# headed north later this week



## walleyeman2006 (Sep 12, 2006)

ok now ive learned a lot from you all in the past couple months here and hopefully i can put all that knowledge to work for me and get a steelhead lol...i was talking to some one from out west and he told me this time of year they do a lot of fishing for steelies with single egg rigs has any one here tried that?.............i plan on small bags of brown spawn and waxies just had to ask about single eggs


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## Fishndude (Feb 22, 2003)

I would stick to the Brown Trout spawnbags, and waxworms. Either can be drifted along the bottom or fished under a float/bobber. 

With the recent very cold weather, the river have cooled quickly and are just about in full-Winter mode. I would concentrated on deeper slower holes with sandy bottoms if you can find them. If not sand, then deep slow holes in general. Logjams and woody areas are good, too. Fish will be more active during warmer times of the day. First and last light, and afternoon are good times to fish rivers in Winter.


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## ausable_steelhead (Sep 30, 2002)

Dude, I would totally stick with the brownie bags by far. I wish I had some(I normally do). Run small, bright bags, and like stated, deep, slow, woody holes hold the most fish. Run either 4lb Maxima, or 6lb flourocarbon, especially on bright, sunny days during low water(which is what I prefer during winter). Just fish your @$$-off, and you'll find a few to play with. One more thing, work a hole good and thouroughly, it took awhile for the fish to wake up a bit for us Sunday.


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## walleyeman2006 (Sep 12, 2006)

thanks guys i just got 3000 yards of 6 lb flouro that was mis priced lol 9 bucks im starting to learn the river a little bit ....so i guess ill be maken up some brownie bags...i just picked up some 10 ft noodle rods...im just guessing at a lot of stuff yet but riffels off slower holes in deep water? or right int he main stream? im trying to get better with floats i know its more natural just haven a heck of time with seeing my float lol i think so far in 4 days of fishing ive hooked 3 steelies caught one laker...i hait to use the pencil leads again but at least that way i can feel a bite.....

how about wigglers? worth a try or not


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## Mags (Apr 10, 2002)

If you're gonna use single eggs, a couple of suggestions: use no more than 4# test line and use gold, not bronze, hooks in the smallest size, like size 12 or 14 salmon egg hooks, to virtually conceal the entire hook in the egg. 
You can try wigglers now if you can find 'em, but they seem to work better in the slower, clearer water of mid/later winter. Have fun!


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## Krull (Mar 29, 2005)

walleyeman2006 said:


> thanks guys i just got 3000 yards of 6 lb flouro that was mis priced lol 9 bucks im starting to learn the river a little bit ....so i guess ill be maken up some brownie bags...i just picked up some 10 ft noodle rods...im just guessing at a lot of stuff yet but riffels off slower holes in deep water? or right int he main stream? im trying to get better with floats i know its more natural just haven a heck of time with seeing my float lol i think so far in 4 days of fishing ive hooked 3 steelies caught one laker...i hait to use the pencil leads again but at least that way i can feel a bite.....
> 
> how about wigglers? worth a try or not


Walleye- Wigglers will work well in the winter, if you have the patience to be rebaiting every thrid drift, which isn't my bag when it is sub zero.... You may want to consider a wiggler fly. But Wigglers defintiely produce. Waxies and Spawn produce as well. I agree, small to mid sized bags, save the Giant Bags for when a real good push of fresh fish comes in after a rain. In my pre float utilizing days, I even got them on egg sucking leeches and stone flies. Concentrate on bends in the river, that is where you will find the holes and the slower water, and thus the fish. In front of log jams as well. All this said, winter steelheading can be a tough go, put the hours in, and you will hook up. Personally, I do not even bother going out at first light in winter, the fish aren't pressurred and will feed all day, you just need to find em'. Good luck


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## walleyeman2006 (Sep 12, 2006)

i tied up some small crawler harness like rigs the size 14 hooks in gold and silver thinking i could try one two and three eggs that way or maybe even skein with no netting at all in slow water........i really apreciate the help guys....i may even go down to some 2 lb test if i have to....used to get river smallies on 2 lb leaders fly fishing with out a problem....its amazing what a drag can do if its used right....id rather start out too light and get some hook ups then go to heavy and not have any


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## Fishndude (Feb 22, 2003)

In about 35 years of Steelhead fishing, I have never used 2 lb line. It just isn't for fighting Steelhead. I only use flourocarbon for leader material, and because it is supposed to be (and I believe it to be) virtually invisible underwater. BUT, in my experience it does not have a long shelf life. I will discard a spool of flouro if I have it for a year, and get newer stuff. 

