# huron fishin report 11/25 Continued part 2



## johnobub (Sep 23, 2006)

I learn a lot and check this site often every day. I want to know more about how to catch more fish. What is the best bait and what lures to use and when, etc... Does somebody have some knowledge about about this topic? Is it only luck combined with some skill in the presentation or is there some science about fishing? I'd like to know more about what works best and when and why.


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## Falco (Apr 24, 2007)

Wish I could help. I have got catching suckers on the Huron River down pat. Any other species, forget about it.

I see plenty of other people landing good fish, so I'm sure there are more preferred methods, but like any type of fishing, you just need to put in your time.

Checking this site is a good way to find out the basics like color and days they are hitting. If you are way off base, like me, then you probably need to PM one of the nice fellows on this board that have offered in the past to show a person how it's done to get a hands on tutorial out on the river.

ETA: I see that some of the wonderful comments posted earlier got this thread restarted for the second time now. There was a good amount of information for someone like the person posting above me to use for improving his fishing techniques before some ridiculous comments got everything wiped away.


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## Falco (Apr 24, 2007)

Thanks for the info, it's appreciated. I'm not trying to say that people are always tight with info online, just that sometimes there is no substitute for seeing how it's done and putting in some time with someone who knows how it's done.

Telling me what lure to use is a great start, but if I don't present it the same way you do, I'm probably not going to get the same results. Seeing how you use the varying current around a bend, seeing how fast your drift is and how to choose the amount of wiehgt, seeing how fast you pull a crank or what action you give it, seeing what type of hook you choose, even the type of knot you use can change the presentation of a spawn bag and maybe make the difference of weather you land a fish or break a leader.


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## Michigander1 (Apr 5, 2006)

johnobub said:


> I learn a lot and check this site often every day. I want to know more about how to catch more fish. What is the best bait and what lures to use and when, etc... Does somebody have some knowledge about about this topic? Is it only luck combined with some skill in the presentation or is there some science about fishing? I'd like to know more about what works best and when and why.


Id like to know about what works best and when as well :lol:.It all changes day to day.But over all i would say Spawn and waxes under bobber is your best bet.Just watch what others are doing and try the same thing.Be Carefull Wadeing if you dont know the river,Mich


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## johnobub (Sep 23, 2006)

Michigander1 said:


> Id like to know about what works best and when as well :lol:.It all changes day to day.But over all i would say Spawn and waxes under bobber is your best bet.Just watch what others are doing and try the same thing.Be Carefull Wadeing if you dont know the river,Mich


 
I was hoping to hear from somebody who really knows
and can give some usuable information. Thanks anyways.


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## USMCEOD (Aug 30, 2007)

Ok I hope they quit closing the threads because although we had a little tiff and we all needed to get some things out about the place we fish which most of us do, next time we go down there everyone is on the same page and we will just be mad because people are yelling "FIssshhhhHH OOONNN YEE HAWWW!!!!!"

Plus we are adults here and I think we can manage to say civilized on 1 rinky dink thread on this forum.

Ok I will spill the beans and I am sorry if I am breaking any rules here but we all know that Steelhead ,especially in a river are one of the hardest fish to catch. Not only that but fishing in general can be hard and river fishing is not everyones cup of tea. Although I am not an expert fisherman for the most part I know alot about fishing rivers by spending hours upon hours fishing rivers. 

Steelhead breach the river at different times and in different numbers. This is explained below. Steelhead are of a schooling nature, but the schools could be from a few dozen to 3 or 4 and is directly related to the nature of the water when the school arrives at the mouth. If the river is closed a few might sneak in on there own and if the river opens the school could enter all at once. The schooling once the fish enter the river is also dependant upon the flow and height of the river. Dobes limited out in under 3 or 4 hours earlier this year and he was the lucky guy that caught them stacked up cause the river was a bit low. 

By closed and open in the previous statement I meant that if the water level is of a certain height whether low or high normally high there are times and occasions that although the steelhead are able to physically swim up the river they will not because the river is not to there specifications.

Now, ( And I think this happened this year) if the Steelhead hold out for the right time and it never comes the natural urge of the fish will push the fish up in rather large schools at various intervals.

Once the fish enter the river there migration depends on a few factors. 

Everyone or most think that the fish come in and run when the water is high because they have more space and have more room to avoid predators, if there are any and it makes them easier to migrate upriver but this is technically true but not the case.

