When swinging for steelhead, the longer your rod the more effortless the fishing will become. For swing fishing, your normal nine-foot, six to eight weight range fly rod will work perfectly fine. For broadside, you want to cast at a 90 degree angle, as opposed to 45 degrees in traditional swinging. Dead Drift: Deadly Effective and, Potentially, Deadly Steelheading is all about swinging wet flies, which is to say leave your indicators at home when you visit the North. Using scandi or skagit heads can also help you achieve the same outcome. Steelhead Anglers who swing flies, are well, pretty crazy. For Spey rods, use a Skagit line for heavier flies and deeper water and a Scandi for lighter flies and shallower water. Your fish rips through the water like heat seeking missile! Jerry discusses the switch rod with a focus on swinging flies for great lakes steelhead. So your one player, is worth working over until you get it. When not documenting clients’ outdoor activities, he spends all of his time swinging flies for wild steelhead, casting dry flies to trout in remote lakes, or spinning up fly patterns for a local fly shop. I land about one in every two fish I hook steelhead fly fishing. Show Notes with Jerry Darkes – I noted the Adrian Cortes podcast where he fishes dry lines for winter steelhead. This is a selection of some of my favorites. For others, it’s become a passion and addiction which consumes our life. This technique, often called the Wet Fly Steelhead Swing, is required to control a sink tip line in moving water. By the end of this article, you’ll have a new technique you can use to catch your first fish this week. Hooking a steelhead is hard to describe, but watching a steelhead smash or sip a dry fly off the surface is something else entirely. Conclusion. (718)-450-9282; alex@internationalestimating.com; Home; Services; Our Portfolio; Sample Estimates. Be ready for a thump or hit that could rip the rod right out of your hand. We provide you with the best fly fishing and tying videos, steelhead secrets and online courses to help you discover your fly fishing passion! When swinging for steelhead, a normal steelhead fly line will work. The only difference between the two presentations is the angle at which you cast your fly. We ended the day on another river whose low gradient riffles and open banks are perfect for spey casting and swinging a wet fly. Swinging flies takes patience and persistence. Swinging flies for Steelhead isn’t for the faint of heart. Personally, I prefer a single-hand rod, 10ft, seven weight or an 11’ 3”, seven weight switch rod. A fly line with a floating/weight-forward taper design (including steelhead and "switch" taper fly line tapers and the very popular "Skagit" head tapers including the new OPST Skagit Commando lines) is the best fly line for this type of cast. As the fly swings across the water, keep your rod tip low and follow the fly across as it goes towards the hang down (End of the run.) There is no need to weight the fly. With any type of fishing, the more water you can cover, the better your chances are at finding a player. Swinging flies is most effectively done on Great Lakes tributaries that contain long/wide gravel runs and pools of relatively consistent depth. There’s more to it than you may think. You have a player. Green poses with a 15- to 16- pound steelhead that he landed swinging large flies on the Pere Marquette River in October. The long rubber legs provide a ton of movement. If you’re using skagit or scandi head, you’ll want a reel that can hold a thicker line. Steelhead fishing on the Pere Marquette doesn’t come easy, so swinging a fly only makes the job more difficult. Don’t give up. 5 killer patterns for all-around steelheading: Egg-Sucking Leech, Glo Bug, Max Canyon, Purple Burlesque, and Kaufmann’s Stone. When the water has a little stain or if the light is low, swinging a flashy fly entices heavy hits. Wet Fly Swing is your online fly fishing and tying guide. Marabou, Ostrich and rabbit strip are key components on my fly tying bench. Bright, gaudy flies are the best attractors in the colder months. Electrical Kick a mend in your line to give your fly time to sink. Using a < a href="https://www.fishusa.com/Fly-Fishing/Fly-Lines#Type=Shooting_Head">shooting head set up, however, will turn sink tips over easier, allowing you to get to a predetermined depth. Stay on that fish. This fly is now tied in a classic tie up, and has been a super effective Steelhead fly. It’s hard to explain in words the whole scenario of hooking a Steelhead on the swing, it all happens so fast. I’m assuming you have an 11.5’ switch rod, or simiar size. I can explain it this way: It’s the closest you will ever come to reaching down in that pool, and grabbing that fish with your bare hands! I’ve been swinging