I decided to sign up to see what you can tell me about the following! I fished sink tips for a quite a long time for winter steelheads(100-500 grains , but never hooked a steelhead. One day, I switched to a floating line and a weighed fly and after a reasonable effort I had a take. Sometime later (two years, since I don't get to fish very often), I put on a mini float with a weighed fly and made a few casts, and soon hooked my first two winter steelheads in a matter of a few minutes apart. So this time, I am back at it, and I decided to fish a bait caster with a float and a jig. I hooked a few fish within a short interval(3 fish in about two weeks). A much better result, I may say.
I prefer to flyfish, best if it is with the spey; can you do something like a mini float and fish a fly or a jig of 1/8oz, just like float fisherman do? And is my impression wrong or is it more effective than the traditional across and down stream fishing which is done with sink tips?

Thanks for any feedback.

Dreamer

Depends much upon the water and the fish. For most winter conditions, your chuck 'n duck rig is gonna outfish swinging ... especially on less "classic" fly water.

But I'm with Homer ... if you're gonna flyfish ... do so. And if you're gonna gear fish ... do it with the correct rod and enjoy it

Another pennies' worth!

There is nothing wrong with using an Indicater (flyfishing term for a bobber) on a floating line when using a nymph or a glo bug (flyfisher term for imatation egg).

Jim

Dreamer,

I've yet to catch a steelhead while nymphing with or without a bobber/indicator, but I don't try it very often, either. I think it makes sense to fish the way you like, and also to adjust fishing style to the water being fished. I prefer to swing a wet fly, probably because that's what I've been doing for decades and also because it's more fun for me to not have to cast a weighted fly. However, I've been experimenting with weighted flies (not 1/8 oz. tho, more like 1/30 oz.) on my Spey rods with heavy floating lines. They're generally pretty easy to cast, and I'm kinda' surprised that I haven't hooked up yet while trying it. Maybe it's because I forgot to add the bobber.

Sincerely,

Salmo g.

Hey SD,

As others have suggested, if you're looking for the most effective then go bounce/float some bait to 'em.

Flyfishing is a method that sacrifices some degree of effectiveness for esthetics. The most esthetically pleasing, to most steelhead flyfishers I know, is swinging unweighed flies on a floating line.

The entire continuum of weighed flies on a floating line/sinktips/nymphs or glo bugs under a bobber (or just leaving the fly rod in the car) are IMHO a concession to two factors, (1) the difficulty of the conditions we encounter and (2) your personal 'need' to catch a steelhead.

Let me explain. In the cold and often discolored waters of winter, steelhead typically won't move far to strike a fly or do so as aggressively as in spring/summer/fall. Therefore, your chances with a floating line and unweighed fly are almost Zero. You ~could~ do so, hoping to catching lightning in a bottle. And you'd have the company of famous flyfishermen like Bill McMillan (who still uses heavy wire hooks to "up" his odds a bit ).

Most, however, choose to use sinktips to deliver our flies more easily to the depth where these steelhead are holding. Some opt for weighted flies (with or without sinktips), and others resort to bobber and nymph (Steve Probasco is a well known proponent of this method). And some just leave the flyrod in the closet until spring.

You can choose however you'd like to fish 'cause NOBODY'S KEEPING SCORE! If you enjoy fishing the bobber and nymph, then go for it! Ditto if you want to persist with the floating line and unweighed fly.

We'll each spend quite a few hours waiting for that next strike, so it's far better to find a method you enjoy and then strive to be as productive as you can be with it.

Or, to put it another way, you'd be a fool to be standing out there in the rain and wind hating casting that bobber and nymph as the lead whistles by your ear and hoping that it's going to give you an "edge" over your buddy swing speyflies in the tailout below you.

I saw a good sig the other day - "It's more important that you fish than how you fish"

Tight Lines whatever you decide to use!

Brian

Sorry if my post came over the top to a little

My prefered method of fly fishing is with dries,but it is hard to get them to hit a dry in the middle of winter. So I fish what ever way I want to whether it is with a floating line or a sink tip. I'm not a purist. Just another Joe who is out having fun with a fly rod.

Jim

But I do prefer warmer weather.

Fishing the lower section of my local SH stream can be a challenge as it consists of mainly pocket water with shale shelves and boulders. To overcome this we fish with floating line, split shot, and a yarn fly(yarn in bait loop). You could use a fly with equal success but hang ups are frequent. Nymphing if you like or bottom bouncing with a flyrod, tug and turf. It works though.

Summer, or in this case winter, the closer to a 'dead drift' you can get will greatly increase your chance of getting "Mr. Fish's" attention.

Whether you do this with an indicator (LARGE or small) is somewhat beyond the point. It's the 'dead drift' rather than the swing that gets the job done.