| One reason jigs have become so popular is their ease | | | | float and jig a little with each cast. Once you see |
| of use. You find a place you want to fish. You | | | | your float bouncing and stopping again reel in, shorten |
| determine the depth of the hole your fishing. Then | | | | the distance between your float, and jig by about a |
| adjust your float to that depth and you are fishing. | | | | foot. You are now drift the hole it what I call the |
| It is a good idea to use a longer steelhead rod then | | | | strike zone. |
| you may normally. I like rods in the eight to ten foot | | | | Once you have, the depth set you can start fishing |
| range. The longer rod allows me to keep the line | | | | in earnest. Make sure you cover the entire drift buy |
| from my float to my rod tip out of the current and | | | | make three or four cast in the same location. Then |
| presents a more natural drift. You can use the | | | | Cast out a foot or two farther for three or four |
| shorter rods though I use shorter rods in the smaller | | | | cast. You will want to continue this until you are sure |
| steams that I fish. They are easier for me to control | | | | that you have covered all of the fishable water. It is |
| especially when the bank is grown over with willows | | | | important that you make a cast in the same location |
| and other shrubs. I also like to use a swivel and a | | | | four three or four times. Steelhead will often just |
| lighter leader so if I do hang up I do not lose my | | | | ignore your jig the first time that it passes them. |
| float along with my jig. | | | | When it keeps floating by, they are likely to hit it just |
| Say the hole has long seam where fast and slow | | | | because it is bothering them. |
| currents come together. You estimated the water to | | | | Steelhead fishing has a complex quantity of rules and |
| be five feet deep. Then adjust your float so that | | | | you will learn that many of them work. However, |
| your jig is four feet below your float when it hits the | | | | you will find that not all of them work all the time. It |
| bobber stop and you are ready. Cast your line | | | | is a good idea if you are fish a drift that you know |
| up-steam out where the seam of the faster current | | | | has steelhead in it and you have not gotten any |
| mingles with the slower current and simply let the | | | | strikes that you change things up. You may want to |
| current drift your jig down through the hole. Keep an | | | | try some type of attractant. Try adding a small |
| eye on your float if it is stopping or bouncing as it | | | | spawn sack, maybe a small piece of shrimp, or even |
| drifts you will need to reduce the depth at which you | | | | one of the many scents that are available today. |
| are fishing. If you see this happening, you should reel | | | | Change colors and the size of your jigs if your old |
| in and make this adjustment before you snag up. Jigs | | | | faithful jig is not working. |
| like to find a rock and I am sure that they crawl | | | | There will be times where for what ever reason the |
| under them just so you will not be able to cast them | | | | steelhead are suspend in the river and not hanging on |
| back out again. Make sure you adjust them so they | | | | the bottom like normal show do not be afraid of |
| do not get a chance to hang or you will be tying on | | | | raising your jig off the bottom if you are not having |
| a new jig. | | | | any luck fishing deep. |
| Most of the time when jig fishing you don't need to | | | | As with any new technique, it may take you a while |
| be right on the bottom. Steelhead will move up quite | | | | to master it. Be persistent and give this technique an |
| a distance to take a jig. If you feel that, you are | | | | honest try it works and works well for many |
| drifting over the top of the steelhead and not getting | | | | Steelhead anglers. Once you realize how productive |
| strikes. You can lengthen the distance between you | | | | fishing a jig is you too will be hooked. |