Marty's Drift January 2003

Winter Steelhead

Winter steelhead fishing is always dependent on the weather. It doesn’t really get under way until a substantial rainfall raises river levels. Rumors of fish start to circulate around Thanksgiving, but fish don’t really show up until mid- to late December. On the Saturday after Thanksgiving Joyce and I floated the Nestucca River on the Oregon coast. The river was still very low the fall rain was behind schedule, and I didn’t really expect to see much going on, but just below the boat put-in at Three Rivers I saw bank anglers with three super bright winter fish.

My primary intention was to introduce the new dog, Buster, to the boat and drifting. I was remembering the first time I took my golden retriever, Zane, out in the drift boat 15 or 16 years ago. He was fascinated with the water passing by, and he insisted on standing on the rails with his head over the side watching the river bottom slide by. It was early June, the river was low and rocks were unavoidable. I hit one and the impact launched Zane into the river. Luckily he didn’t mind a little swim.

Buster’s first trip was not so eventful. He is much better behaved than Zane was. The float was not very eventful for Joyce and me, either. I had only put our plug rods in the boat for fishing. The river was just too low. There wasn’t enough flow to make the plugs work. A week or two later conditions changed. We started to get our winter rainfall. Rivers went up and out of shape then came down and were fishable for a day or two before the next front hammered us.

On December 21st I was able to float the Clackamas River. The rain fell all day and we never had a bite. On December 22nd Gene Hering and I decided to do a float on a small river in Washington. Gene is the producer and cameraman for Fly Fish TV. Back in November Gene invited me to go along on the Deschutes River trip for his OLN cable access program, and a year ago in September we filmed on the Grande Ronde with John Ecklund of Little Creek Outfitters, fly fishing for steelhead.

The place we chose to begin our float doesn’t have a boat ramp. There is a slide there that drops from the shoulder of the road to the river. In past years I had done this float several times so I had a good long rope to line the boat down to the river. However, as we pushed the boat over the crest of the slide and the boat hit the rope, the knot on my clip came untied. You can’t believe how much speed a boat can achieve on a steep 20-foot slide! The boat hit the water and seemed to accelerate. It shot completely across the river.

I stood at the top of the slide totally stunned, figuring, “well there goes my boat.” The next thing I knew Gene was halfway across the river, getting dangerously close to the top of his waders. He caught the boat stepped on a conveniently placed rock and jumped in. I couldn’t believe it! The boat was saved.

We got ourselves organized, loaded the remainder of our gear into the boat and took off fishing. Gene knows the water very well. He dropped anchor a couple of hundred yards downstream down stream of our put-in, and we began drift fishing. I was using a Pink Pearl Lil’ Corkie with a sand shrimp bait and was immediately into a bright hatchery steelhead. We were able to land this fish, and it became our Christmas dinner in a couple days. This fish was so fresh that it still had sea lice near its caudal fin.

Thirty minutes later we had a fish hit a Hot Shot diving plug. It hit pulled some line and came off. Then Gene hooked one on drifted salmon roe with a Corkie. Later in the day we hooked another on a diver with a shrimp bait. We lost them all.

Gene and I decided we would try fishing again on the Friday after Christmas. Mother Nature had other plans. It rained, and it rained. The rivers were up and out of shape on Friday. We changed our plans and set our sights on Sunday. Saturday it drizzled all day. 5:00 a.m. Sunday morning I stepped outside and saw clear skies with a crescent of moon high overhead. There was a heavy frost on the windshield of my truck. This looked good. When I reached the river it had about double the flow of the previous Sunday, but it was clear and fishable.

Gene and I went back to the slide launch spot. We double-checked the knot, and a second rope was attached to the bow as a safety measure. This time the launch went without mishap, but if the boat had gotten away today, it would have been gone. We pulled into the river and since there were no bank anglers in the pool we put our plugs out. As we worked into the tailout of the pool, the left rod went down with a steelhead. We got it up to the side of the boat and it came off as the net was slipped under it.

A mile or so down river Gene was swinging a wobbling spoon through a tailout when a large steelhead struck. This was a big fish. When it came to the surface it didn’t exactly jump, but it sure threw a lot of water around. I got a view of its tail twice. It was very broad. This was a big fish! Gene’s line broke; he was a little distraught. Our record now was one fish landed for six hooked in two trips. I’d say it is time for our luck to change on our next trip. On the other hand, I feel a lot of satisfaction just hooking a steelhead.

Methods

There are many methods of fishing for winter steelhead. My friend Bill McMillan fished with floating fly lines, using large hooks and precise line control to get his flies down to the level of the fish. Today most fly fishers use some type of sinking fly line or weighted fly to reach the fish. Drift fishing has been an effective method for 60 or 70 years. In drift fishing you attach some type of lead weight (pencil lead or Slinkies) to your line to cast your lure or bait and to take it to the riverbed. The lead should be heavy enough that it hits the bottom, but not so heavy that it stops or hangs up in the rocks.

The use of bobbers for steelhead fishing goes back to the 30’s or 40’s in British Columbia.

Ten or 15 years ago it took off in Washington and Oregon and is now widely used here with great success. Under the bobbers you can use marabou jigs or bait.

One of the most effective lures for steelhead is the diving plug. Many of these plugs started life as bass lures. Some of the best ones are Luhr Jensen’s Hot Shot, the Wee Wart, Wiggle Wart and Tadpolly. Many others are also effective. There are many steelhead anglers who specialize in using spoons and spinners. Some days they out fish everything.

Cooking Steelhead

I would rather eat salmon or steelhead then filet mignon or pork loin. I prefer to cook it on my gas Bar-B-Q grill. Here is how I prepared my steelhead Christmas dinner: First I filleted the fish. I made a marinade of lemon juice, garlic, soy sauce and a little Worcestershire sauce, and let the fish soak for a day or two. When I’m ready to cook, I place the fillets skin side down on a piece of aluminum foil. If you like add a little Johnny’s Seasoning Salt before you put the fish on the grill. I like a smoky flavor in my grilled fish. I think alder is best. Luckily I have several alder trees in my yard. I pick some small limbs and tuck them into the grill before I fire it up. I put the fish on the grill, light it, and put on the lid. I let it cook on medium heat for 10 to 20 minutes (it depends on the thickness of the fish). That’s all there is to it.

Shows

The show season is upon us. This season I will be in Sacramento, Portland, twice in Seattle, Puyallup, Anchorage and Seaside, Oregon on September 26-28 for the Oregon Conclave of the Federation of Fly Fishers. Check out our show schedule elsewhere on our website. Stop by at a show to see our boats and say hello.

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

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