OK, all you swingers (particularly those who have hooked more than two or three steelhead while swinging flies):

At what point in the swing do you get most of your takes? Personally, I only have a few fish to speak to, but only one has taken my fly while it was traveling through the swing. Each of the others took at some oddball time, catching me completely off guard.

Most of what I have read says that steelhead usually take a swing presentation right after the line comes under tension and begins the swing (or else on the hang-down at the end of the swing). I have had a couple take on the hang-down. One was while I was stripping my line back in to cast, about 15 feet below where I was standing. Anyway, it seems to me that I hook more steelhead as soon as the fly starts coming toward the surface than at any other point, whether swinging or nymphing. Perhaps I am only encountering aggressive fish?

FleaFlickr02,

Most of the steelhead that I have succesfully hooked on a swung fly have come in between the start of the swing and as my fly nears the hang down. The fish that I have lost usually have been on the hang down.

Regards,

Andrew

I have had fish take the fly throughout the swing but most often within the first 15 feet or so after it hits the water.

Assuming across river is Noon and Hangdown is 3 vast majority of my swing strikes come between 1 n 2oclock. Once fly gets low n is moving slow seems to be the zone for me...tight lines.

Ugh... guess I deserved that for posting something with "hit it" in the subject line....

Somebody needs to pinch the barb on KK's fly - he's gettin dangerous.

My .02 - most of my winter/spring fish come in the last bit of the swing as it slows before the hangdown. Summer fish can be anywhere, and are often just as/after the fly comes under tension in the early part of the swing.

Hey Flea - ever fish the Skykomish?

Tight Lines!

Brian

Well, for me it has usually been...

Oh wait, just saw that bit about "more than two or three fish"

I am out

Comming from a guy whos been swing for steelies for 20 years, never hooked one on a bobber and jig, The take is going to come when you have your fly properly positioned in the water for some people that happens quickly in the swing some it happens later. the other key part is the water that you are attempting to fish. If your casting to 20ft of water and where your standing is 4ft your prob going to hook up closer to the bottom of the swing, if you are fishing a flat where the depth is pretty constant but are fishing more rocks or depressions the take can be high. It still comes down to being able to present the fly properly, the best analogy i give my clients is do everything you can to present the fly as closely to the way a boat presents a plug. Big bellies in your line at the top of the swing will typically gurantee no fish high and if not fix quickly in the middle. Hope this helps.
P.S. its in the hundreds of fish.

FleaFlickr02,

I've only done a little bit of drift fishing, but my experience was the same as described in Bill Luch's book about steelhead drift fishing. Just as the bait or lure shifts from drifting straight downstream and begins to swing across stream is when the majority of bites occur. That has also been my experience in fly fishing. I begin my cast with putting the fly across what I think is the zone, mending and creating slack while the fly sinks, and then just as the fly reaches its maximum depth and begins to swing across stream is when the majority of hits occur.

That said, I've had steelhead hit the moment my fly hit the water and on a long hang down and every point in between. But you did ask about where most of the takes occur, and that transition point is the place. I speculate that it has something to do with the dead drifting fly suddenly coming to life and moving against (across) the current instead of continuing the dead drift.

Sg

Brian -

Haven't fished the Sky, for the same reason I haven't fished the Skagit/Sauk system, which is that I have never been further north in Washington than about Kirkland. I have always wanted to fish the Sky, but I haven't gotten around to it, as there has always been plenty of opportunity closer to home to keep me busy. As time goes by and we hear fewer and fewer good reports, I am beginning to wonder if I will have a chance to fish it before it is closed....

Thanks to all for your input. There's some good insight to be found throughout the thread. In the end, however, it looks like the answer to this question (like so many regarding fly fishing for steelhead) is less than conclusive.

It's always interesting (and sometimes frustrating, assuming you're trying to learn something the easy way) to see how much of everyone's fishing "knowledge" is based on personal experience and just how much that experience varies among anglers. I think this is a big part of what makes fishing so fun and so confounding all at the same time.

Now THAT is some funny cheit!

+2

Look at the bright side KK, you didnt break a spey rod yesterday. A big improvment from our last Skagit fly outting...