I have been doing alot of bobber fishing for steel head this fall/winter and have only use lead head jigs. my question is what else have you guys used under bobbers for steel & salmon? thanks in advance for your comments...

One technique that works is to have a driftfishing setup below a bobber. You have the pencil lead and leader below the bobber. Usually this method is used when using bait like shrimp and eggs. In B.C. everything is fished below a bobber like this.

Bait.

Specificly eggs. I'll use this setup in clear situations with low flows very much like those Great Lakes tribs. Ofcourse, rules apply.
One of my fishing partners is from Pittsburg PA and fished steel in the Great Lakes region prior to moving here in WA. He swore by a black nymph, and some weight under a bobber. Kinda like nymph fishing stream trout with a fly rod and a strike indicator. But here he mostly swore, and adapted to NW tried a true techniques.
Pink Worm.
He also never saw a steelie over 12lbs 'till moving to the left coast either.
What's this I hear about Great Lk steelheaders using freeze dried minnows for steel, and with success?? I wouldn't try them here, but I was curious.

One of my favorites, and the steelheads favorites too, is bobber/eggs with a small corky and a little piece of split shot right above the corky to hold it down.

let's see,Hmmmmmmm, roe,sand shrimp,pink worms, spinners, wool ties, gooey bobs,single eggs, etc. About the only thing we don't fish under a float in B.C. are plugs. It all works just gotta get out and try the different stuff.

I NEVER fish anything under a bobber. I do however love to fish, jigs, eggs, sand shrimp, and pinkworms under a float.

LOL Dave,
Its all in the presentation... literally!

I watched a guy fishing a backeddy, using nothing but eggs under a float, hook silvers like he fishing in a trout pond...

He made a believer out of me!

Thanks everyone for the replys, lots of good info. Jaydee here in michigan we have alot of 12# steelhead, and yes I have heard of some float fisherman using "salted" freeze dried minnows. Never tryed it so i can't speak to it. Dave right after i posted i knew someone would kick my butt on the "bobber" remark

Hey Dave did the kids tease you about bobber fishing when you were a kid? :-) When I was a kid it was about the worst thing you could be called ,besides a sissy:-)

The King:

Naw they never teased me about being a bobber fisherman. They had plenty of other ammo. Have you seen my picture?

But ya know I ended up with a great wife, a job that lets me fish all over the world and a ton of great fishing buddies. I guess its true; It's better to be lucky than good!

Happy New Year to all. Even CFM and Grandpa. . I guess. (;-)

Back to you Dave


Happy New years too!

You too grandpa!

Cowlitzfisherman

Don't tell me, Vedder--neither would you deign to fish with a "pole." Nay, nay, only a "rod." Writers--sheesh!

Adipose:

Sure I would fish with a pole, or an indian, German, whatever. but I have had some pretty strange trips with an Italian named Nick..

I see you are from Michigan Gl. steelheader. I will be heading there in about 30min for a week. I plan on fishing the betsie, PM, and the Big Manistee. If you see three guys fishing center pins, say hi. Any ways for baits this time of year, white tubes tipped with waxies are deadly, two waxies on a small hook especially for pressured fish has been the only way to go in Wi for the past couple of weeks, or anything that the fly fishermen use can be very productive. And of couse roe bags are an old stand by. But basically anything you can think of to drift can be fished under a float.

He must have slowed down some in his old age..........he's never even burned anything down when I was with him.

Although..........I DID get so wasted the last time I was down there that I forgot free videos on "float" and drift fishing. I guess there's some other nut that fishes with the crazy Italian on the drift fishing vid?

I used to fish with a "pole" all the time. He went by the name of Rapacz.

Dave,

i hope you could see my smiley face :-) and that I was referencing the red and white plastic bobbers. Those and pop gear were greatly frowned upon by my fly fishing grandpa and were not to be found in the tackle box or boat .

The King:

Yes, I knew you were kidding me. But my dad was a pop gear king. He had an old half gold and half silver one that was absolutely deadly. He was always trying to be the first one back to the dock with our limits, which when I was a kid was 15, seven inch, round tailed, white meated trout.

We were usually in by 7:320. Then we had lunch, sent mom home with our fish and went back after our “second limits". The second limits often took as much as two hours to catch.

Oh how I still remember seeing the rod tip twitch as seven inches of mighty cement pond trout nibbled the worm trailing the pop gear. The tip would go down yet another 1/2 inch and the battle was on. You had to stop reeling to see if the fish was still there. Ah yes a steelheader is born.

Reminds me on how I got hooked on fishing. Except the limit was/is only 5 and the average size is 9".