Fishskis My favorit set up for steelhead is 4 or 5 pee sized split shot and a roe bag or ghost shrimp. But if theres a bait ban i go to rubber worms gooeybobs wool spin'n glos ect. but what i do is called short floating. Adjust the distance between your float and bottom weight to allow it to reach within 10 - 20 inches of the bottom. 3 or 4 split shot or about one and a half inches of pencil lead will provide sufficient weights for water depths up to about 4 feet. If the current is stronger or water depths greater, then more weight will be necessary to hold itself in the current without lifting up from the bottom. Keep your leader fairly short (12 - 20 inches). The idea is to be clear from the bottom completely. This method will present your directly in the fishes field of vision.......mostly above and in front of it. In clear water, this will also be less intrusive, presenting your bait from above. In murky water it is not uncommon to fish too deep. If your bait is presented too close to the bottom then by the time it should come into the fishes view it has actually passed underneath the field of vision. Being well off the bottom, there will also be less float movement. So when your float dips of goes under DO NOT HESITATE - set the hook HARD. There is nothing lost by setting into a rock yet if it happens to be a fish you got it. I do the same thing for all salmon exept springs. I also like fishing colorados for all salmon includeing steelhead. Salmon and Steelhead will attack lures at almost any speed. I have found that the slower the blade is turning the more hookups I have. That is not to say you won't be successful with a faster presentation. Light is another important contributor to success. I 've had a lot of hookups on bright cloudy days or just when the sun hits the water. In order to have a blade flash you must have some degree of light penetration. The last factor might be the most important to consider before choosing your lure. The greater the speed of water the faster your blade will turn, therefore for slow water use smaller blades, # 2 & 3 for medium flow # 3 & 4's and for fast water use # 5 to 7.
Free floating is used in slow to medium slow water. Set up your rod the same as if you were fishing yarn or bait; float, weight, leader and spinner. Cast slightly upstream and allow your lure to reach bottom. Reel in any slack line, then when your float is directly across from you, free spool and allow your float to freely float down river. Your weight should be fished so you feel the river bottom every 3 feet or so, and presentation should be Dead Drift. It is important that your float is drifting at the same speed as the current. The bite is often soft, if you feel your spinner stop turning, set the hook, that's a fish.
Down & across presentation is used for tailouts or riffle water. Often the water is less than 3 feet deep and to Free Float would result in snagging the bottom. Cast your lure upstream and across then reel in any slack line. When your float is across from you, free spool. Unlike the Free Floating put your thumb on the drum of the reel and allow slight drag. This will slow your float and allow it to come across the river.
There are several important factors to consider while fishing this method. Anytime you allow drag on your reel, the lure will lift off the rivers bottom. To compensate, try setting your float 3 to 6 inches deeper than the water you're fishing. The second factor to consider is what size of blade to use. When allowing drag on your reel your blade will speed up, the greater the drag the faster the blade will turn, so you may have to increase the size of blade to slow your presentation.
Dead floating is when you set your float 4 to 6 inchs deeper then the water. whats happening is you gear is clanging on bottom slowing and stoping the blade. the only down side is you snag alot. but this methid has saved my butt many times. any way i hope this helps Small Steelheader
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