Steelhead flyfishing is a blast Jacob! Most guys use about a 9' or 9 1/2' rod rated for an 8 wt. line. I personally prefer a 9', 7 wt. Rods run the gamut price wise. The big name rods like Orvis, Sage, and upper eachelon GLoomis rods are great but way overpriced. The medium priced Lamiglass flyrods are all anyone needs. Check the "Guide" model at LL Bean. I got an LLB made from a GLoomis GL3 blank (maybe a second?) for only $130 at the factory outlet in Licoln City - normally priced $189, they are great rods. The best budget flyrods are the St.Croix. They are very good graphite rods and you can get them for under a hundred bucks. The Hardy flyreels are outstanding, but a bit spendy (I use the St. George model for my 9' graphite). Cortland makes some good ones at a low price. Lots of good ones in variable prices. Match the right size/weight of reel to your rod, and get a spare spool. Use plenty of backing line before you wind on your flyline. Cortland 444 is an excellant mid-priced line. On one spool use DT (double taper) floating line. They cast almost as far as WF (weight forward) lines and cast and mend better on the water; and are reversable for longer lifespan. On the other spool use a WF extra fast sinking tip line to fish flies deep when applicable. Ask the local flyshop guys which one is best for the rivers and times you plan to fish. Plenty of tapered leaders and misc. items and you are go to go. ...
A couple good books to read are "Steelhead Flyfishing and Flies" by Trey Combs and the other is by Deke Myers (can't recall the name of his book - something like NW Steelhead Flyfishing). I suggest learning to steelhead flyfish for summer runs when the water warms up a bit in June/July. The fish come more readily to the fly then. In rivers such as the Kalama or NF Stilly I would start by using the floating line. It's just as productive in the early summer water conditions as the sinking lines in most cases, and is much easier for learning casting and mending (to mend, throw small loops of flyline upcurrent so you avoid downstream bellies pulling your fly too fast thru the water). For flifes I suggest 3 of the all time great steelhead flies in a quality tied size 4. That's the Steelhead Muddler Minnow, Green Butt Skunk, and Golden Deamon. They are all nicely contrasted; such that if you fished them all with good presentation in a hole and didn't hook one, any other fly likely wouldn't either (in most cases). ...
Most fish what's called the "greased line" technique. Start up in the riffles at the head of holes and work your way down, carefully approaching the more visually exposed tailout fish. With that presentation you cast either straight out or quartered downstream a bit and allow the fly to dead drift straight downstream for a ways, gently mending your line to keep the fly drifting as natural as possible. Sometimes the fish will take the fly on the drift. But most often this technique gets your fly down deeper, and then throw a good mend into your line before you let the fly swing across the river in good holding water. The swing is where most strikes come from. And hold on because they often hit a swinging fly as hard as a plug. Then it's a race to keep the slack out of your line as you play the steelie. Great fun! Good luck.
RT
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