Anyone have any luck backbouncing bait for steelhead. My fishing buddy and I have been having this discussion for awhile now. He says it won't work for native steelhead. I think it will. I use this technique quite successfully for fall salmon. I can't seem to get it out of my system while side drifting. I have a tendency to cast downstream at 45 degrees and bounce down into the hole.

Am I way off base? Anyone else have any luck backbouncing for steelhead? I did manage to land a couple of down fish over the weekend using this technique!

It can be very effective for Steelhead.... Go for it!!!

It can be very effective for Steelhead.... Go for it!!!

It works great!! I was first turned on to it in the Toutle River canyon in the middle 70's. The method has worked on every system I have done it on, both in the boat and out! Of course your weight adjustment is cridical and a sliding weight. (there goes another tip) Oh by the way the Toutle had THREE runs of Steehead. Winter,(no the winter nates were not the spring fish)Spring and Summer runs.Each one was a distink run to this system.( the Kalama has the same) I use to float the Toutle Canyon. You knew you would catch fish you just didn't know how many or how big. THE TOUTLE HAD FRESH FISH IN THE SYSTEM 365 DAYS A YEAR!!!!! The Green was another story. The silvers were great biters also. I won't even mention Kid valley. I am sorry for rambling on. To tell you the truth I cried when it went down. I have never been back since.

------------------
Tight Lines!!

Hear that Rob? See you soon!

I'm disappointed this topic did not raise the same level of conversation of say, hook type or brand of mono. Some observations from the past 15 years of river fishing.....

I was always under the impression that steelhead wanted the bait presented in a natural drift. I have fished with some fishermen that were very good with salmon, but didn't have the same luck with steelhead. We used the same mainline, leader material, hooks, and bait, but their catch ratios were less. The only difference was the size of their weight. I used to tease them buy saying it looked like they were "Drift Plunking".

I would fish with those same guys for salmon and they consistently kick my butt. With this observation in mind it seems to me that salmon like a slower presentation and steelhead like something alittle more natural. One thing for sure is that the next time I'm drifting for salmon I will be sure to increase the size of the weight.

One last note......I cannot recall a single time that I have witnessed someone backbouncing for steelhead. Hope to hear some other perspectives on this issue.

Tight lines.

I'll agree with everything Dick said. Sums it up in a nutshell. By the way Dick was the E.F. the river to get the earlist "springers" you know summer runs...

It does work very well. A little lighter lead and longer lighter steelhead leader (10# +or-) and U can take them in colored, fast, or even real clear water. In fact, backbouncing works with a large variety of fish. I even heard about a guy from San Francisco that backbounced literally. He apparently put on scuba gear w/ a real heavy weight belt and layed on the bottom of the Columbia somewhere below Bonniville Dam. Had something to do w/ sturgeon & eels ..shtick

you reeived some good info. from other guys i would add that you want to wait until that fish is pulling line out from under a light pressure from your thumb esp. when fishing kings. back in the old days of catch'em and rock'em this was the only way we would fish steelhead on the lower skagit, snohomish, and stilly. i've been doing it for over 40 years and i guarantee it works and works well. it does seem to work better in the lower stretches of rivers mentioned where the fish tend to be traveling it also is dynamite on summer steelhead. good luck