Mid February Winter Steelhead Report!

On the local rivers the trail went from red hot to stone cold. I took the opportunity to hit a couple of distant rivers and was fortunate to find some success. It just goes to show that being willing to travel can add some new scenery and yes...some great steelhead opportunities! It didn't take long to notice that most people do the same thing over and over expecting the same results day in and day out. I saw without exeption anglers all doing the same thing, fishing heavy big black and blue flies. Each person we spoke to said the same thing, "fishing is slow". It reminded me of spending some time with an old steelhead guide on the "S" rivers in Washington years ago. This guy told me being first to the run is great, you swing a fish more often than not and you are a good steelheader? His assertion was, pay attention to what the guy in front of you is doing, then do the opposite. If they are fishing down and across, you fish sideways, if they are fishing big and heavy then you fish light and bright, and vice versa. Doing this doesn't guarantee success, there has to be a fish in the ditch, but if there are fish and they don't move to a fly, change tactics until they do.

With any luck we will get some measurable rain on the local streams, but until then be willing to scratch it out and change your approach.

Tight lines!