Indicator fish or swing flies for Steelhead?
On the Valley River in the winter we have cold water, mostly hatchery fish (but not all) and fish that are getting ready to spawn too. This is a tough time and place to swing flies for Steelhead. Fishing with the indicator/nymph/egg system is the most effective way to fish.
After chasing Steelhead for over 40 years I have become spoiled. I mostly fish in the time periods that are good for swinging flies. This is when the water is above 50 degrees. Much of this time is Aug/Sept/Oct on many rivers from Nor Cal all the way to British Columbia.
Nor Cal is better in Sept/Oct on many rivers. As you go further north the Fall gets there faster so October in BC can turn cold quickly and you need to go to sinktips but can still swing flies.
My information is not just from my experiences, it is from looking at this a lot and talking to hundreds of people over the years. I talk and fish with many top Steelhead fly fishers and guides and this keeps more centered to the best information I can have to share with friends/customers.
The closest good place and time for swinging flies on a floating line are our Valley Rivers in spring (March/April/May with no flooding) and in the Fall (Sept/Oct/Nov) when the Halfpounder Steelhead (12" to 22") are in the rivers with warmer water temps and bugs hatching.
The closest really high quality place and time is the Klamath River in Sept/Oct. The scoop here is to fish the lower river with a jet boat in September. The middle river can be fished by car and walking but floating with a drift boat guide in October is very nice.
The Trinity River is a sweetheart and smaller but its timing is a little later like Oct/Nov for swinging flies.
In Oregon we have many great rivers like the entire Rogue, the North Umpqua, the entire Deschutes, the Grand Ronde and then it just keeps going north to Washington and then British Columbia.
Over the years I have been very lucky to have fish enough of these good rivers to know the difference. Once you wade in a great river like the Klamath in the Fall and hooked those hot Halfpounders swinging an unweighted fly on a 6 weight floating line you will be after them for life. The reality is that the fishing is not really that difficult. You just need to be there and be able to cast a little.
I was lucky to have been able to fish the famous Dean River in British Columbia in August for two weeks once with Joe Shirshac and friends. It was ~ 20 years ago and we drove most of the way and then took a helicopter in where they dropped us off on one of Joe favorite camp spots up river away from the others. We fished for the first week with sinktips and floaters but then soon learned that when the water was in good shape we only needed a floating line. We hooked wild summer-run Steelhead from about 8 to 16 pounds daily and then a few in the 20 pound range. Many where on dry flies. Some even “dead drifted” dry flies.
After that I have a hard time getting excited about indicator fishing for cold sluggish hatchery spawners here in the winter. I am not trying to sound snobbish here but am trying to let people know there are better times and places to go for Steelhead, real fresh wild Steelhead no matter if they are 16" or 16 pounds.
Swing on..........
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