Marty's Drift July 2001

Summer Steelhead

It was in the early 1970's that I found out about summer steelhead. The first summer steelhead I caught were from the Deschutes River in central Oregon during October. At that time, the lower Deschutes had only one or two access points. However, with a drift boat a person could have access to 24 miles of summer steelhead water.

It took me about 10 years to finally get a drift boat. The first ones I used belonged to friends. They were aluminum. During the months of May and June, I found out quickly the problems that aluminum boats present in shallow rivers. I love fishing the Kalama, East Lewis and Washougal for summer-runs, but they run out of water in May and June and those aluminum drift boats just stuck to the rocks in the tailouts.

When I got my first ClackaCraft boat I was amazed at how much easier it was to get down a shallow river. I didn't have to get out a pull the boat nearly as often.

The season for summer steelhead can extend from as early as March through the following March. It all depends on the river. Summer steelhead are interesting because they spend so much time in fresh water before spawning. That time span can be nearly a year. For instance, steelhead in the Grande Ronde River can leave saltwater near Astoria, Oregon in May or June. They travel up the Columbia, into the Snake and reach the Grande Ronde around late August or September. At that time they may hold off the mouth till November or December or they might start right up the Grande Ronde. It can depend a lot on water and weather conditions. Once they are in the Grande Ronde they will often find a comfortable spot to hold until they are ready to spawn. Spawning may not happen until April or May.

I prefer to fish for summer steelhead by wading through runs and casting a floating fly line. On most of the rivers that I fish I use a drift boat to gain access to drifts of three to six miles. I think it is important to cover as much water as possible. I think this is important to find a fish that is aggressive. Summer steelhead are very moody creatures. Sometimes they will bite, sometimes they won't. My belief is that they strike flies less often they strike lures and they strike lures less often than they strike bait.

In 1976 I started to fish with flies only on the East Fork in February. I caught one fish in February and two in March. I didn't even have a strike in April, May or June. I began to believe there were no fish in the river. One afternoon, after work, I went out with my drift gear and some roe. I caught two fish in less than an hour. The following Saturday I fished again with roe and caught six bright steelhead. After that I put away my drift gear and only fished with flies. I was fishing the East Fork two or three times a week at that time. I didn't catch another fish from the East Fork that year.

I'm not so dogmatic about using flies any more. I enjoy using plugs on some summer-run rivers. I don't fish with bait very often because I don't like to hook wild juvenile fish with bait. Usually the best time to fly fish for summer-run steelhead is early in the morning or late in the afternoon when there is no sun on the water. Plugs and lures can be effective in bright sun. A variety of diving plugs will take steelhead -- Hot Shots, Wiggle Warts and Tadpollys in silver, blue green, pink, purple or orange all work. Spoons and spinners in the same colors also work.

My favorite flies for summer steelhead are probably the Muddler Minnow and Green Butt Skunk. I like the Muddler in the broken riffly water you find on small rivers in southwest Washington. The Green Butt seems to work universally throughout the steelhead's range in any kind of water.

During the last 10 or 12 years large marabou and rabbit strip leech patterns have proven to be effective for summer steelhead. Here, as with the plugs and spinners, many different colors are effective. Often if the water is cool, below 50 F, big leech patterns will be fished on various kinds of sinking lines.

The newest fad in steelhead fly fishing is the whole "Spey thing." Rods, lines, flies, casting Spey is the buzz word. Twenty years ago it was "Greased Line" fishing. It all works; steelhead will strike anything given they are in the right mood. I think that is what makes them so interesting and fascinating.

Give Marty a call at: (503) 655-9532

You can also call Idaho Falls at (800) 394-1345.