# Rain and steelhead



## toto (Feb 16, 2000)

Can't say much to the DO thing, but I do know that rain does make things happen, and like a couple of others, I've been steelheading for a long time, more than 25 years. I will add one thing though if I may, you will also notice that there will be a run if the wind is such that it backs up the river current. It makes the water hold back increasing the depth and therefore fish, I guess, feel safer or something and run. Personally I rely on that, and barometric pressure more than the DO thing, but then again, I've never thought about that except for stream trout.


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## uniborn73 (Aug 31, 2015)

As far a barometer. High pressure seems bad. What do you guys think best low pressure? Dropping pressure? Or rising pressure?


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## ausable_steelhead (Sep 30, 2002)

I believe the whole rain thing is multiple in reason. It is simply a draw for fish to move on a good rain, and increased flow. I feel it kind of excites them, and gives them that instinctual impulse to run. Like stated, their drive tells them that increased flow means the ability to navigate upstream better. It _does_ stir up the river, adding comforting stain and sending bugs and eggs floating around.

The scent theory seems valid as well. Steelhead are shallow this time of year, cruising the beaches for food in a suitable temp. The further out that signature goes, the more area it covers, and in turn, the more steelhead it pulls in. Makes perfect sense to me. Dry falls, with low flow are almost always slow trickles of fish. A good, wet autumn usually means nice runs. Ask anybody; you always have a higher sense of anticipation, the morning after a soaker.


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## toto (Feb 16, 2000)

I have found that if the barometer is somewhere around 29.90-29.92 seems to be the best. If it's a little more stable at those numbers it seems to be pretty good. If it's on the rise doesn't seem to be quite as good, and if it drops below those numbers it seems to slow down as well. I may be off a couple of hundreths but it right in there.


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## Steelheadfred (May 4, 2004)

Learn something new everyday, need rain to bring fall fish. They live in a big deep dark lake, they want some security of higher colored water. They are migratory fish.


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## Fishndude (Feb 22, 2003)

With the low flows we've had through the leaf fall, a good surge of water should push a lot of scent (leaves, mud, weeds, bugs, etc) out into the lakes. Leaves are still on the trees in the southern part of the State, and colors are just peaking. We need some heavy rainfall. We had a few brief heavy showers in the Detroit area yesterday, but nothing with a lot of water. We haven't had a half inch of rain, total, in the last 6 weeks.


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## cowboy48098 (Aug 20, 2015)

Fishndude said:


> With the low flows we've had through the leaf fall, a good surge of water should push a lot of scent (leaves, mud, weeds, bugs, etc) out into the lakes. Leaves are still on the trees in the southern part of the State, and colors are just peaking. We need some heavy rainfall. We had a few brief heavy showers in the Detroit area yesterday, but nothing with a lot of water. We haven't had a half inch of rain, total, in the last 6 weeks.


Plus, no rain projected in the near future. That sucks for me next week. Oh well!


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## Ranger Ray (Mar 2, 2003)

Every year, come hell or high water, drought or rain, the steams I fish steelhead in, the fish start showing up in numbers around the first couple weeks of Nov.


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## Jfish (Sep 22, 2010)

The only thing that I can come up with that makes any sense is that a high water event is going to only _possibly_ bring staging fish in. It's not going to bring random fish in that are spread out all over the lake to their home river or the river that they feel they should go in.

If the fish aren't staging or even if they are; they may or may not come in from a rain event.


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## nighttime (Nov 25, 2007)

Jfish said:


> The only thing that I can come up with that makes any sense is that a high water event is going to only _possibly_ bring staging fish in. It's not going to bring random fish in that are spread out all over the lake to their home river or the river that they feel they should go in.
> 
> If the fish aren't staging or even if they are; they may or may not come in from a rain event.


I don't think fall steelhead stage like you would think salmon do. Steelhead can go in and out river system fall and early mid winter


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## bigmoriver (Nov 20, 2010)

This has been great rain last few days, outstanding!


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