Catching the Elusive Steelhead

Steelhead trout are an evasive kind of fish largely due to the extreme weather conditions that they seem to thrive in as well as their unusually unpredictable spawning cycles. In order to catch these magnificent fish, you need to be prepared with the right fishing gear and the right knowledge to get started.

Fishing Gear

If you intend on catching some large steelhead, you may want to consider the use of a two-handed fishing rod instead of the more conventional rods. Choose one that is at least 9 feet in length and be sure the weight of your fishing line is between 7 and 9. Two handed rods can reach as long as 15 feet.

Fly-Patterns

Conventional salmon streamers will typically get rather good results with steelhead since they are both so closely related. Nymphs and egg patterns will also produce positive results as well. Many of the most coveted steelhead flies consist of the egg sucking leech, Kaufman’s Stone and the woolly bugger. However, your best bet would always be to stop in to a local bait and tackle store for the latest water conditions and fly patterns since no one will know the fishing conditions better than someone who lives and fishes locally.

Fishing Upstream

If you are fishing in a river that meets with the ocean, these fish will start to head for the streams immediately following the season’s first big storms. As soon as the sandbars begin to break free, the fish will be able to get to the areas that will take them right to their spawning locations as they start to head upstream. The best method is to follow the path of the steelhead beginning at the mouth of the river and onward upstream to the spawning areas and back. Fish will usually be facing upstream so if you are fishing from behind them, they are less likely to be spooked.

Move

If you aren’t having any luck in a particular area, move on. Steelhead will often hold to one spot so if you are not getting any bites after you cast your lure a few times, continue on upstream until you start to get some action. Steelhead will often linger in stacks around pools so once you have a bite, you are likely to get another real soon.

Release

Steelhead will usually head back to the ocean once they have completed their spawn. For this reason, it is usually a good idea to return your fish to the water so that they can continue with the spawning cycle.

On days when you are unable to make it out to the water, try out some great online fishing games to keep yourself entertained and your skills sharp.

How To Smoke Fish

So now that you have gone fishing and caught your fish you are ready to fry them up the same old way you always have while wishing that you knew how to smoke your fish instead. In order to smoke fish, you will need to stock up on a few pieces of equipment such as a Big or Little Chief smokehouse. Once you have this, the sky is the limit.

* Begin by sectioning the fish, splitting it along the backbone. Remove as many smaller bones as you can along with any ragged edges and blood. Now cut the remaining pieces into small chunks and rinse.

* Either purchase a pre-made brine or you can create your own by starting with warm water in a ½ quart. Dissolve either your own seasonings or that of the brine into this water and then add another ½ quart of water that is this time, cold. Place the chunks of fish into the mixture and submerge them completely in a bowl that is either stainless steel or glass. The bowl should never be aluminum. Let the chunks soak in your refrigerator between 4 and 6 hours for chunks that are rather thin and 8 to 12 hours for thicker chunks. You can cut the soaking time down significantly if you meat had been frozen as this helps the meat to absorb much more quickly.

* After they are done marinating, remove the pieces from the brine and rinse them once again in cool water. Put them onto paper towels in order to pat the pieces dry. Leave them sitting to air dry for at least an hour before putting them into your smokehouse.

* Now load the fish pieces onto the grills of your smokehouse and place the racks in, closing the lid. Plug in the cord to the smokehouse and you are almost finished.

* Fill up the flavor pan that comes with your smokehouse and place it into the door of the heating element. A pan that has enough fuel will begin to smoke in as little as 20 minutes, lasting around 45 minutes. It will take around two or three rounds before the process is complete. You will then want to empty out the pan and put it back into the door so that you can just use the heat of the smokehouse to complete the process of curing.

On days when you are unable to make it out to the water, try out some great online fishing games to stay sharp. It is also a very good idea to keep on top of your fishing gear tips to make sure your experience on the water is with the most appropriate equipment.

Fishing For Crappie Using Flies

One of the most captivating kinds of fly fishing is crappie fishing. When it comes to crappie fishing, both dry and wet flies are perfect for catching your fish. Dry flies work best on days that are rather calm, still or sunny. Once insects begin to hatch, smaller surface feeding fish are great candidates for using your dry fly. As long as you are sure that the color of your fly is similar to the natural prey that the crappie are feeding on, these flies should have no problem helping you with your crappie fishing duties.

You will also notice that you get the best results when fly fishing if you are using streamers and nymphs. Both of these lures are fished beneath the surface of the water. On days when the weather or water seems a bit rough, these are the perfect lures to pull out of your arsenal.

During the spring, crappie will begin to head for water that is shallower. Unfortunately, this means that they will usually be more easily spooked. If this is the case, using a fly is optimal due to its lightness in weight as this will mean it will cause less commotion while also appear lifelike.

On the hot summer days, try either wading or boating in order to fly fish. Find your way into areas of the lake that are dense with weeds, brush and other vegetation as this is where crappie will tend to linger in warmer weather.

Never be too anxious to catch a fish, however. Crappie are smart animals and they will often nudge or brush up against a fly before taking a bite so that they can determine whether or not the bait is worth a try. Wait until you are sure that you have a fish on the line before you set your hook.

Fishing during the night for crappie can also be another exciting form of crappie fishing. Use a latern in order to attract mosquitoes which will also attract insect hunting baitfish. You can also float or submerge a waterproof light in order to ensure that you are attracting both crappie as well as baitfish. You can fish at night from shore, a boat or even from the edge of a dock and still have success as long as you have a light source along with you to attract what attract your fish.

On days when you are unable to make it out to the water, try out some great online fishing games to keep you entertained.

Fall Crappie Fishing Tips

It is not uncommon for many fishermen to begin to pack up their fishing reels and other fishing gear as soon as fall hits. This is a mistake as crappie fishing can be extremely exciting as soon as the weather begins to cool. Many times, it can even be more productive than any other season since there are significantly less people occupying the rivers and lakes which means less noise to scare off the fish.

Crappie fishing in the fall has been discouraged by anglers due to the fact that these fish tend to scatter at this time of year making it a little more difficult to locate them. During the fall, the temperature of the water will usually even out and become the same temperature in all depths. Since the oxygen levels also increase at this time, crappie are free to linger about at any depth they choose.

Crappie fishing tips for the fall are somewhat different than you might be accustomed to for the warmer months. You will need to know which kinds of baits will work the best for this time of year. Many anglers will agree that a crappie cannot pass up a minnow. Since fall is when they will be storing up for the winter, you may want to stock up on minnows for your fall fishing.

You will always want to keep the length of your artificial lures fewer than 3 inches in length. If you would instead like to fish using live bait, stick with crayfish or worms making sure to keep them as active as possible in a cooler.

Crappie can generally be caught at any time, night or day however, the best times when they are most likely to be active themselves are usually going to be in between the late evening and early morning hours. Sometimes shining a light will lure the crappie right to you as lights also attract insects and bait fish that the fish will settle for as well.

If you happen to be fishing in a low visibility area, your best bet when choosing your fishing gear is to select lures that make a sound. The sound vibrations will travel through the water and render your fish curious.

If however, you are fishing in water that is rather clear, smaller jigs, spoons, bladebaits and crappie plugs will all get a reaction from the fish. If you want to keep it simple though, always stick with minnows and jigs. Crappie fishing in the fall isn’t as hard as it seems. All it takes is a little patience and technique.