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Steelhead Newbie


The_Husky_Jerk

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Hey guys, just need a little help here. I am VERY new to steelhead and trout fishing. I have been fishing whitemans creek (erie trib) and having some success for small rainbows. Its fun, and delicious lol but i seem to be more and more intrigued by the infamous "STEELHEAD". I have been to the whirlpool once last year (with no luck), and i was wondering if anyone could offer me some advice. What is the best time of year for steelhead? I know that the fall and winter is the best, but it confuses me because trout season ends september 30th. What kind of tackle should I be using? Is using roe on a spinning combo the best/easiest option? I have a 5wt entry-level fly rod that im trying to figure out (doing very poorly and getting discouraged) but from what I read that is definitely too small. Can anyone take a minute to give me a quick, brief tutorial on Steelhead? Im about an hour and a half away from the Niagara River in Brantford and dont want to waste another trip by getting skunked :wall:

PLEASE HEEEEEEEELLLLLLLLLLLLLLLPPPPPPPPPPPPPPP

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well if you read your regs right trout season is open all year in certain areas such as the pool and port d and yes fall and winter are the best times of the year to fish them for bait roe usually is whats used on a 3 way swivel with a bottom bouncing weight, I don't do a lot of steelhead fishing but might try a bit more this year hope this helps

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I use 10+ for longer cast.... and not to overkill the fish also for better contoll of the fish.

When every one is doing long cast bottom bouncing u do not wanna go in middle of them and start doing short cast also..... u will make alot people angry lol

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A lot of people like the really long rods and some can even use them successfully, but for many of the ones I have seen they don't cast any further than I do with my 7'6" spinning. If you are just getting started casually then your spin setup is probably fine. You may not cast as far as some of the others, just don't make yourself a nuisance and no one will care.

I was at Port Dalhousie last night and many of the people fishing were using 7-8' rods with spinning or baitcasting reels. There were a couple rods that looked in the 10' range but they didn't get any more distance than anyone else. In fact there was an older gentleman sitting near where I was that was out distancing everyone. He had about a 7' rod with a conventional reel.

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just use the perfect reel for the rod, if it is a medium action rod use a medium action reel, light action rod, light action reel and so forth, so forth.

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Pick up some Slinkies for your 3 way.

1 to 2 ounce if you can find them.

Or you can make your own with nylon braid.(shoe laces)

Fill'em with sand or shot.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Well I fish the whirlpool alot in the fall as well as many other tribs ( more lake o). The best way I have found to fish the pool or the glen is using a slip float usually around 10-14 gram works best. then try bulk shotting near your swivel, that allows you to get your bait down faster in the heavy current. then an assortment of roe and minnow immatations work best for me. Also I use a 15'6 or 17'6 float rod with a centre pin reel. if you are fishing of a boat that is when i typically bottom bounce.

feel free to contact me if you want to go out as i live in kitchener.

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A 17' 6" rod is crazy what is that like a 8 piece rod or something I stick with a 9 footer and would never go over 11 feet because well why

Its actually a three piece and you use long rods for being able to keep the line of the water for long drifts and as a shock absrober so i can use much lighter lines then say a 9 or 10 ft rod.

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To cast a long rod effectively, you need a different technique then a medium rod ie: 7'. A medium rod is cast single handed and usually sideways. With a long rod 10' or longer, what I find best to get range, is this method.

Take one hand at the butt of the rod, and the other hand at the reel, the distance between should be about 1'. Place the foot opposite to your reel hand slightly ahead of your other foot. Tilt your reel hand shoulder back (shoulder should sorta be inline with the rod), and lean the rod back over your tilted shoulder to about 4:30 (think of a clock, your head is 12:00 and your feet 6:00, behind you is 1:00 to 5:00, and in front of you 7:00 to 11:00). With both hands on the rod, cast the rod forward releasing line at about 9:30 to 10:00, basically your reel arm should be inline with the rod, forming a straight line when releasing. This method allows the power of both arms to be tranferred to the rod, combined with rod length allows for great range. Matching lure with rod is also key.

I would practice this away from people as when things go wrong it can be quite painful. As well, make the bail is open as all that force will snap the line about 2' up from the reel and it can snap back into your face, and yes it is painful. The lure however will fly quite far, actually forever.

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