Monthly Archives: January 2018

Clearwater River Steelhead Better Than Expected

By: Toby Wyatt Steelhead fishing is unexpectedly better than we expected it to be. Prior to the season the Idaho Department of Fish & Game thought we were going to have a dismal return on the Clearwater River. However, there’s far more fish showing up than we expected. It’s been a good year for us. […]

Why Color Matters: Make Vibrant Eggs

By: Kyle Buschelman I use to think that scent was the most important part of having good bait. Meanwhile, I’m starting to change my mind. Scent is important, yet not the biggest factor when developing good steelhead bait. I’ve come to this conclusion after spending time using beads and still catching steelhead. The last few years […]

Steelhead Finally Trickling In – Nor Cal’s Smith River

By: Mick Thomas Steelhead fishing on the Smith River is different every year. For some reason this year has been exceptionally slow to start. Fortunately, since getting bombarded with rain for the past two weeks things are starting to improve. While December and January was extremely slow the past week has proven that steelhead are […]

Erie Steelhead Streams Open & Fishing Well

By: James Swearingen Our Erie tributaries usually freeze during the winter. However, recently warmer temperatures allowed for the ice to break loose and bring current in the system. This has given us fishable water in Erie’s tributaries for the time being. Given the current forecast I’m betting that we have fishable water for at least […]

Central Oregon Steelhead Slow to Start So Far

By: Kyle Buschelman Winter steelhead season on the Oregon Coast is in full swing and we are catching fish daily. However, I don’t think we have a lot of fish in the systems right now. I’ve had to adjust my program and be flexible based on daily pressure and rapidly changing river levels. I’m hoping […]

Northern Michigan Steelhead Still Showing in the Cold

By: Chris Shaffer Northern Michigan offers good steelhead fishing. On the other hand, winter isn’t prime time. Still I requested guide Kyle McClelland of XXL Chrome Chasing to save three days in January to film Pautzke Outdoors in his backyard. He preferred to film in the spring when action was more consistent. Meanwhile, I wanted […]

Learn to Re-Charge Dried Out Roe/Eggs

By: Duane Inglin For a good reason we constantly field questions about curing eggs. Some popular and good frequently asked questions are, “How long will they last in the freezer?” or “How long will they last in the refrigerator?” and “Will they mold?” Specific answers to these questions are nearly impossible. Many variables contribute to […]

Western New York Steelhead Update

By: Isaac Zettle Over the last few days a group of friends and I make our annual winter pilgrimage to Western New York to steelhead fish. Prior to our trip reports indicated that anglers were catching lots of steelhead in Lake Ontario tributaries. However, just before we left the temperature rose, it rained and water […]

A Shrimp/Egg Wet Brine for Steelhead Success

Even upon return to their native stream steelhead like to eat. Their appetite doesn’t shut down because unlike salmon, steelhead don’t die after spawning. They are always looking for that next protein source. It’s also true that steelhead love prawns, sand shrimp, roe, squid, etc. Meanwhile, when you combine these baits success skyrockets. For example, […]