Steeelhead fishing has started to pick up here in Idaho. With the cooler temperatures and some recent rains the steelhead are on the move. The Steelhead are now being caught throughout the entire salmon river. With the larger B-run steelhead showing up also, things are becoming interesting again.

The Clearwater River is probably your best bet if you are looking for the B-run Steelhead although there are a few showing up on the main stream of the Salmon River. I have caught a couple of the larger b-run fish just below Riggins. I am not sure how far up the river they have made it yet. (So much River to fish and so little time.)

Fall is my favorite time to fish for these magnificent fish. The water temperatures are relatively warm and the steelheads metabolism has not slowed do to the colder water. When you are, fortunate enough to hook into one they give you an excellent battle and as any of you know who have hooked one yourself, this time of year the steelhead become aerobatic when hooked. You can expect them to jump five or six times and they normally clear the water by a foot or more. Not to mention the fact that during this time of year the steelhead are excellent to eat. Your biggest dilemma will be which steelhead you are going to keep and which ones to release.

Drifting a medium sized corky with a small piece of shrimp and yarn has proven to be the most successful for me. However many steelhead anglers here locally are using a float and jig setup and are have good success with them as well. Like always we all have are preferred ways of fishing steelhead and right now, the main thing is just get on the river.

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I thought I would write a quick post today about steelhead fishing at Riggins Idaho.A good friend of mine and fishing partner for over thirty five years called last night to let me know how the steelhead fishing report was on the Salmon River at Riggins.

With the weather as warm as it has been over the last two weeks I thought that the steelhead may be holding up in the river some where. Once again I was wrong according to his report. He fished just below Riggins at the mouth of Race Creek. Which is one of his favorite steelhead hole during the early fall run. After fishing for a little over six hours he hooked four steelhead and was able to land two of them.

They are were what is known as A-run fish the small of the steelhead and the first to arrive here in Idaho. These A-Run fish usually weigh in the 5 to 7 pound range with an average length of about 26 inches. According to what he told me however they were very aggressive fish, jumping and making several good runs on him before he either landed them or they threw the hook.

Four Steelhead in six hours. Sounds like it is time to make trip down to Riggins.

By the way I hear that they are doing very well on the Clearwater too. The upper section of the River remains catch and release only until the 15th of October remember that if you are planning a trip up there.

See you on the River!

This article describes the basics of freshwater Steelhead and salmon fishing for the beginning angler. River drift fishing is probably the most common method used for steelhead and salmon. As and drift fishing salmon are very similar you can apply them when steelhead drifting and salmon drift fishing. It is intended only as a beginning, and is not meant to cover every aspect of salmon drift fishing, or steelhead drift fishing. After you get your feet wet, you can and should constantly search for additional information to improve your abilities and skills.

Freshwater salmon fishing and steelhead fishing can be done from the shore or a boat, and the drift fishing method described can be used either way. Boat fishing affords anglers some opportunities not available to the shore anglers.

Steelhead Drift Fishing And Salmon Drift Fishing:

These techniques will work well when either drift fishing for steelhead or drift fishing for salmon. Drift fishing is a common method used to catch both steelhead and salmon. The angler casts their line upstream, you then let the line drift down through the run or pool. Once your line reaches the end of the drift you then reel in the line to start the drifting process over again. Drift fishing is normally done from the shore or an anchored boat.

Generally, the idea is to have enough weight for your setup to bounce along the bottom, touching every foot or two. Ideally, it will drift at approximately the same speed the current is moving. More weight will slow down the speed at which your bait drifts downstream, and less weight will speed up the drift.

The best strategy is to work the entire run from close to the shore and working your way out with each following cast. Once you have covered all the water, you can reach from where you are standing move down a couple of steps and repeat the process. If you get a hit or catch a steelhead or salmon try to make a mental note of where you caste and where the fish hit. Steelhead and salmon use what are called runs so if you catch one it is likely that you will be able to catch more at the same location.

Figure 1. Diagram showing standard strategy for drift fishing a run or drift on a river.

When fishing in crowded conditions, you may simply have to work your way into a line of anglers and fish right where you are, without moving. Cast upstream at a 30-45 degree angle and let your bait bounce along until you reach a 45-30 degree angle downstream. Reel in and do it again. Your goal is to bounce your offering along the bottom until a fish picks it up with its mouth.

Beginning anglers often have trouble telling when a fish picks up the hook or when their gear has caught on a rock. Over time, you will develop a feel for the difference and learn when to set the hook and when to gently coax the gear off of the rocks. You should always remember that when in doubt, set the hook.

Typical drift fishing gear:

• For a good steelhead drift rod or salmon drift rod you will need a 8 ½ or 9 foot rod rated for 10-30 pound line.
• As for a drift fishing reel either a bait casting reel or a spinning reel will work I prefer a bait casting reel on large rivers and a spinning reel on smaller rivers and streams.
• For larger fish, like chinook salmon, use 20-25 pound line. Depending on where you are fishing you may need even heavier line.
• For steelhead drift fishing, you will be using 10-15 pound line most of the time.

You will find there is an endless variety of weights, lures, floats, and/or baits that anglers can use while drift fishing for salmon, and an even larger variety when drift fishing for steelhead.

A standard setup for drift fishing:

One example of a steelhead drift fishing rig using standard salmon drift fishing gear:

Before you head out drifting for steelhead please visit our shop at Steelhead Gear.Com where you will find all the steelhead gear and salmon gear you need. We have a number of way in which you can pay for your fishing tackle paypal, check or credit cards are accepted by most of our vendors with paypal being preferred by many.