best jigs for steelhead?

what brand, color, and size jigs do you float for steelhead?

My favorite all-round jig is a 1/8th oz. Beau-Mac marabou. I've had the most success on winter-runs with the pink/white combo with a pink pearl head. If the water is a little on the colored side my second pick would be the all cerise one. For summer-runs the black/red combo with a black head does the trick or my second choice would be a dark purple. In heavier winter flows the 1/4 oz. ones do just fine. I do try a lot of other colors, sizes, and styles which work well especially on particular streams, but I think these are very consistant on any stream.

Fishinnut,
I can hook you up with some jigs, email me at answer@techline.com or call me at 1-360-538-1798.

Thanks,
Andy Matthews http://The_Steelhead_Solution.homestead.com

I use Rainbow Jigs exclusively. They have a variety of sizes and colors with heavy wire hooks that hold steelhead and salmon. For summer fish red/pink has been hot lately, dark colors like blacks and purples work well also. For winter fish I like pink/white and white, orange can also be good. You can contact Rainbow Jigs at rainbowjigs@aol.com.

Hate to sound like there's a broken record here, but I'll cast another vote for pink and white in the winter. I've used pink marabou with white rabbit, pink cactus chenille with a white rabbit tail, and pink cactus chenille with a small white rabbit tail and thick white rubber legs, all with good success. Good luck

Don't count out using the clipped pink worm on a jighead. Make sure you've got strong hooks though. I like the heads I got from rainbow jigs.

B. Gray

I'll 2nd the pink worm on a jighead, especially for native winter fish......they can't resist it.

I have heard from a few fishermen on the Wynoochee that they have had no luck with jigs for winter run steelhead. They say the only thing that works for them is eggs and sandshrimp. Is it true that jigs arent very effective on the Nooch? and what about this pink worm?

Ryan Sedy

I've had good luck for summer fish on the nooch with jigs but haven't tried winter fish there, but they have worked everywhere I have tried them for winter runs so they should work there.

I have been attempting a partial conversion to jigs. I bought a 6-10# 10' 6" lami rod and tried a few times during the summer. I had no luck but have heard jigs are a great way to catch fish. I tie flies ( that I never use ) so making jigs is kind of fun.
Anyone have a preference for scents on jigs?

What about paints or vinyl coatings for jig heads. I am looking for something ( preferably vinyl) in a chartreuse to make some jigs. Someone mentioned a while back of a company that sold vinyl coaatings, but I have lost the info.

I have experimented with a pink worm on a jig head as well. I have heard this is also a killer!

Anyone have any favorite knots for attaching leaders to jigs. I have used a rivers inlet knot in the past as well as a ( fly type ) turl knot.

Jigs work great for summer steelhead. I usually use the 1/8 oz. size and fish solid colors like Black, Pink, Red or Purple. One technique that has worked well for me is after working a hole with a color for a while, I'll tie on a different color. Usually the first cast with that new color will produce a bobber down. I also try to vary jig depth every few casts. Sometimes this is all it takes to get a strike.
Good luck, Wog

Steelhead Addict,

Be careful with adding scents to jigs. By adding scents/oils to marabou, you will undoubtedly ruin the action that the water gives to the jig material. If you must add a scent to a jig for confidence reasons, try adding a little paste type scent to the lead head of the jig or use jigs with no marabou. If you can get the marabou undulating in the water in front of a steelhead, it will have a hard time not striking at it. Good luck.

DaveD

Rather than add scent to jigs I prefer to tip them with bait when needed. A small chunk of prawn works well. A great knot for tying on jigs is the trilene Knot(I think it's called this) where you go through the eye of the jig twice and then basically tie a improved clinch knot from there going back through both loops at the eye.

i use the poly not but leave the loop behind the head this holds the jig in the right possitoin. i use jigs for steelhead all year round and not at blue creek with at least a fish a trip.

I have to go with Jigman on this one. We Jig above the dams on the Snake and have good luck with Maribu's toped with shrimp. I guess I might need to try the White with pink Jig though. we use the Black with Purple or Pink and have Okay luck. It's allways good to mix things up and throw a new color in the bag.
Todd

B. Gray, when you say a "clipped pink worm," what exactly to you mean? Do you take a standard 4-inch worm and just clip it shorter?

