well, i hope the the following advice helps, these are some rules of thumb that have helped me catch steel head: before i make my first cast I walk the river looking for:

1. 3' to 9' of water that is moving at the speed of a brisk walk
2. i like to fish inside corners of the river & the seams between and beside the riffles & behind any Vee in the water or in the middle of slow roils caused by rocks or changes in the ground under the water and behind any rocks you see in the water
4. i use the least amount of weight that i can & still feel the lead peeping along the bottom
5. i use smaller baits, smallest corkies w/dime size eggs
6. if the river is rising, i stay home
7. lastly, my favorite steel head method is jig & bobber