Now that I live in this neck of the woods Ive been trying to figure out away to fish for steelhead. Bad thing is Steelhead dont exist over here. I would have to go south a good ways to find any.

The good thing is Pend Orielle Lake is very close by and it has a very large population of Very large Kamloops. From what I have heard and seen in pictures they avarage betwwen 10 and 20 lbs with some fish over the 30#mark.

THe other good thing is that the largest trib to the lake, the Clark Fork River is the major spawning trib for these fish and it is open for catch and release from December through May.

Ive done a little research and contacted some people from the department of Idaho Fish and Wildlife. They told me that population of the Kamloops is unknown but it is in the tens of thousands. THe lake is the 5th largest in the United States so im sure it has a large population. They told me that peak spawning is April and May with fish running up river to stage from Feb to April.

The hard part has been finding information on how to target these fish in the river. The one thing I have found out is that nobody does it. Ive asked around and people say they never thought about it. It may be because it is pretty cold in Winter around here avarage 20's and low 30's, and the river is big 4,000 to 7,000 CFS throught the winter. Other than that I have no idea.

I think Im gonna try winter steelhead gear techniques on em to see it it would work. If Im still here by then

What do you guys thinK, think it might work

ANy suggestions

Rich-
I wish I could be of more help but I do know that in many lake-run rainbow fisheries, steelhead like techniques work but the presentation is less gaudy and a little more natural than what is found on your typical OP winter steelhead river.

So avoid the rags and pinks worms...

Last I heard that fishery was on the decline because of the season on the river . I would think the hours per fish caught would be better two hours to the south.Wawaii with a float, jig and a good(fnf cured) srimp is doing good NOW.

Some very close friends own a large acreage in Idaho through which a major Kamloops spawning tributary flows. They protect these fish as best they can by chasing the idiots who sneak onto their land to fish for them away, sometimes at gunpoint. Repeat offenders are prosecuted for criminal trespass.

I can assure you that they are much more fun to catch in the lake when they are bright and tasty in the summer and fall.

If you want to target large rainbows staging on their spawning beds then fish the Sauk or another up river special opener in March and April.