Fish like to move when the river is high because the turbidity of the higher faster moving water creates them more cover. During times of high flow on the river particularly after rain the Steels can run day and night. But during calmer, lower water they tend to save migrating to night time. Also a great time to fish for steels is early morning right after a rain. During this time and even if its raining you can find alot of steels that are taking a break from running and that would be the time to fish your favorite hole. 

Now when we talk about how far a steel travels in one day, its hard to say. It has been recorded in studies that some on the low end only travel 3 to 5 miles a day. Others have been recorded nearly 20 to 24 miles in one day. All of this is dependant upon water tempature and height which directly relates to the velocity of the flow. Its also been seen that extremes of all of these , speed , low river height or high can disrupt the run so much as to the steelies will completely stop entering the river and stay put where they are holding. Once the fish reach the vacinity of there spawning area also they will hold and even travel back down stream until they are ready to spawn. 

Spawning is also a science in themselves. Just because the fish enters the river does not mean it spawns right away . Fish are one of those species that almost let the outside conditions run there life without ever knowing it. Kinda like listening to your boss everyday. The fish will spawn when they want to and they will not always spawn in the exact same stretch of river they did the previous year or where they were reared.

Steelhead Kelts,

Kelts ( Or Downstreamers or Snakes called by many anglers) are spent fish. These are fish that have spawned and are heading downriver to go back. Spent fish can normally be identified by a loss of color or different coloration then the normal. They are also identifiable by having a slim lower abdomin or even an abdomin that looks imploded. Its important to note that these fish have been observed after they are spent that they may in fact be easier to catch because they also become less wary. But there is no definite way to know other then cutting the fish open or ultrasound or whatever. 

Steelhead are also different then alot of fish because they do not strictly rely on cover from the river at all times. Steelhead have excellent vision for a fish and they strictly rely on whether or not the feel comfortable as to whether or not they are gonna stay where they are at whether it be in cover or not. It certainly wouldn't hurt to try cover and me personally I beleive fish or human have some cover around for protection is a must have in your built in survival instinct. 

Relating to the topic above it should also be known that the majority of steelies will pool or share what is considered by them as a "Great Hole" This means straight up that under "Most" circumstances if you find the glory hole (HAHAHA) that the fish that year think is the whip you will probably catch more that year then others. This hole could be low or high in the river the truth is you won't know until you start catching them.

Unfortunetly for us the runs are normally governed by the rains and the flow they create. It has been studied that above average rain fall normally produces a dramatic increase in the run , but hey I'm not complaining this year so far. 

To sum alot of this up in an esy to understand version. Steelhead are the type of fish that "Go with the Flow" if they see monkey see , monkey do then thats normally the case. With steelies its important to practice reading the water. It takes alot of luck to catch one and it also takes patience. Steelhead fishing is one of my favorites because although it may take a lil longer, the scenery is great and when you do catch one you'll leave your wife alone for the night because your already satisfied. 

On a side not if you disagree with any of this please do not start a flame war. This info was obtained from various sources and everything that I stated has several years of scientifically backed up data and research. But also remember that regardless of what I or anyone else says they are gods creatures and will do as they please. 

Ok on to the next subject OMG. 

Baits!!

Like Michigander said you can never go wrong floating spawn or waxies under a bobber. I personally like to throw plugs because I feel I can take a more proactive approach to my presentation and the water that I cover. 

Like I said in previous posts that waxies and spawn are good baits that can be used year round. But at the present time with the shad spawn and the amount of small shad forage in the river , every fish I have cut I've seen shad in there bellies. That would lead me to believe through the process of intricate common sense that If a steelie has eaten one shad he knows what it is and if he sees another one give the correct time (Lucky Me) will be tempted to try that delicacy again.

Here are a few of the plugs that I have been throwing this year that I know work.

http://www.stormlures.com/products/...l_hot_n_tot&freshorsalt=Fresh&type=hard_lures numbers 103 and 112

If you can find this in chrome buy them up they are worth it





















and clowns are a classic lure, that have been proven through the years. 

Now when fishing lures in a river I like to use super braided line anywhere in the 14 to 20 LB range. Why you ask?? Because when you fish a river and you lose tons of lures it becomes quite expensive. Normally using these test lines you can get away with bending a hook if you do it right before you lose your lure. Some of the lures I use you cannot find anymore so I don't want to lose them. 

Now will the increased line diameter prevent me from catching more fish? Maybe , maybe not. The fact is , is that I've caught them on this line and I've seen them caught on this line plenty so there is no reason for me to doubt that it works. In my mind if the fish is commited to biting nothing will interfere with that except for an imminent threat to the fish itself. 

