Has anyone out there noticed that cold water 34-38 degrees slows fish down on biting bait? Has anyone really sacked steelhead on bait in this cold of water?

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Nope

When the water gets super cold I throw 'em a change up. I switch from drift rigs with bait to spoons/spinners and from bait divers to straight plugs (early in the season because bait divers can really hurt nates later on).

The steelhead can get lethargic and sometimes will move to deep slow water and sulk. You can even throw genuine silver plated hardware in gin clear water without spookin' fish. You have to wake 'em up.

Justin
CEO, Sauk River Steelhead Ranch

When the water is between 32 and 38 degress, we do very well on spawn sacks, waxworms, and stoneflies drifted under floats in frog water. Our fish bail out of the faster water, as soon as the mercury drops down to about 36 or less. Spawn tends to do great for us, the colder the water is. The temps you are referring to are the same as our water temps from late November through Mid to late March. Have you every caught a steelhead in -20 weather fishing through a hole in the ice with tiny tear drop jigs tipped with wax worms? Try it, you'll like it.

I had one of my best days in the winter with ice floating down the river during a spell of cold weather that had been going on for a week with the air temp. around 10 degrees floating a jig. Hooked 10 winter fish and landed 9. One of my favorite times to fish a jig in the winter is during prolonged cold spells when the water is low,clear and cold. They really shine in these conditions.

That cold of water nearly always means it is low and clear too. Especially in our SW WA rivers. Kalama can still have its glacier murke with a temp in the 30s. Of course NF Toutle is always murked. I have never tested NF Lewis to be in the 30s, lowest I have seen is 40) Anyway, I will fish #8 or #10 Spin N Glos on 8lb UG Maxima leaders with #1 hooks. Try both bright and subtle colored Spin N Glos to get them to move to it. Jigs with black in them too. Sometimes drift fishing a stonefly pattern.
Also helps if your'e in "Stealth" mode. No bright clothing, limited wading in the drift, limited splash from the casts, keep the fish ya hook outta the hole for multi-hook-up chances.
x

I hooked up on a winter run today after ten minutes fishing throwing my chum eggs, but didn't get any takers after that though.

Saukit2em hit it right on the head. When the water get's that cold and low and clear to boot, you have to start throwing big bright hardware, i.e. silverplated spoons and spinners. The fish's metabolism is governed by water temp and when they become cold and lethargic, large bright hardware wake's 'em up and puts them in attack mode . I know, it goes against the accepted wisdom to throw something that big and bright in low, clear water, but when it's real cold it works! Try checking out Jed Davis's book on spinner fishing. It goes in depth about water temp for all of our coldwater fish, and does not just apply to hardware but works equally well for drift, bait, plug and fly fishing. I usually fish #4's and #5's in such conditions and hook fish if they're around. Tight lines everyone!

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