Steelhead on a Float
By: Drew Primrose

To many anglers around the Great Lakes there is nothing more exhilarating than having your float quickly dip under the surface from the gentle take of their favorite fish, the Steelhead. Many diehard steelhead fishermen treat these fish with great respect and appreciate their very existence in our rivers and streams. Every year thousands of anglers cast lines and drifts their floats in the hopes of battling with the true acrobats of fresh water. Many anglers chase these fish year round from the river in spring to the lake in summer then back in the river again in the fall.

Over the years one technique has proven itself time after time, in almost any water condition for catching steelhead while in the rivers, this technique is the art of float fishing. You may question why I call it an art, well many anglers have spent a good portion of their life learning and perfecting float fishing to the point where it becomes a science. To become consistently successful at float fishing there are a few fundamentals that if you master, will put more fish on the bank for you.

The one key factor to hooking fish consistently starts with the angler who can read the water. An angler that can read the way a river flows and create a picture of the habitat under the surface will be more successful. Fish will generally hold in areas that offer cover, a slow spot to rest from the faster current and deeper water, which offers the fish security. Most Steelhead will congregate in these spots which are called pools. Many of the rivers and streams flowing into the Great Lakes are lined with these pools that offer all of these necessities. Cover can be offered in many forms, look for trees that have been pushed alongside the bank in a pool drift your float as tight as you can get it. A big boulder or an under cut bank are all features that steelhead will locate to while moving up or down a river. In the lower stretches of a stream look for “S” bends which tend to have deep channels at the bottom where the water moves slower than the surface. At times these pools can produce large numbers of fish especially when other anglers are heavily pressuring the larger parts. Once you have located a spot where fish tend to be holding you will have to determine what type of bait will work best.

Keep in mind that these fish are out of their element while in the rivers. They normally have a big lake to swim anywhere they wish therefore, feel confined in a small river, which makes them more aware of what’s going on around them. As an angler try to blend in with the surroundings and stay as far back from the bank as possible.

When making your choice of bait remember that the steelhead are generally not actively feeding and don’t usually chase down your bait. What you want to do is get your bait close to the fish and let its feeding instinct take over. Steelhead are born in the river and spend one to two years there before venturing down to the lake where they grow to maturity. While they are juvenile fish feeding in the river they are imprinted on the different food sources available to them such as flies, bugs, small minnows, worms and of course eggs. When the fish mature they do not lose this feeding instinct and when they return to their native rivers to spawn they are faced with the same situations as when they were young and they pick up these morsels as they float by.

They best way to accurately control the depth and position of your bait is by using a sensitive balsa wood float. A good float should sit even in the water and drift steady in faster current; it should also be able to hold plenty of split shots. The placement of your split shots your line is critical in keeping your line down in the strike zone. Directly below my float, I generally put one or two larger shots which keeps the float upright as well as slows it down. Use a smaller size shot and space them out every 4 to 5 inches depending on water depth and clarity. Decrease your shot sizes as you work your way down to the hook with the last shot being the smallest. Depending on the water level and clarity place your last shot 16 to 18 inches away from your hook. In high dirty water, place it closer and in ultra clean water move it further up your line. Setting up your split shot this way allows your bait to drift in front of your line and keeps it out of the fishes sight, also it prevents the line from dragging across the fishes face. Line thickness is also very important, a good technique to try is to use a 2-way swivel below your float and attach a length of lighter leader line. Doing this allows for a more natural presentation while at the same time making it harder for the fish to see your line. (It also saves you money on lost floats)

Finally, to be consistently successful on the river you have to learn to be versatile and be ready to change your rig and your bait several times on a given day. Keep your roe bags small unless high dirty water calls for larger sacs. After a good rain try worms or flies tied to your line under the float. Go to your local tackle shop for the latest conditions on the local streams and areas that are producing the best.
I would like to stress on concern my fellow fishing partners and I have, that roe is precious not expendable. I have seen people walk off the river with a stringer of mature females and when asked they answer “I need the eggs”. It is not necessary to kill five fish in one day for their eggs. The steelhead fishery we have is incredible and more anglers should be respectful of this and in order to continue a healthy population and balance, the catch and release theory is mandatory. The big female fish full of eggs are the fish that will keep the sport fishing for these beautiful creatures for a long time to come. If you need eggs for bait keep a smaller inexperienced fish that most people would prefer to eat and let those big fish go to carry on with their spawning cycle.

Good fishing.