Besides doing your part as far as studying, the practicing and then the executing the rest is up to you. Study up on your techniques and which gear you are going to use. And most importantly good luck!


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## USMCEOD (Aug 30, 2007)

Just for a tidbit here Does anyone know the biggest predator of the steelies on the Huron other than humans? If you can guess right I will give you a cookie! lol Take a shot!


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## Steelplugger (Mar 8, 2006)

My guess would either be the bald eagle down there or the big osprey I see sometimes..


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## USMCEOD (Aug 30, 2007)

Dang and Steel nails it on the first try, believe it or not yuppers the bald eagle or eagles in general are the Huron Steelies biggest Natural Threat. I'm sure that the osprey given a chance may do his part also


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## Michigander1 (Apr 5, 2006)

johnobub said:


> I was hoping to hear from somebody who really knows
> and can give some usuable information. Thanks anyways.


Well il be.No SOUP for you then,Mich


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## happyhooker2 (Nov 11, 2005)

USMCEOD said:


> Ok I hope they quit closing the threads because although we had a little tiff and we all needed to get some things out about the place we fish which most of us do, next time we go down there everyone is on the same page and we will just be mad because people are yelling "FIssshhhhHH OOONNN YEE HAWWW!!!!!"
> 
> Plus we are adults here and I think we can manage to say civilized on 1 rinky dink thread on this forum.
> 
> ...


 
Nice post! Thank you!


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## quest32a (Sep 25, 2001)

USMCEOD said:


> Plus we are adults here and I think we can manage to say civilized on 1 rinky dink thread on this forum.


Obviously not, your friend Dobes seems to have quite the problem with it.


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## Michigander1 (Apr 5, 2006)

quest32a said:


> Obviously not, your friend Dobes seems to have quite the problem with it.


 Here we go again .Just back in from fishing.Met a few guys that had 1 fish each off spawn.Dobes says [email protected]%%$^&**(%#@ to ya :lol:,Mich


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## USMCEOD (Aug 30, 2007)

Buck

Correct me if I'm wrong but that was buried and as a moderator I am quite surprised that you would rock the boat with that comment. Its hard on a forum to exactly specify someones demeaner or there intent but I can say that maybe Dobes was a lil carried away, the issue was resolved via PMs that you don't see.

SO the dust IS settled now let it be. I know Dobes for awhile now and trust me he is not a Hot Head , he is passionate. 

Let us continue the thread and from here on we all make a fishermans Ode to be civil and nice.

besides I think myself and John made new threads to bury the old one that got out of hand and continue with a fresh slate.


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## USMCEOD (Aug 30, 2007)

Buck

Correct me if I'm wrong but that was buried and as a moderator I am quite surprised that you would rock the boat with that comment. Its hard on a forum to exactly specify someones demeaner or there intent but I can say that maybe Dobes was a lil carried away, the issue was resolved via PMs that you don't see.

SO the dust IS settled now let it be. I know Dobes for awhile now and trust me he is not a Hot Head , he is passionate. 

Let us continue the thread and from here on we all make a fishermans Ode to be civil and nice.

besides I think myself and John made new threads to bury the old one that got out of hand and continue with a fresh slate.


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## joecc (Jan 31, 2007)

Dobes,

I tried to respond to your PM, but site said that either you are not accepting PM's, or are not allowed to recieve PM's. I dunno????

joecc


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## Steelplugger (Mar 8, 2006)

I tried to pm him also, but it appears that he is banned  .. I really wanted to send him an apology, and to work things out a bit but I got the same message you did


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## Michigander1 (Apr 5, 2006)

I pm him also right after they deleted his post to that bASS guy.Gunrod said he wasent but his profile says he is.I dont think that was in order if so.They could have PM him and ask him to chill out.Reason being bASS gave him a hard time about a fire that is on Metro Parks Land.Not Private Property like bASS was saying.I like to see him say that to some of the Locals that have fires down there as well.I would pay to see it :lol:.Anyway maybe it will work out.We all have our days and such.No reason to band someone over it when most everyone here is.Mich


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## joecc (Jan 31, 2007)

We Want Dobes!....We Want Dobes!...We Want Dobes!! Everybody Now!.........We....:lol::lol::lol:!


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## USMCEOD (Aug 30, 2007)

Dobes is suspended until Dec 3rd per him. I dunno why I know we got carried away but I have seen worse to get suspended for. 

I think we handled it on our own because alot of things were taking place via PM that the moderators were not aware of that were resolving this now blown way out of proportion thread.


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