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Summer Steelhead on the way
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By:
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gonecatchin
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Mood:
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Happy
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Date:
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May 19, 2009
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Music:
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None
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Finally the Northwest has started to feel a little warmer and dryer these days and soon the scores of summer steelhead will show, headed for their home streams and hatcheries. Well, as long as they don't pick up one of my baits on the way...
For the last few years the Lower Columbia tributaries have experienced some great summer steelheading. Conditions have been good and numbers of fish have been high. Limits on the North Fork Lewis and Cowlitz have been increased to help cull the herd of hatchery fish entering these rivers. With the Columbia being closed this year, it will open June 16th at the latest, fishermen are forced to head to the smaller rivers and streams.
Even though there have already been summer steelhead caught by myself and others, usually the big kick-off for the tributaries begins in early June. If we were able to fish the Columbia right now, I would not be here writing this report as fishing can be pretty productive. For those of you that don't follow Northwest salmon management, the Columbia is closed to protect the returning Wild Spring Chinook run that can't afford incidental catches of salmon while fishing for steelhead.
But that is a good thing in some ways. Fish will be showing in the tributaries unimpeded in their travels to the home waters from which they came.
When targeting fish in the smaller rivers, sidedrifted eggs, prawns, and shrimp, will be the go-to baits as usual. Some fishermen prefer spinners and plugs but as the waters drop I will size down my gear and worry more about boat positioning and stealth than anything else. Summer steelhead are a very skittish foe and when the water gets gin-clear they tend to become a challenge to catch.
Fishing will remain good for steelhead by about the end of August. By that time the 1,100,000 Coho and 500,000 Chinook returning to the Columbia will have the attention of the Northwest fishermen.
If there is some interest in this blog I will write up some techniques, locations, and how-to about targeting steelhead. Until then...
Good Luck,
www.gonecatchin.net
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