Here is what I do for steelheading off the beach. This is not the only set up to do, but it seems to be a very successfull way to set up for catching those steelhead. There must be quite a few beaches untapped for getting steelhead, and probably a few more ways to do it. The biggest thing that people do wrong is use tooooo long a leader or reel tooooo fast.

2/0 hooks with beads in - between, helps keep the hooks straight during the cast to prevent tangles, especially in windy days. This is a long set up so your hooks often tangle up on the spin-glo or line during the cast, but set up this way it hardly ever happens. I used to use 1/0, but you hardly ever lose a fish that hits it with bigger hooks, so why go smaller, as the fish don't nibble it, they grab, hold on, then turn all in one smooth motion.



The skirt



I put a decent sized bead, then corky, cheater, or whatever you have above the hooks and into the skirt, keeps the skirt from being pulled to low over the hooks, where the hooks are in this set up counts a lot.



Then two beads, first you have to look at the size of the hole on the skirt as this varies sometimes, use a bead just big enought to not slide through to top of the skirt, then a second bead, make sure it is smooth so the spin - n - glo will actually spin smoothly. Then on top of the spin n glo, another bead or small corkie. The bead or small corky on top is to keep seawead and sand from getting into the spin n glo and prevent it from spinning. Make sure to check for seaweed every cast because even the small stuff gets wedged down through the top corky or bead, then into the spin n glo and will keep it from spinning, and sometimes you don't notice it's on your line unless you look fairly closely.

This is what it looks like complete, notice the hooks do not go below the skirt, this again is to prevent them from tangling up during the cast, less tangles, more true fishing time.





The whole thing seperated so you can see it.



The weight set up, this is the least important, but too long of a slinky or lead again tangles up, catches more seaweed, and is a pain to cast, especially in a breeze. I started using these weight from 3/8 to 3/4 oz and have had more success, why, not totally sure, but it coincidence or not, I'm sticking with this weight set up. Then a 3 to 3.5 foot leader and your good, I use 20 pound or 15 pound as the fish are not leader shy and the heavier stuff leads to less line twists and tangles....see a theme here?



Then clip the barbs and off to the beach.

The only thing ya gotta remember is to check your hooks for sharpness and you knots at the swivel for wear as the sand and gravel erode it down, but if you are not draging it through the bottom, you are not fishing properly.


When I set my rod against the car and put my coat on, just looking at this set up gets me excited and warm all over. Kinda true actually.



By the way, didn't catch any today, oh well.