| With the colder nights and that first frost brings forth | | | | indicator simply put on a indicator or small trout |
| the beginning of steelhead season in Pennsylvania. For | | | | bobber about 6 foot up the leader then attach some |
| many anglers the arrival of the steelhead in creeks | | | | weight 2 BB sinkers or 1 3/0 sinker about a foot |
| like Walnut, Elk, and 20 Mile brings a sense of | | | | above the fly. You will need to move your indicator |
| excitement that is unmatched by other forms of | | | | up and down your leader to find the depth of the |
| fishing in the state. Steelhead Salmon are an | | | | water. To get a true dead drift your indicator should |
| extremely powerful fish that can make the drag on a | | | | stand straight up and down and not have the |
| reel scream and push your rod to it's limits. | | | | appearance of dragging the bottom. (This is easier |
| | | | said then done; there are all types of indicators to |
| Now how do you go about fishing for these silver | | | | help with getting a true dead drift) |
| bullets? There are several techniques but the most | | | | |
| common forms in Pennsylvania are fly fishing and | | | | Dead Drifting without an indicator - This is my |
| drift fishing. In this article we'll go into detail on how | | | | favorite way to fish for steelhead! I use this method |
| to fish for steelhead in the Pennsylvania streams and | | | | on the larger streams of Pennsylvania and New York |
| what streams to fish in Pennsylvania. | | | | with great success and you can't beat the strike you |
| | | | get when a steelhead slams your fly while it is |
| Fly Fishing | | | | swinging or at the end of the drift. You can use this |
| | | | technique whether you are fishing egg patterns, |
| First, lets talk about fly fishing and what type of | | | | streamers, or nymphs and is extremely versatile in |
| gear you will need to have to tackle these fish. The | | | | any type of water depth or current. |
| following is a list of commonly used fly fishing | | | | First, You need to have a leader and tippet any |
| equipment for fishing for steelhead in the PA | | | | where from 10 to 15 feet depending on the size of |
| streams. | | | | the creek you are fishing. If fishing Elk Creek or |
| | | | Walnut creek in Erie, PA you will want to keep your |
| Gear | | | | leader around 10 to 11 feet. Next, depending on the |
| Fly Rod = 7 to 8 weight rod from 9 to 10 foot | | | | depth of the water you want to put a sinker any |
| Fly Reel = Any fly reel with a good drag. Large | | | | where from 3 feet to 6 feet up your line. The sinker |
| arbor fly reels are preferred, they pick up the fly line | | | | should be a single 3/0, 7, or 5 depending on the |
| a lot faster and tend to have a better drag system. | | | | depth and speed of the water. Finally, you should |
| Fly Line = 7 to 9 weight forward floating fly line | | | | cast your fly upstream at about 1 to 2 o'clock then |
| Leader = Taper leader from 20 to 15 to 10 pound | | | | mend your line upstream immediately then get your |
| test leader material then connect 8 to 6 pound | | | | fly rod high in the air then let it drift and then swing |
| fluorocarbon as a tippet. If water is clear use 6 then | | | | through to the end of the drift. Don't pull the fly out |
| 4 pound fluorocarbon as tippet. | | | | of the water to quickly to cast again let it hang for a |
| | | | few seconds. Some of the most incredible hits are at |
| Flies | | | | the end of the drift. If you prefect this technique |
| Egg Patterns = Sucker Spawn, Blood Dots, Crystal | | | | you will have some of the most fun days you have |
| Meth Flies, Estez EggsSizes - 12, 14, 16 size nymph | | | | ever had fishing for steelhead. |
| hooks 2X strong or 8 or 10 live bait (egg hook) | | | | |
| Streamers = Egg Sucking Leech, Wooly Buggers, | | | | Spin Fishing with a Drift Rod |
| Crystal BuggersSizes - 2, 4, 8, 10 salmon hooks or | | | | |
| streamer hooks | | | | One of the most effective techniques of fishing the |
| Nymphs = Stone Flies, Prince Nymphs, Hairs Ears | | | | tributaries of Lake Erie is fishing with bait and a dead |
| NymphsSizes - 10, 12, 14 size nymph hooks 2X | | | | drift rod. I have seen more fish caught on skein, egg |
| strong | | | | sacs, and minnows than any other technique. Fishing |
| | | | with bait you can consistently catch steelhead and 20 |
| Fly Fishing Techniques | | | | plus fish days are not uncommon when the fish are |
| | | | running. |
| Dead drifting with an indicator - To dead drift with a | | | | |