flies for trout and steelhead for over 20-years – classic, winged-wet flies that have been catching trout for over a century in Europe and the United States. It’s a reward hard to put in writing. The following are the steps for the most traditional form of swing fishing. If you want to learn about swinging flies for steelhead you can click here to check that out. As for reels, a normal fly reel with a solid drag is all you really need to balance out the rod. COST ESTIMATING SERVICES. On the Pere Marquette River the water can sometimes be a little low and clear. New Style nymph pattern. How to Swing Flies for Steelhead. A common state of affairs. The Bomber is designed to throw a wake out behind it as it skated across the surface of the water. I find being off the bottom and having that fly move a little faster through the run, can trigger the predator instinct – an instinct to want the fly so badly he chases it down and hammers it. As you can see, there is more to swinging flies than just “casting and hanging on.”  Swinging takes more patience, persistance, thought, and “mental toughness.”   You will find it to be one of the most rewarding ways to pursue Steelhead. Being on the bottom means you’re fishing under the fish. Let it swim and hang on. See more ideas about hair wings, steelhead, atlantic salmon. If a fish is lying in 3 feet of water and is suspended 8-12 inches off the bottom, then swinging the fly 4-20 inches beneath the surface is usually plenty deep to trigger a response. Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fishusa/ Swinging is considered a traditional fly fishing technique for steelhead. Both agreed that it was an effective method for catching steelhead but didn’t delve into the topic at great length — but should have. It first started as the Improved Methow Moal, and then evolved into Skagit Methow Leech (which has the record for catching 20 lb Steelhead).. For lower water and summer conditions this same color pattern can be found in this fly and Skagit Leech Lite. The Bomber is most effective during the summer and early autumn when water temperatures are relatively warm. If you feel a tap, but it doesn’t come tight, don’t give up! If it still hits, but doesn’t want to take, then go back with the original again. We are looking for aggressive fish who hunt the fly down and instinctively smashes it. It’s something new and different to try. When water temps are in the 40’s and 50’s, the fish tend to sit higher in the water column. Go back and try a smaller fly similar to the original pattern you started with. Marabou drains out almost instantly when it leaves the water. Stoneflies. It’s an art form in which the canvas is always changing. FishUSA Staff is comprised of several anglers with various backgrounds working for FishUSA. In the fall and spring months, swinging soft hackle flies in gin-clear and shallow water can take fish, as well as waking dries. Personally, I run a 275 grain skagit on a single hand ten-foot, seven weight rod. Subscribe for all… My favorite dry fly for steelhead is the Steelhead Bomber. These fish are fresh and way more aggressive. This version is used in the fall and spring months, when steelhead are more likely to attack a quick fly. He noted that Swinging flies, nymphing and stripping streamers for steelhead are the top techniques and that all are tested these days in the area. Take three or four steps down stream and repeat. Sizes - #10-12 . Traditional swinging is primarily used in the winter, when steelhead are less likely to go after a fast moving fly. Fish on Steelhead Fishing Washington Rivers. I battled the fish for ten minutes and then the hook came away. The flies used when swinging for steelhead are primarily baitfish patterns, leeches and zonkers. Swinging flies for Steelhead isn’t for the faint of heart. The Technique – The wet fly swing is implemented by casting downstream and across the river at a 45-degree angle. Lots of anglers catch Great Lakes steelhead by drifting egg patterns and the like, but the more traditional method of swinging flies for these fish is becoming increasingly popular. Casting and Swinging a Sink Tip Fly Line . The heavy taper of this line casts sinking leaders and sink tips well while the floating component allows for easy mending when swinging the line. Jerry shares his favorite goto pattern for steelhead and why he’s heading out into the bigger water to chase fish these days. But for whatever reason, the approach fell out of favor for trout in the US, even on larger rivers, despite remaining a go-to technique in Europe. Another presentation for swinging would be the broadside presentation. Tying an Effective Egg Sucking Leech. Patterns from Kevin Feenstra and Greg Senyo are great for winter. 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