Ok, I'm off to try Steelhead in the Carbon. Thanks for the tips so far. As far as my setup, any advice would be appreciated. Do I use similar setups I used for Salmon--corkies and yarn or spinners? No need for you folks to write a novel with your Great Granpa's secrets, just some simple tips to get me started would be great. I'm a strict C&R guy, so Natives AND hatchery fish will go back. Thanks; you folks and this board are super!

[This message has been edited by Potaire (edited 12-02-2000).]

[This message has been edited by Potaire (edited 12-02-2000).]

Use the same corkies and yarn you used for salmon, expect tone the sizes down. Adjust your leader length to the visibility in the water. You also might want to try the float and jig setup, many new people do well on that technique. Adjust the jig to about a foot off the bottom. Good luck!

I will usually work upstream with a pink/white marabou jig under a float and then return downstream tossing spoons. I have done very well with both. Good luck!

as a newcomer to steelhead last year, i had good success with hammered spoons, also a couple caught on a jig under a cork float, about a foot or so off the bottom.

I would use a bobber and jig, or bobber and eggs. Like was said above, adjust the jig/eggs just off the bottom. Drifting requires more finese, I would suggest(as a rookie) sticking to bobber, and you will hook more fish. But if you want to drift. Drift corkies(or other) adjusted to water clarity. Big and bright, with shorter leaders for colored water, tone it down with longer leaders for clear water.

Good luck---mike

POTAIRE, how did you do fishing stealies in the carbon, as for me i havent fished it this year but i did have a day where i hooked 3 fish and lost one last season on the carbon and over all in 4 days or so hooked 5 fish, i think the carbon is a fun river to fish, look for areas where say the river is shallow then goes deeper, i would throw my corkie up in the shallow water and let it wash down to the deeper part and thats where i would get my hook up, hope to hear how ya did...**schitzo**

I would try drifting smaller corkies in orange and rocket red. I've had great luck with both colors. As for bait I usually use eggs or sandshrimp tails. Thet both seem to work real well. I also agree that spoons are effective. Especially when your moving between holes or just searching an area for fish. Don't be affraid to drift them along the botttom as if you were driftfishing. I've caught alot of fish using this technique.

Good Luck!
By the way where is the Carbon and how's its run of fish?

FreeDrifter, The Carbon river is located in Orting.
Potaire - How'd you do? I live just a few miles from the Carbon and have never thought of it as a "Steelhead" river. If it looks like there's a good run in there, maybe I'll have to give it a try. I am a rookie Steelheader also so any experiences you wish to share would be appreciated.

I lived a mile from the Carbon for years, and it gets a few hatchery and wild steelhead, but nothing on the order of say the Snohomish system or the Cowlitz...it wouldn't even make a bump on the statistics graph next to those more well known rivers. Don't get your hopes up too high if your expecting those kind of numbers of fish in front of you...they aren't there in the Carbon. Don't get me wrong...I love to fish the Carbon and I've caught my share of steelhead out of it, but I don't know that I would drive several hours just to fish it...if you'd like a nice wallpaper of it with Mt.Rainier in the background...go here: Carbon with Mt.Rainier in the background , scroll down and click on the wallpaper link in the 10-4-00 Carbon River report.
The Carbon looks like 1% milk most of the time in summer and like plain old mud on hot summer days from the Carbon Glacier that feeds it on Mt.Rainier. In winter cold snaps it dwindles down to a crystal clear, barely fishable trickle. Snagging has been a rampant problem on the Carbon during salmon season the past few years with the huge population explosion in the Orting area. I've only seen enforcement once on the Carbon and the officer even caught a kid red handed with a big king hooked in the back and could have easily watched him finish pulling it on the bank and add it to the pile the group of kids already had there on the shore, but with the fish still thrashing in the water he just yelled at him to "knock it off" and walked off...no ticket, no equipment confiscation...nada. The kids just hung out a while and went right back to it after a bit. I'm sure the two guys next to me that called the poacher in would have been shocked to see their efforts wasted. Sorry...got off on a rant there.
If you like to fish a smallish, suburban river that does hold an occasional steelhead the Carbon is ready and willing...but it's no "hot spot", but never the less, I still love to fish the Carbon!

Remember, the chum run in the Carbon is a wild one as far as I know, so please always release them anytime, regardless of the regs, and ditto on the wild steelies of course.

Good luck!

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See ya on the River!

[This message has been edited by SteelyBob (edited 12-05-2000).]

Is there any special technique for floating a jig under a bobber while in a boat...drifting slowly downstream?

Depends on water clarity. In colored water and keeping the boat quiet, you can drift it right along side the boat or out to the side. In clear water, drift the bobber slightly ahead of the boat, or farther out to the side, keeping it in the seams or holding water. In clear water you want the fish to see your presentation before it sees the boat. Try not to run over the fish in clear water. Colored water is more forgiving.

Most important is to keep your main line out of the water, on the surface. (Some people use wax, I prefer braided main line, with mono leader.) This is because when your bobber goes down, you want a good hook set, and not waste most of the hook set yanking your submerged line out of the water.

Jigman(on this board)is much more of a float expert. Perhaps he can answer specific questions you may have.

good luck---mike