of the line will nearly yank the rod from your hands. With any luck, the drag won’t stick and a fear induced, Bassmaster Classic hook set won’t disengage the…
I’ve been swinging flies for trout and steelhead for over 20-years – classic, winged-wet flies that have been catching trout for over a century in Europe and the United States. During my career as a wet fly fisherman I have discovered some truths about swinging a fly down and across stream: The more line you…
Since I retired I have spent up to a month each year fishing on the Muskegon River in Michigan. While many fishermen think that fishing every day is absolute ecstasy, fishing day after day can start to become work after a while and It is like running guide trips without getting paid. Early June on…