How to Handle High Flows for Winter Steelhead

Well, low clear water conditions are gone now replaced with flooding rivers. The forecast looks good for the week ahead with river dropping and clearing.  This quick article talks about how to handle high flows for winter steelhead.

Winter steelhead are in about all our NW rivers now and March is prime time to find bigger wild steelhead. Expect to find fish in the Kilches, Nestucca, Wilson, Clackamas and Sandy as water levels drop.

How fast they drop and clear is dependent on the drainage. As rivers transition from brown to that beautiful steelhead green is often when the best fishing is.

How to Handle High Flows for Winter Steelhead- what water to look for.

Fishing on the transition from high and muddy water to that “perfect” green colored water is a timing thing and can still present difficulties to the fly angler. Depending on the section of river you are fishing determines how you need to approach it. One thing is typical with this timing- steelhead are moving and can be very aggressive!

How to Handle High Flows for Winter Steelhead – What Rigging do I need?

Getting the fly down about mid-column is the goal in these conditions and having the right flyline/sinktip and fly combo is key. Some runs that are wide and even bottom depths that taper off to softer flows where you are wading you’ll find a T11 and either weighted or unweighted fly is enough. Other runs still have the velocity and push with the higher flows that require a different approach to get the fly deeper. In this water try the Pickpocket line by RIO. I like this with a T11 and a weighted fly. You could also go with at T14 and an unweighted fly depending on the flow. If you are snagging up a lot you’ll know pretty quick if your setup is too heavy.

Swing speed is important, especially when the water is high.  Swing it too fast and your fly is nowhere near the fish.  Too slow and you’ll be snagging the bottom.  Mend, hold for a moment letting the line straighten then steer the fly line across in a smooth even swing speed.  The fly needs to move fast enough to stay off the bottom but slow enough to be getting down half the depth.

To see if your fly, flyline/sinktip are the right choice for the water conditions you are fishing try using the “Sink Tip Test”  you can see how to do the sink tip test in our ebook:  “5 Steps for Winter Spey Success”

How to Handle High Flows for Winter Steelhead- What Flies do I use?

This week, as the rivers started to color up, we had great success on the Crandall’s Promise Keeper. That combo of cerise and black shows up well in water with 3-4′ of visibility.

With reduced visibility in the water I like to use flies that are bright and show up from a distance.  The better fish can see them the more likely you’ll get the grab.  Another great pattern for these conditions is Crandall’s Guides Choice.  This fly was developed just for these kind of conditions.

We hope these tips help you find more success on the water this winter!  If you’d like private lessons or to attend one of our classes you can see more info here:  Water Time Outfitters Classes.

To book a guided fly fishing trip with us click here:  Water Time Outfitters – Guided Trips

Wherever your travels take you this week- wishing you the best of luck on the water!