Steelhead advice

I've been trying to catch a steelhead for awhile now, zero luck other than my float went under real fast once, I mostly try running beads or a a jig under a float. I might go out on the river this weekend, any tips?

If you can find spawn bags try them under your float. Use several split shot spaced evenly above your bait.

Michigan is really weird about spawn, you can't buy it from other anglers and I'm told the stuff they sell at bait shops don't work, so unless you have a friend who catches salmon or you catch a salmon you're out of luck

They're just a big trout,don't over think it,
have caught plenty on store bought (Mikes)single eggs,
favorite bait for me is probably live minnows,night crawlers,or mealworms.

I think I'll try a night crawler, do you put it on a jig or a bare hook? And do you leave it hanging or do you ball it up on the hook?

Where are you going? There were still some fish in the Pere Marquette system last week but I'd say most guys have moved on to trout for the moment. As the water warms most will be headed back into the lakes pretty soon.

On fly rod I run egg and leech patterns alot and stoneflys but thats earlier in the season. This time of year I'd probably run some flashy wooly buggers

Ditch The Beads And The Jigs.

You Should Use Either Trout Eggs Or Salmon Eggs In A Mesh Bag Beneath Your Float.

Use Pink Mesh In Clear Water or Chartreuse Mesh In Muddy Or Stained Water.

Fresh Eggs Work the Best But As Was Said Previously, Atlas or Mike's Salmon Eggs Will Work Fine.

Luhr Jensen Plastic Eggs impregnated With anise oil are also a good choice.

w

I use plain hook,usually just run hook through and hide the hook
either with a float or with a split shot,if you can find a worm blower
or a hypo needle you can put a little air in the worm to keep it off the bottom.
Now to upset the fly fishers,find out at the bait store what the hot color wooly boogers
are for the watershed,get one and run it with a split shot under your float tipped with spikes,(maggots)
then get ready to catch plenty.

..or Hot Shots....a lil plug in chrome blue or green, bounced off/near the bottom.

sucker spawn tipped with maggots. Mini foo jig. Wooly buggers

Like others have said, time is running out for this season. What rivers are you fishing? I played around with the MI steelhead for several years when I lived there. I bought in to the indicator fly fishing method and had a hard time with it for a while. I feel your frustration. Then I realized they are just trout and got out my spinning gear and bait. If your river's structure supports bottom bouncing, this is your fastest path to fish. No worring about your drag free drift, or leader length to float or where and how much shot. Much easier to figure out the amount of lead to stay on bottom and get a decent drift. Try a mix of single eggs, minnows, night crawlers, wax worms, etc. All the tried and true trout baits will kill steelhead. Remember they eat yarn. Not that smart.

I tried bottom bouncing and hated it lol I couldn't tell what was a hit and what was bottom

I fish the Kalamazoo and Mannistee

I know it's a bit late but I figure why not

you may still find some fish hanging out around the mouths of swan, sand and bear creek on the kalamazoo. ive seen fish in those as late as memorial day. probably stained pretty good from all the rain but looks like clear weather moving in. if you can get out when theres still some stain and if its cloudy that can be good combination.

experiment with the float setup by suspending some live bait and then try something bright and flashy including egg/egg pattern. but probably the biggest thing is finding where they are laying within a particular seam of current and running it right over their nose.

I have caught steelies by the boxcar full when I was young and skinny, and nobody has given you bad info....they are a contrary beast, apt to bite on just about any darn thing, or frustratingly refuse EVERYTHING you toss at them. There will be some good fishing yet, especially if you move north where the water is colder. The Two-Heart and some other U.P. streams will have fishable numbers well into late June. I have caught them in Ionia county as late as the very end of May (Prairie Creek...look it up, it's a good place to look). P.M. me if you want more info.

Take some time to watch other fisherman and see what they're using and more importantly how they're using it. If no one else is fishing and theres steelhead in the creeks, please get ahold of me asap. I'll come and show you what I use to catch them

Thanks for all the advice fellas, hopefully I'll have the opportunity to try some of them this weekend

I have fished for them several times in Alaskan waters, both spring and fall. Always had fairly clear water, and am often able to see them before casting to them. One thing I noticed is that they are often found in or near the tails of pools and runs rather than in the middle or head. I also noticed that if I have too big a fly, they may move out its way. Smaller flies seemed to work better more often than larger, or gaudier flies. Perhaps a similar situation exists with single eggs over a big glob if the water is fairly clear. For what it's worth, my best flies have been chartreuse-headed egg sucking leeches with black or purple bodies and tails. Good luck, they are an amazing fish To catch.

shhhhhhh----dont say that out loud. its already overrun.

I remember times during the late 70's or early 80's when the hole below the road (by the factory) would have over 60 (sixty!!!)people fishing it at one time. It was Combat Fishing at it's finest. I no longer have a tolerance for that many people, although that was an excellent spot...crowd be darned.

Nothing wrong with the methods you are using. It keep in mind you have to fish a river that has fish in it currently and you have to fish holes that hold fish. I have caught hundreds and hundreds of steelhead in Oregon. I used to fish for them 200 days a year.

Explain your bead setup. I may be able to provide some assistance. I like my bead 3/4" above the hook pegged solid. Go to dollar tree and buy a 1$ BBQ brush with silicone bristles. They are slightly tapered and you can run them through the hole in the bead and make it snug to peg the bead solid. One brush can get you 100+ bead setups. Use a #4 or # 6 hook. 18" above your bead put a single split shot on the line. Then go another 6-7 feet and put your bobber on. You want a lot of leader. So it lightly bounces the bottom. Very lightly. Not dragging.

Are you bank fishing or in a boat. Have you tried traditional drift fishing. With say a corky and yarn or shrimp. I used to go to the food store and buy uncooked shrimp and catch piles of steelhead on them. Below a corky drift fishing. Or side drifting from a boat. Which is mega effective. Just remember to use the lightest amount of weight possible. To achieve a light tap every 3-5 seconds. Your not trying to dredge the river. Light leaders. 6-8 lb test 24"-48" leaders depending on water depth and clarity. Try and fish the rivers on the drop. You can always pm me and I can go not greater depth on setups and what not.

I put the bead about 2 inches above the hook. And I used one split shot about 2 feet above

I only fish the bank for steelhead, can't trust my boat motor enough for the river

I know a hole right at the edge of a small waterfall on the upstream side of it that holds them, I know of it because an old timer was fly fishing it and told me about it. What would be a good way to fish it? It's right at the edge of the waterfall not even a foot before it and I don't fly fish. I don't think a float will work

It's hard to give you advice about how to fish an area without seeing it. But I can tell you this. Bottoms of sets of rapids where the current kinda tightens up. Fish the inside of those heavy currents. Fish the insides of corners. We are call them fishing "the tailouts" of sets of rapids. Don't fish the heavy current fish the inside seams. bobber fishing can be very effective on fishing very slow moving water where drift fishing makes it difficult.

Thank you