Summer steelhead Vol. 2

Judge your day by the weather.

Rainy, foggy or overcast days will keep fish moving.  They are good days to hit your good
holes but also some of the transitional water in between.  If you hook a real fresh fish give that
hole another 20 minutes or so and if nothing happens move a couple of holes
upriver and work your way back down to where you started.

On sunny dry days figure the fish are going to glom into the
heads of the big holes, into crazy fast water, or way into woodpiles.  It’s a little more work to dig them out
but if you find one stay on the spot, there could be a ton of the bastards in
there.  Another thing to remember,
a big rain can move fish a long way. 
You can have good fishing in a spot for a week or more and then come
back after a high water to find it empty. 
The fish may have shot up more than just a hole or two.

 

This is a variation of Gordon Gracie’s sockeye jig.  From June to early July its great for
finding the aggressive fish fast. 
Once the fish reach their final summer staging grounds it looses a lot
of its potency but while they are still on the move it will catch them
fast. 

Jim Kerr

Rain Coast Guides