| Winter trout or steelhead fishing in North America | | | | from the lures you cast. Since some fish would try to |
| should be a carefully crafted endeavor. This is the | | | | take advantage of the "free" food that you are |
| time when the fish are starting to migrate upstream | | | | providing. |
| for their yearly spawning ritual. If you miss this run, | | | | On the subject of lures, some of the best ones are |
| you have to wait for the next nine months to get | | | | the colorful lures and the ones that simulate fish fry |
| your chance to land a 7-pound beauty again. The one | | | | or amphibian eggs. These supposedly exposed and |
| thing about steelhead migrations in North America is | | | | unguarded treasures are considered "easy pickings" |
| that these are almost never set by the conventional | | | | for the weary steelhead. You are most likely to gain |
| calendar. | | | | more bites with these as compared to live worm |
| Very often, migration run starts two weeks before | | | | bait. You can cast your fishing lures using two ways. |
| or after last year's schedule. So for the winter | | | | One, you can cast on the surface of the water, |
| steelhead fishing enthusiast, it really pays to be | | | | imitating the movements of insects. And two, you |
| prepared and ready to go during the months of | | | | can cast on the bottom of a shallow area, imitating |
| March, April and May. The best places to fish for | | | | the movement of smaller underwater creatures. |
| winter steelhead trout are the rivers of Sauk, Skagit | | | | Also, the time of day is essential if you want to |
| and Skokomish in Washington, DC. | | | | catch as many steelheads as possible. At the earliest |
| However, it takes more than just sitting on the | | | | light, you are bound to find fish resting very near the |
| riverbanks and freezing your tootsies off before you | | | | shore, under slowly moving waters. There is no need |
| could actually coax the steelhead to bite. Unless you | | | | to wade waist-deep in the water because this will |
| have the energy to pan the entire river of your | | | | only spook the fish away. Try casting your lines on |
| choice, you need to find the best areas where you | | | | the river banks, particularly in shallower ponds where |
| can cast your fly fishing lures. First, try to gauge the | | | | there is a rock outcropping or two. Some steelheads |
| strength of the water. Areas that are especially | | | | take shelter under these outcroppings in the night |
| moving will yield you poor catches since the | | | | and will most likely come out to hunt as soon as |
| steelhead will probably not want to stay and feed in | | | | daylight surfaces. |
| that area. | | | | During the greater part of the day, the trout will |
| At the same time, if the waters are too quiet, the | | | | most likely remain in the deeper part of the river, |
| steelheads will also not linger there since food and | | | | where there is a stronger current. Coaxing the fish to |
| oxygen would be low in that particular patch. Try to | | | | approach shallow areas would be a waste of time. If |
| find someplace where there is more activity and | | | | most of your quarry moves to another patch of |
| where you will find a lot more fish lingering to feed. | | | | water, it would be easier just to follow them instead. |
| This way, you have about 80% of getting a bite | | | | |