Topwater Steelhead on the AR?

[Sheepdog8404]

So after watching the first few scenes in Skagit Master II, I've been very intrigued on trying to fish for steelhead with some topwater bugs like Scott Howell's "Skopper" fly. Has anyone tried those techniques on any of our local rivers? More specifically, the lower AR? Or are our local fish not aggressive enough to even consider chasing a topwater fly like that? Thanks for the help!

[Bill Kiene semi-retired]

Like on the Klamath River, I would just skate or pop a smaller bug.

I think we just need to do it more.

Tail outs in the AM or PM should be a start........


We dead drifted big dry flies on the Dean River in British Columbia, Canada about 30 years ago.

Those fish are ready to rock-n-roll in the right conditions.

.

[Terry Thomas]

Most people won't commit to it. You have to be all in to the program and remember all the days when you didn't get a grab fishing a damp fly. Your best odds are early and late in the day.

Just finished reading Craig Ballenger's article, "Trinity River" in FLYFISHING and TYING JOURNAL, Fall edition.

Herb also got me into my first skated up steelhead on the Trinity....just a few years back! Good read; pick up a copy.

[Blueracer]

Half pounders in the summer while skating the lower A will do it

[Sheepdog8404]

Most people won't commit to it. You have to be all in to the program and remember all the days when you didn't get a grab fishing a damp fly. Your best odds are early and late in the day.


Well considering I've got about 20 LONG days and not a single grab fishing a wet fly, sounds like I'm the perfect candidate! Thanks for the info Terry, I'll look into the article!

@Blueracer What do you usually skate? I understand a Ska-opper might be a bit large for a halfpounder but maybe something a little smaller would work better?

[hwchubb]

Dog,

I've been skating the fall run the last two seasons (3-4 times last fall, 3 times so far this fall), throwing bigger skaters (size 6). I've mostly fished Rossmoor and below, at first light. Really targeting adult fish, though I've had some fish as small as 12 inches or so bat at it. That said, I have yet to raise an adult. I'm still convinced that it will happen - the temps are a little high this year, but Bill McMillan says they will take on the surface down into the 40's, so it should be possible year round. First light is a beautiful time to be on the American regardless.

For encouragement, read Todd Hirano's blog, Dry Line Steelheader. I've started tying my skaters with the orange / yellow foam post that he uses, and even my 52 year old eyes can pick it out 70-80 feet away in moderately choppy water. Good luck - kep me posted on what you scare up, and I'll do the same.

[Fish Guru]

I think the right fish on the AR will take a skated fly. If not a steelhead, then one of the big native trout might make a run at your fly. I got a big shouldered rainbow that hit my pencil popper 3-4 times before sticking. I've got a pic somewhere

[JPS]

I've skated up steel/half-pounders/trout on the Yuba, Feather, Sacramento, Trinity and Klamath. I've never fished the American but I don't see why the method would not work there as well.

As stated above, there is only one way to catch them on the skated fly and that is to commit to the method. I've used tubes, hair flies, foam flies, hitched muddlers and wets. They all work. If you want to keep it simple use a muddler. You can swing it through riffles unhitched and then riffle hitch the same fly in runs and tailouts. Muddlers skate really well.

Tying the riffle hitch is easy. Find a youtube video if you don't know how to do it. Art Lee wrote a nice little book on fishing the riffle hitch in the 1990's. It covers EVERYTHING about the the riffle hitch. I found people get really uptight about tying the hitch but there is really nothing to it and it is very effective.

This is my favorite method of fishing. It is very exciting and rewarding but I will caution you. It is also very addictive but you'll find that out on your own after your first fish comes to the fly.

One last thing, concerning water temp. I've found that if the water is warm enough for some aquatic insects to be hatching. It's warm enough to skate a fly. So look for bugs flying around.

[aaron]

Harold Kessimeyer used to get a fish here and there chugging ska-oppers he told me back in the day on the American. Like Terry said, he committed a lot of time to it, especially on the spring run I believe he said.

[Sheepdog8404]

Sorry for the delay on a reply! Thanks for everyone's information! I picked up a floating polyleader and floating MOW tip so I can start fishing some skaters. Tied up (well tried to anyway) a couple Ska-oppers but they seems HUGE for this river right now. Maybe a smaller version would work a bit better?

[hwchubb]

I usually fish muddlers and skaters in a size 6, even on the N. Umpqua where guys go a lot bigger. I've had 12" fish impale themselves on them easily enough. I had a 16" +/- half-pounder chase and miss it at Rossmoor a couple weeks ago, a smaller fly might have gotten him but I'm really looking more for adult fish. Using a 13' 6 wt, so a little overkill on the 1/2 pounders.