For me it's not whether the fish are summer or winter steelhead. It depends on water conditions, mainly water temperature, and seasons. The water is invariably cold when winter steelhead are in, and I want my fly within one or two feet of the bottom. In the early summer season, water temperatures are often no higher than 48*F, so I still fish winter style - deep sunk fly. I don't know of any summer runs taken on the surface in WA coastal waters in early June.

The right place to fish for summer runs varies. I've seen occasions in Sept. when a surface fly outproduces a deep sunk fly 5:1. In that same month I've seen the deep sunk fly outproduce surface flies by 3:1 or more. If steelhead will rise, I'd rather catch them on the surface, so at certain times I will carry both a floating line and sink tip line and fish through a run first on the surface and follow through with the sink tip if the floater doesn't produce. And then there are times when I just want to do it how I want to do it, and fish a floating line all week, knowing that I'm catching fewer fish and am OK with that.

Sg