Steel Head

springking · **Joined:** Tue Aug 24, 2010 11:21 am **Posts:** 49

Is there any summer steelhead in any rivers or winter?

salmonslayer · **Joined:** Mon Sep 28, 2009 7:34 am **Posts:** 286

November,for running steelhead.Stamp river is good in november.Cowichan river on the fly in nov.I go after the salmon runs settle a bit.And the water level gets up a bit but not to high.Watch for clarity,if the water is really clear you will have trouble sneaking up on them.The first part of the cowichan by the lake is fly only.I fly fish.The rest is open to gear but no bait.Check regs before you go.Ss out

Jwolfe · **Joined:** Sun Aug 29, 2010 2:34 am **Posts:** 20

Try the stamp after the springs stop spawning ,here the numbers are deas this year, try pink egg with a lil white wool good luck

Fishaholic · **Posted:** Wed Oct 20, 2010 8:32 pm

Winters....not yet.
Summers yes lots. Go have a look.
Thinkin I have an itch to scratch and might have to take care of that on Sunday... Ill have to take the cam and with a little luck have a pic to throw up

Moisture Missile · **Joined:** Mon Jul 20, 2009 12:53 pm **Posts:** 1266

and I'm out to do some hunting .... :twisted:

summer steel · **Joined:** Thu Jul 23, 2009 12:27 am **Posts:** 227

Summer run steelhead season is definitely in full swing on the Stamp......The chinook are spawning everywhere & there are piles & piles of eggs washing down stream in the high water. The springs are starting to die off now, so they aren't harassing the steelhead as much anymore....coho are still mostly holding below the Ash, but are starting to show up more & more every day. The steelhead are spread out all the way from above the lagoon down to Money's. They are just stuffing themselves with any & all eggs that wash down to the point of throwing them up when you hook them. We've got some great underwater footage of a fish thrashing around & puking eggs all over the place. Been out with Nick a few times now & have been getting 15-20 every time out. Presentation is definitely the key in this fishery....we have been using a single egg with just a tuft of peach wool on a #2 or 4 red Gamakatsu with 8-10lb test on a 30-36" leader. The trick is to let the egg drag along the bottom so it looks as natural as possible....we have been sight fishing a lot of these fish & it is amazing to see them actually dig the egg out of the gravel & chew on it. They are super aggressive & very active right now....the next six weeks is definitely the best time of the year to catch steelhead. We have been getting some nice fish since the beginning of August with a lot of the bigger fish seeming to come in early. I know the natives released a few hogs from their nets while sockeye fishing in July & one for sure that was over 20lbs ( WILD

) that died while they were trying to revive it. Full credit to the FN's....they released quite a few steelhead unharmed when they didn't have to. The only draw back to all this good fortune is the high water.....the river is way up & there is supposed to be another 100mm or so of rain in the next few days. Shore access is pretty limited, but the spots that you can get to should have a few fish sitting close by. For all those thinking of floating the river....please....use extreme caution. The Stamp is a very dangerous river when it is running this high & should only be attempted by the very experienced who know the river very well. Places like the big rapid below the hatchery run, the Ash confluence & the long rapids above Shannon's Creek are running very fast right now & command a lot of respect. Anyone considering the trip should at the very least try & walk as much of the shore trails as possible to try & get a first hand look at what you will be up against. Even better would to be to hire a guide & drift the entire section you want to do so you can see exactly what is in store for you. Taking pictures and/or video would be an invaluable tool in planning any trip safely.Either way, now is the time to get out there & have some fun with these hard fighting fish. 8-)

Tasteless · **Joined:** Thu Aug 20, 2009 1:55 am **Posts:** 164

Great pics thank you for sharing summer steel.

Random question, are summer run usually smaller than winter run steelies in general?

summer steel · **Joined:** Thu Jul 23, 2009 12:27 am **Posts:** 227

That's a tough question....I'm gonna say no, based on the number of summer & winter runs we've caught over the years, the size difference between the two runs has been minimal. I was going over some of my pics from the last 5 years, & there are a lot of good size fish from both runs. That combined with what I've seen at the hatchery for brood stock over the years, I would have to say the difference in percentage of big fish would be pretty close.......definitely not a big number in favor of one or the other.

Tasteless · **Joined:** Thu Aug 20, 2009 1:55 am **Posts:** 164

Ah right on thanks for the answer.

Bugchucker · **Joined:** Wed Oct 27, 2010 6:34 pm **Posts:** 11

Nice fish man

Steel Head

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