Northwest Fishing Reports

I was out fishing this weekend and saw a lot of fly guys. The thing I noticed was the water they were fishing. It all looked flat, no structure, no major seems, riffles, surface breaks or anything. I also just watched some steelhead videos on youtube and the fish being caught were pulled from similar seemingly shallow water with drift gear. Aside from actually learning by pulling fish from the water myself, is there any good reference material for identifying good water?

well for steelies you want tail out and logs and anything that can make a nice soft smooth restin place for they there not much of a fast moving water fish they only in it to swim in or out....deep slow qwater is a good place and tailouts are my fav

It's my understanding that steelhead will hold in an area that has structure or a bottom that is a gravel bar in which they can slip into the depths when spooked. The one constant for "holding water" is water that moves at normal walking speed in depths 3-8 feet. This is Typical drift/fly water. Hope this helps but there is always exeptions to the rule.

Reading a river is an art, for some it comes easy for others it may take years if not decades before the light bulb comes on. My suggestion is to go to the library and find a few books on the subject. One can also speed up the process if you understand the biology of the Steelhead. Oxygen, cover and turbulence (you want minimal turbulence) are the main factors when looking for "Steelhead" water. Also you need to take into account the time of day, weather and cloud conditions and the type of fish you are after. Everyone has their favorite places to fish in a drift, I remember an old saying that for every fish in the tail there are 3 in the head. Fly fishermen typically can't get a fly down to a Steelhead in the head waters of a drift so they have to settle for the tail section. This sort of helps to physically separate the drift fishermen from the fly fishermen but there is holding water that that both will fish. The real skill is in finding the places in between the head and the tail that are holding the fish and then be able to get your lure/bait in front of them for the take. As a kid I fished the heck out of the Cedar river and local streams in the Summer for trout. Summer trout fishing can and is a great way to learn to river fish. The fish are spooky, the water is low and clear, but the trout are on the feed. So if you get you lure in the right spot without spooking them, you'll know it!

Zero structure here the key was just down river from this section a big bend and rips and rapids:-$ and the head to this long flat drift gets skinny and shallow not over 10 feet deep ever and killed 100's of Steelhead in this one upper river drift bank, drift boat even on the fly.

Its the perfect resting area for nats even hatchery brates fish are lazy and will hold in general where it does not create to much energy to finish them DNA#-o .

Reading waters steelhead, salmon, trout is the golden key I can look at a seam and say pass and tell the local goofs:albino: please back out of this drift your standing right on the drift and fish then bang one:cheers: know that makes them HAPPY!!! LOL

Anyone with 20 plus years and up:-$ of hooking fish chasing 100's of systems would be better then average at reading fish holding waters and most that are Pressed should be passed:-$

It was 7 degrees this day under 3 when we started and hooked and landed 3 in this drift this day and had many many 2x days and only a few stinkers more on mother nature/weather then the waters and my 16 year old daughter has 4 nice steelhead taken right here:thumleft:

There like fence posts plant them deep they will be back next year and season with a little Care and conditions =d>



PS some talent:-# on the sticks:-$ in a drift boat running (bait divers) in any longer seam and tailout will increase your odds about 50 percent even if your a sitting stump up front:cyclopsan

Look for the "flat" water above a rapids and below another rapids. Water depth can be inches to 12' that is moving at a walking pace speed. I don't mean frog water. Looking up or down river there are flat spots on the surface that indicate primo holding water. Not every area that looks good has "flat" spots. Find them and you'll find holding/resting fish. Oh, and also, not all of the spots that fly fishermen congregate is great fish holding water. A lot of the long gravel bars that are fished is because of the desire for back cast room. Plus the traditional fly fishing method of fishing the "swing" and hang down, casting across and down, take a step down stream and cast again. Most steelhead fly fishermen fish on the move wheras a lot (actually the majority) of gear fishermen will stand on a rock all day and grow roots.