Preface
I recently asked Michael & Young fly shop's lead instructor, Aaron Goodis, to share with my readers the five most important things he knew about fly fishing for steelhead and salmon. Located in Vancouver, Michael & Young is British Columbia's premier destination fly shop for some of the world's finest steelhead and salmon fly fishing. Aaron is a Certified Casting Instructor, Certified Adaptive Fly Fishing Instructor, and a member of the Rajeff Sports and GLoomis prostaffs. He is well known as a spey and conventional one-handed fly fishing salmon, steelhead, and trout fishing guide and instructor. And the following is the article he wrote in reply to my request. The photos are clickable for larger views, and they demonstrate points that Aaron makes. So be sure to take a closer look.(photo: Aaron Goodis)
Know Your Destination
One of the most important things that anglers need to do is home work. Research your destination . Find out when the migration occurs. Steelhead and salmon run up their home rivers at different times of the year.
Putting yourself on the river during the peak of their migration can make a huge difference in your angling results. I can't count how many times I have heard "I just missed it, they are not here, or you should have been here yesterday.” Find out what type of river you are going to. Is it a big, broad river or small, steep, coastal stream? Knowing this will help you determine what gear to bring; such as your typical 9-ft 8-wt or the big 14 foot two-hander. Are you fishing in the winter or the summer months? Water temperature can play a big part in how aggressive a fish may be and how they will respond to your fly. Doing a little research will go along way, and you should find yourself fishing at the right time with the right equipment. (photo: Kispiox River, BC. By Aaron Goodis)
Read the Water
Rivers can be big and intimidating. Picking your spot can be frustrating at the best of times. When approaching the river, try to fish water that your tackle allows. For instance, if you are out to swing big flies pocket water won't do. You want to be looking for those big, gently sweeping runs that allow you to use your equipment to its full potential. A few simple rules for locating these fish are:
• Find a run that has a comfortable walking speed. These are often located on the inside of bends or along seams of heavier flows; and also down in the tail-outs right before the river picks up speed and exits the run . (photo: great looking tailout on the Buckley River, BC. Aaron Goodis)
• Salmon and Steelhead prefer depths of 2 - 6 feet. We know that they can be found in water that may be deeper or shallower, but this depth seems to provide a good balance between cover for the fish to feel safe in and a good depth for us to target them with our fly rods.
• Log jams are also good places to look for fish, especially when the water in front of them is good and fishable and flowing straight with no back eddies. Steelhead and salmon do not like holding in swirling water.
• A typically good piece of water for us to fly fish would be where the river takes a small bend. Hydraulic pressure pushes the major flow towards the outer bank, creating a nice seam on the inside of the main current. Then the middle of the run will have that good speed and depth I’ve mentioned before. After that it will tail out and drain into the next piece of water.
• Think about cover. These fish love big boulders or depressions in the river bottom where they can rest away from the main current.
• If you are comfortable fishing the water, it is likely that the steelhead or salmon will be comfortable there to. Conversely, if you are having difficulty wading and fishing a spot, the fish may have trouble holding there too.
Proper Techniques
You can effectively fly fish for steelhead and salmon in many different ways, from indicator and nymph to dead drifting a dry fly. I find that the most common way to fly angle would be the down-and-across swing. By casting across the river at a slightly downstream angle will allow the angler to fish the fly all the way back towards the bank of the river. This technique ensures that you are thoroughly covering the run that you are fishing. Typically an angler would start at the top of a run and systematically cast and step their way through the run until they reach the tail-out. If no fish are caught, the angler moves on to the next likely spot where they will start this routine again.
Water temperature will play a big part in determining how fast you should fish down the run and how deep and fast you will need to fish your fly. A general rule would be to fish fast and near the surface if the water temp is in the 50 to 60 degree Fahrenheit range. In this range the fish are most willing to move a long way to take a fly. If the water temperature is colder or warmer they tend to get very lethargic. So the angler must slow down and fish the fly deeper with a sink tip line in order to slow the fly down and put it closer to the fish because they will not be willing to move very far to take the fly. The angler can also use a downstream mend to speed up the fly's swing or an upstream mend to slow the fly's swing. After the initial mend, allow the fly to swing all the way down below you without any further interruption. At the end of the swing, let the fly hang for a few seconds ( this is called the dangle ). Often the fish will chase a fly right into shallow water and hit it after the fly stops on the dangle.
Fly Selection
There are many different flies to choose from, ranging from egg patterns and nymphs to dry flies and streamers. So the choice is up to you.
Steelhead and salmon are not actively feeding once they enter fresh water. However, they are known to feed opportunistically. Most likely, they will be attacking the fly out of sheer curiosity and territorial aggression. I find that very buggy and life like flies work very well when swung. Egg patterns and nymphs work great when the water temperatures are cold and the angler is using a dead drift just like when fishing for trout. When the water temperature is warmer, the angler has the option to fish a dry fly by skating it across the current. This presentation is the same as the wet fly swing, but the fly will be waking on the surface. The fish will grab the fly with a big crashing rise! I would say the most important part of picking your fly is to be confident in your choice and fish the fly well.
Proper presentation is always more important than fly selection. (photo: steelhead and salmon flies tied by Andrew Redmont. Aaron Goodis)
Fish a Lot…Then Fish Some More
When fishing for salmon and steelhead, persistence is key. Stay on one or two of your favorite rivers and fish them a lot. Get to know that river intimately. Stay focused and confident. Keep the fly in the water.
Don't worry about blasting out huge casts. Make every cast count and stay focused. Fishing for salmon and steelhead with the fly can be very challenging, but also very rewarding! (photo: Fall run steelhead. Andrew Redmont)
(photo: James Whalen releases prize steelhead back into the Buckley River. Aaron Goodis)
