To say the Steelhead fishing has been incredible this Fall would be an understatement. As mediocre as salmon season was on the Salmon River this Fall it would have been tough to imagine fishing for Steelhead could be this good. After discovering some new (to us) water in the Douglaston Salmon Run it was game on! The picture above is of just a few of the larger fish we caught in November. After struggling on the upper river to locate fish, and fishing with about ten thousand of our closest fishing friends, we decided to explore the Douglaston Salmon Run. After a 30 fish day in late October (no, that is not an exaggeration) we decided to purchase the 6.5 month Steelhead pass, and from that point forward its been an incredible month of Fall Steelhead fishing that has far exceeded my expectations.
What has been working? Primarily salmon egg sacks fished under a float. Blue, white and chartreuse colored sacks filled with Coho eggs have been out producing beads and any other method about 20-1 for us. Any fisherman that is float fishing the Salmon River that does not have an ample supply of blue egg sacks is making a big mistake. Locating pocket water in between faster sections of river has been successful for us, as the fish are primarily running through the rapids and bigger holes darting straight upstream. Of the fish in the photo above, all 4 hit egg sacks, with 2 on blue, one on chartreuse and one on white. If you are fishing egg sacks, take the time to trim off the excess mesh material above the knot to make a more subtle presentation.
If Douglaston is not an option for you, I would recommend fishing the areas of river below Pineville currently, as there will be less pressure on the fish in these areas. The Sportsman's Pool, the Town Pool, the Long Bridge area will all offer good water that will likely be holding fish that haven't seen the pressure the fish in the upper river are experiencing. Start with whatever method you prefer, but be willing to mix things ups if the fish don't cooperate. This time of year I would recommend starting with egg sacks, but have some trout beads and marabou jigs available should the fish not be interested in eggs. Fish any water that looks fishy and take nothing for granted. Work each location completely, I prefer to fish a hole from close to far away as this limits exposing fish to tackle while you're first accessing a hole. One last thing --- stay patient! I've seen several fishermen this Fall make a few casts in fishy looking water only to move on to another spot without fully fishing a run. Take your time, make several casts, and work the water as thouroughly as possible to give yourself the best shot possible at hooking a fish. If you think you've thoroughly fished a spot make 30 more casts, and then another 30 and maybe you've fished the water thoroughly.
Enough for now, should you have any questions about how, where or when to catch fish please reach out to us. I enjoy seeing other fishermen having success nearly as much as catching fish myself. We can be a resource for fishermen trying to learn, and will be happy to provide some advice whenever we can. Jimmy is also available for drift boat and bank trips and is an excellent teacher, so hit us up!
Until next time, tight lines to all.
David