Here’s Nick from Chicago with a really nice male steelhead that took a nymph pattern on a two handed switch rod, indi-style.
With these warm, sunny, fall days with little to no rain for weeks and low water levels, we’ve been covering a lot of water in search of steelhead. Steelhead are present throughout the river system but with the low clear water approaches have to be stealthy and presentations low and slow to get the job done.
Keep the faith though as cooler temps mixed with heavy rain/snow is in the forecast for the end of the week and leading into December. For the past two years with similar warm starts to fall the best steelhead fishing started in December. December has proved to be the best month for fall steelhead as more fish than ever had moved up the river system due to the higher water levels. December offered far more precipitation than the months of October and November combined for the past two years.
What does this mean to the fall steelhead angler? It means heavy pushes of water (i.e. run-off) raise the water levels instantly triggering more steelhead to migrate up river. When the water levels raise with a large push of water, steelhead and lake run browns feel more comfortable and are allowed easier access (via the higher water) to swim up river. Higher water flows = more steelhead and lake run browns to come! Check past posts on this website. Compare October and November to December for the past two years. You will notice steelhead strike percentages have gone from five to six fish a day in October and November to double digit hook-ups in December. And this December looks to be setting up the same way! Get ready for great things to come!!
post by: jon fortuna