Winter’s Gleam: 3 Ways to Catch More Winter Great Lakes Steelhead
Photos: Kubie Brown
Most fly fishers aren’t big fans of winter. The cold weather slows down the insect activity and fishing action and makes conditions on the river so tough that many anglers just put their rods in the corner and stare longingly out the window while they wait for spring. However, there are some who look forward to the coming of winter like kids waiting for Christmas morning. As soon the first snowflakes fall, they gather their fishing gear and put in for vacation time, because they know that winter brings some of the best opportunities to catch what they consider to be the ultimate coldwater sport fish—Great Lakes Steelhead.
Of all the strains of adfluvial rainbow trout found in the Great Lakes, the fish that return to lake tributaries during the winter are usually the largest, the most beautiful, and the most challenging. Every winter, anglers in pursuit of these special frosty giants flock to the shorelines of their favorite rivers, hoping to hook up with some cold-weather chrome. Yet many of these anglers end up going home disappointed. Like their West Coast cousins, winter Great Lakes steelhead don’t eat and are finicky and difficult to tempt into taking a fly. However, when you’re willing to adapt and adjust your strategy and fishing technique for different weather and water conditions, you can dramatically increase your odds of getting a grab.
Downstream Drop and Drift
As water temperatures drop, winter steelhead begin to stack up and hold in the slowest and deepest water they can find. With their bellies practically touching the bottom, the fish often spread out in deep tanks with steep drop-offs in the middle of the river, where the sharp downslope into deeper water acts as a current break and allows the fish to rest in relatively calm water. With the fish spread out, these deep midriver holes can be difficult to fish as it takes a lot of repeated casting, mending, and drifting to cover the entire hole effectively. However, you can increase your efficiency by standing upstream of these deep holes and drifting your flies downstream to the fish.
Immediately adding slack to allow your flies to get to the bottom quickly is key.
Downstream dropping and drifting allows you to drift your flies through long stretches of water efficiently with as few casts possible. Stand directly upstream of a deep hole, as close to the drop-off as possible, and make a short cast directly downstream with a heavily weighted nymph rig beneath an indicator. Once the flies sink and begin to drift, peel some excess line off your reel and then systematically feed slack into drift with short upstream mends to create a long, smooth drift that keeps your flies moving at a continuous depth and pace. It can take a bit of practice to learn how to add slack without moving your indicator, but once you get it down, you can make repeated casts and drifts to the left or right and repeat the process until you have drifted your flies through all the water within your reach. It’s an incredibly effective way to cover water and locate holding steelhead, and it all starts with your set up.
Start with a leader that’s at least twice the depth of water you’re fishing. Attach a large, buoyant indicator that will hold your flies just above the bottom, and then add a single heavy split shot to the line 4 to 6 inches below the indicator. This will help hold your line straight in the water and ensure you make a nearly vertical presentation. Next, tie on a weighted nymph or a pair of nymphs, such as a Slush Egg and/or Little Black Stone Fly, and then add a second smaller split shot 6 to 8 inches above the flies. Ideally, this split shot will bounce and tick along the bottom slightly behind your drifting flies, helping to maintain your depth as your flies drift.
Keep your rod tip low, holding it just above the water as your flies drift, so you can lift it high and set the hook hard anytime your indicator dunks beneath the surface.
Micro Swinging
Many steelheaders are constantly searching for the perfect swinging run. They look for long, slow-flowing stretches of river where they can make long, methodical swings to cover as much water as possible. However, if you’re only swinging through these big, perfect looking runs, you’re missing out on a lot of good water.
When a steelhead takes the fly on the swing, you’ll know it.
As winter steelhead push their way upstream, they pull over to rest in the slowest water they can find. While this includes those long, picturesque runs, it also includes short pockets of slow water around the edges of rapids, small pillows of slow or still water around boulders and other structure, and even choppy tanks and seams in the middle of faster runs. Anywhere the water is knee-deep and moving at roughly a walking pace near faster water can hold a steelhead or two, and you can take advantage by applying the art of micro swinging.
Unlike traditional swinging, where you use lighter leaders and flies and long casts to methodically work large sections of water at a time, micro swinging utilizes heavy leaders and flies and short casts to work small chunks of water quickly and efficiently. Set up either a single-hand rod or switch rod with a short, 4- to 6-foot chunk of heavy sinking leader material such as T-8 or T-11, and then attach a 2- to 3-foot length of 15- or 20-pound tippet to the end. Tie on a short, chunky fly pattern with a weighted head and a large profile, such as a Crandell’s Steelhead Nightmare, Senyo’s Egg Raider, or even a Conehead Bugger or Bunny Muddler.
Stand slightly upstream and across from your chosen chunk of slow water and then make a short, down-and-across cast into the fast water at the top of the potential run. Make a quick upstream mend to allow the fly to sink, and then tighten up quickly and swing the fly through the slower piece of water downstream. If you don’t get an immediate strike, pull off 2 to 3 feet of line and repeat the process from the same position until you’ve covered the entire piece of slow water or until the rod gets yanked out of your hands by a hard strike.
Keeping your nymphs on the bottom is vital to success.
Bottom Bouncing
When the water gets extremely cold, to the point where the edges of the river are actually frozen, steelhead burrow into deep holes and lock their jaws. Often, the only way to get the fish to strike under such conditions is to make repeated drifts right by the fish’s nose. The easiest and most efficient way to do this is by bottom bouncing.
Bottom bouncing or “chucking and ducking” is similar to tightline nymphing in that it isn’t the most graceful or delicate presentation. But there’s no better way to get a stubborn steelhead to grab in cold water. Setting up the presentation is relatively simple, as all you need is a 9- to 11-foot leader and a couple 1.5- to 2-gram split shot. Tie a moderately weighted nymph, such as a Kaufman Stone or Estaz Egg, to the end of the leader, and clip the split shot to the line 4 inches to 6 inches above the fly.
Make a firm, open-loop cast and then lower your rod tip on a slack line to allow your fly to sink to the bottom. Once you feel it make contact, raise your rod tip and allow the split shot to “bounce” along the bottom on a tight line, following the drift with your rod tip and setting the hook anytime the drift stops or when you feel a yank or tug. Repeat the process through the same area as many times as you can stand until you get a strike or feel it’s time to move to the next hole. While bottom bouncing is monotonous, it’s also an efficient way to fish, where every drift you make past a waiting steelhead brings you closer to a hook up.
Hooking up with a muscular, double-digit fish can be the reward for braving tough conditions.
Nipping At Your Nose
Winter steelheading on the Great Lakes is its own special and unique challenge. The fishing is tough, and the weather can be brutal, but fishing for winter steelhead puts you in contact with large and powerful fish during a time when most other anglers are sitting at home waiting for warmer weather. This often means you have the river all to yourself and can experience your own winter wonderland. While it can be a bit lonely, when you’re on the river fishing in the snow-muffled silence, there will come a point where the only sounds you hear is the scream of your drag.