With the price of gas anymore, I do not cheap myself on terminal tackle. When I can entice a Steelhead into biting, I want to have a very good chance of landing it. GREAT line; GREAT hooks; and STRONG swivels are my deal. In my mind, I cannot afford to lose fish to cheap tackle. 

I like to fish an area thoroughly when I fish. Short casts. Long casts. Medium casts. Follow the current, fish the seams, and hit the tailouts of holes. Do it all.


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## ausable_steelhead (Sep 30, 2002)

During the dead of winter, I run 4-5lb for mainline alot. That's mainly because I'm fishing from shore, and I use VERY small amounts of weight. Alot of people used to laugh at my tiny nub of a pencil, but after consistently getting fish, while they were re-tying AGAIN, the laughing ceased. Anyways, some of the winter holding water on the Au Sable(if that's where your going) is a long cast away. So using that light line makes bombing tiny weights NO PROBLEM. And you can do alot more fighting a steelhead with 4lb than you think. 2lb is alittle light. Alot of people's problem, especially when it comes to winter steelheading, is they use WAY to much weight. You don't need to dredge bottom, that's unnatural and leads to alot more snags. I like to run at the speed of the current or a bit slower. Steelhead can be suprisingly active and aggressive during winter. I rarely fish at first light during the winter months, though sometimes it can be a good bite(usually during a warm-spell). As far as where in the runs, just look for the slow water. Slow seams are good, and tail-outs will give up more cold-water steelhead than the heads of holes. Good luck man, put that brownie spawn to use.


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## stelmon (Sep 21, 2000)

Amen, brown trout spawn!!! ahaha


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## walleyeman2006 (Sep 12, 2006)

ok now i got a buddy telling me to take yellow birds and my rigger rods lol ive seen it on tv but have yet to see this one on the river.. so if ya see some nut back trolling a hole from shore with birds lol its me,,, ill probably try it with one rod just fishing the top of a hole then float my spawn down the back end


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## stelmon (Sep 21, 2000)

where you starting...the mouth with rigger rods?:lol: I've seen people try for steelies with tots off of the birds but would really like to get into that. I;ll try in a few wweeeks. But who knwos' maybe you'll slam them. I'll look for you saturday,


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## walleyeman2006 (Sep 12, 2006)

heck no that would be a long hall lol ill start at foote and go down stream lol im not sure ill even bother trying that not sure if ill be there saturday or sunday yet....well my freind does that on the other side he has some birds that are designed for river fishen....but even on the lake he troll with tots and gets his fair share.....i was doing that around home here a couple years ago no bird but off a bridge and about broke my hand and my rod lol had one slam me good defently woke me up:yikes:


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## ausable_steelhead (Sep 30, 2002)

> ill start at foote and go down stream


I've been fishing up high all fall, and it's been a tough bite. You definanetly have to work for your fish, but with the water finally getting decently low, they may start pooling up in the slow holes upthere now. I've *ALWAYS* had my best winter days on the Au Sab during really low water. I'll be around that area on Sunday, looking for chrome and lake-runs, good-luck.


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## walleyeman2006 (Sep 12, 2006)

fished all day from the damn back down stream about a mile hooked one fish saw 3 caught...third coming on a crank bait..if i decide to take another trip this year ill be trying more crank baits and and spinners and less bobbers and drift fishing.....i had tied enough spaw for 2 people and just about used it all up.....i did see one very nice fish caught near the damn it was around 12 lbs but came on waxies other two were not much over 15 inches


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## steelymike (Aug 10, 2005)

It was good meeting you walleyeman Sunday, and I hope you get into some fish in the future.


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## walleyeman2006 (Sep 12, 2006)

thanks i did end up losing one copying your technique with a bobber flipping to the white water

shortly after you left a couple guys showed up and one caught a 20 inch fish on a plastic bait lol


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## ausable_steelhead (Sep 30, 2002)

Bobber fishing the white-water can be red-hot during spring and fall. In spring we run big bags, as the river is usually high. In fall, 4-egg bags. How deep you are is very critical in the white-water, too deep, you snag alot, too shallow, you won't hook nearly as many fish. Nobody fished the white-water with bobbers a few years ago, everybody had flyrods and would sit there and line the $h!t out of them all day. But now I see new people running bobbers in it every season, alot of times they don't catch much.


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