Thanks. HSL

HSL - yup, that's pretty much it. I actually got the tip for that from jigman off this board. I don't like to leave a whole lot dangling off the end. I usually pinch off the top at the big band on the worm and slide it on from there leaving an inch or two dangling in the currrent. Working it through the seams has been excellent for me, especially on the nates. Please keep in mind that for me, any trip with a fish to the bank and no major brainfarts with my truck or gear is a good trip. I'm no expert.

Ryan,

Anybody that claims jigs won't work on winter fish in the 'Nooch just doesn't know how to fish them. We had several multiple-fish days on the Nooch last winter, with one day bringing fish of 12, 14, 17, and 21 lbs. ALL on 1/8 oz marabou jigs.

I like the Beau-Mac 1/8 oz cerise or cerise/black marabou jigs. I also like the jigs Andy Matthews ties, and the ones from Glo-A-Bou jigs (he's a BB member here, too). If you fish them in appropriate water, at the appropriate depth ,jigs are as effective in the winter as they are in the summer. Try them on the Nooch this winter, you may be pleasantly surprised at the results.

Fish on.......

At the risk of looking like the fool I am, where does "cerise" fall on the color scale? Pinkish? Orangeish?

Cerise is hot pink. Can be an excellent color.

"any trip with a fish to the bank and no major brainfarts with my truck or gear is a good trip."

I'll raise a toast to that, B. Gray. Thanks for the input.

As for sizes I like an 1/8th oz in the summer most of the time and a 1/16th oz on occasion.........a good heavy wire 1/16th oz head is a plus. In winter I use a 1/4 oz head almost exclusively...the heavier head tracks better in the heavier(usually)flows of winter. For the pink worms I do the same, 1/8th oz in the summer and 1/4 oz in the winter(the worm works much better in the winter than summer).

Another vote for Jake the Snake
Cerise jigs on the nooch work great also

------------------
Row Quietly and fish a Cataraft }<<(('>----<'))>>{
Release all Wild Fish

Dan S.,
I havent fished with jigs alot, so whats a good depth and what kind of water do you fish it in fast? deep? slow?
thanks for all the help
Ryan Sedy

Ryan,

On the Nooch we typically fish them from a boat, and that lets you fish a wider variety of water than you can from the bank, since your boat moves along with your float/jig. From shore, look for water on the slower side, or fish seams between fast and slower water. This is difficult sometimes because if you're trying to fish slower water on the opposite side of the river, the faster current close to you wants to drag your offering downstream too fast. That means you need a long rod to keep your line off the water, and you need to mend your line often to keep it from dragging on your float.

From a boat, fish them downstream of the boat, and use the boat to postiion the floats in the slot. You'll have to adjust your jig depth often, to keep the jig within a foot or so of the bottom. Steelhead will often move up to get a jig, but you shouldn't expect them to move too far.

Watch your float for anything funky. Some days, the fish will dunk a float instantly, some days you'll just see the float wobble a bit, in either case set the hook.

On the Nooch, both the old white bridge hole, the hole(s) at the 7400 put-in, and the hole(s) around the bend (downstream) from the Wishkah bridge are all good jig water. Give them a try, and good luck.

Fish on.........

[This message has been edited by Dan S. (edited 10-18-2000).]

Jig Man, for the finishing touch on the knot you mentioned after you pas through the double loop take the line back thru the loop you created. You'll have to use a little more caution when pulling it tight but the knot will be just a tiny bit stronger.

I do that, I just have a hard time describing knot tying! I love that knot, it's strong and it will not slip.

Anyone have any preference regarding jighead color? Unpainted? Black? Painted to match the color of your jig (like, say, a pink-painted jighead matched with pink marabou)?

What about jighead color when using pink worms?

Just curious. Thanks.

On pink worms I've found it's better not to paint the heads. They seem to fish better if you can bang the rocks a bit with them and the paint won't stay on them anyway. As for jigs I like black most of the time though I'm not sure head color makes much of a difference at all, caught lots of fish on jigs that had all the paint gone off the head.

Thanks, Jigman. Your advice is most appreciated.