As has been stated in previous threads, confidence is everything.

For me I am most confident when drift fishing. Hook most of my fish simply on a corky and yarn with a little shrimp oil. Love those little purple corkies with the black lines when the water gets low.

One day on the Snoqaulmie I had been drift fishing a hole for about 2 hours with zero hook-ups. This old-timer came down, he was about 75-80 years old, and started tossing some homemade spinners. He was so hunched over it seemed it might be hard for him to even see where he was casting. With in about 30 minutes he hooked three steelhead and landed two. It pays to be versatile but I often do not feel confident when I am not drift fishing. Do you throw more then one type of lure in a hole before moving on, or if you are drift fishing do you fish the hole and then move on with out changing your setup?

I have an opposite story.Last year on my favorite zipperlip my hardware couldn't catch anything but late silvers.I could see the metalheads sitting with the hooknose but couldn't get them to chase.I finally switched to eggs and BLAM!Learned the same lesson.This unfortunatly came after several weekends of canyon hiking in the rain!Rough lesson.This year I am going to add flys to the equation,oh boy.

More'n one way to skin a cat or catch a fish! Unless I'm in a combat zone I'll switch around when I know fish are there. My vest can weigh anywhere from 8 to 12 lbs because I carry jigs-n-floats, spinners, spoons, corkies-n-yarn, flies too. I also have all the rods-n-reels if not with me on the bank, at least in the vehicle and I don't mind walking back to get what I need, cause that's better than leaving it at home. Don't ever catch fish at home!
Now I will admit, I usually stick with one set-up if I really feel like catching a fish that way, but if I'm the only one not gettin' fish, you bet...I switch! Besides, how you ever goin' to learn anything new, if you never do anything different? I've been lucky enough to catch Steelies on all but the fly so far, and I'm going to get 'em on that too one day. Confidence in your gear is very important, no doubt, but knowing you can get 'em more than one way builds your confidence.

Papafsh, well stated. I am in the same boat as you with your reference to the fly. Versatility and an open mind will increase anyones odds!

FJ...out.

I'm like Papafish. I used to bring just the bare necessities for each particular river, one rod, a rag instead of a net, and one form of bait. Now I find myself with two rods almost always on the bank, a gl3 drift rod rigged for drifting, easily converted to float fishing, and a gl2 spinning. Spinners are less hassle, and many times after fishing a few casts with bait or corky or float, I'll switch to the spinner and hook a fish.
Depending on the river, I sometimes pack a fly rod and a spin rod or cast rod, it just depends on the confidence level.
I usually pack more than one variety of cured eggs, too, a new lesson learned from reading this board. Its more work, more to pack, and more to organize, but when you finally have the thin surface film of a green iridescent steelhead stream right in front of you, fish boiling about, its nice to have everything right at your fingertips.
HT

Good posts... I used to take just the drift rod and with the traditional corkie/eggs/yarn gig. But as of late im hooked on the float n' jig game, so i'll take a drift rod and a float setup. After having good success with floats im getting too lazy to switch to drift gear and the re-tie, numb fingers thing. Hell, all aspects of steelhead fishing are great. I'll admit, there is nothing like battling 3 feet of chrome with a fly rod!

I spend way too much time walking the banks to carry two rods.Thats going to make it rough this year,noodle rod or fly pole, noodle rod or fly pole???

I don't normally carry more than one rod, but my vest is stocked with the works.....floats, jigs, spinners, drift gear, and plugs. I'll sometimes wind up drift fishing with my float rod, which is less than ideal, but you have to cover all the bases. Many times I've worked a hole with a jig with no results and then changed to a spinner with quick results.

You never know what the fish are going to want. Most times, I don't need to change from the float/jig setup. Sometimes, though, the fish are in the mood for something else. Don't try making them bite what you are using, give them what they want. If I'm on a hole I'm pretty sure has fish, I'll work it over with several different methods if neccesary before I move on.

Sometimes after walking all day, I think my vest is too heavy, but it's nice when you need a worm/leader/jig/egg bait/spinner/spoon to have it there.

Yea. I switched to a back pack of sorts.I spend alot of time in canyons where a little overnight,emergency gear isn't a bad idea either.Thats one of the things that I like about fly fishing,SIMPLE.

I too only carry one rod. My vest is stocked with just about everything as well but I rarely use the plugs (still haven't got a fish on them). I never start a drift by throwing hardware. Usually I use a float with jigs, bait or the worm. If that doesn't produce I go to a corky and start small. First with yarn then if I think somethings still in there I add some eggs. This past weekend I got stuck in a hole that had been fished really heavily with no success. Everyone was drifting so I tossed a float. 30 minutes later 3 fish on with two banked. Goes to show that if its slow do something different.

In addition to being versatile with things you know are commonly productive, I strongly suggest that you start experimenting with other things you don't normally use, or things you have innovated, when the fish are in thick - as was the case this fall. If you discipline yourself to put away the best couple things catching fish you have a golden opportunity to really learn things fast. Not just methods but also experimenting with scents and cures; this was a great fall do 'study' - both what worked and what didn't.

I don't do much bank angling but have done more in the last couple years - especially fun on smaller rivers with floats and jigs/worms. The 'Wizzard of the Wilson' Mark Anderson, carries 4 rods to most of the bank holes we go to. From a long distance he must look like a big porcupine, except he moves too fast. He has 3 rods rigged with a float; 2 with different colored jig patterns and 1 with a pink worm. The 4th rod is rigged to drift fish such as corky and eggs. He fishes like a machine, rotating rods until he gets bites. The way I slip in my slick soled boots I dare only carry 2 rods. One for float fishing and one for driftfishing; both for falling on sometimes . But I have a lot of other things along to quickly change over to. Including plugs to use in some bank angling situations.

RT

This is all good advice. However, I found that when I wanted to learn to catch steelhead on a spinner, I had to make a conscious effort to leave all the drift gear at home, and just bring spinners. Otherwise I would get in the " Go with what ya know" mode and slip back into drift fishing. Now that I have confidence in Bobbers, Spinners and Drifting, My vest weighs into the low teens, but it has killed the skunk too many times to complain.

I am now experimenting with a new Jig rigging, in which I put the bobber on a 8"-24" dropper. It gives me a little more control over jig action and also gives the feel of a drift hookup.

At this point, experimenting while fishing is the most satisfying part of the game.

I bring two rods with me, one 8 1/2 ft and the other 10 ft. Both are set up for drift fishing, one is set with orange yarn and eggs, the other with pink yarn and shrimp. I usually alternate with or without corkies and alternate other yarn color combos. Crawdad tails in summer. I carry spinners, spoons, pink worms, plugs, rags, aeroflys, floats, and jigs but havn't used the jigs or spoons much. I think I'll set up the 10 ft pole with a float and jig. Need to get me some scent for the jigs. I like the way RT and STS rig the hooks for plugs. Probably makes it easier to hook the fish. I'm a plug virgin also even though I've had a few takedowns. I tend to revert back to the drifting of bait because thats what works for me with steelhead.