South East Wisconsin Steelhead Update

  • hambone870
    Illinois Wisconsin Border
    Posts: 43
    #1294243

    Even though the Root River is still flowing high and wide, conditions this weekend were ideal for fishing the smaller rivers in the area. The last batch of rain did the river systems well by bringing in a fair amount of fresh chromers. Even though pressure was extremely heavy on these smaller rivers this weekend, all anglers still had a chance of hooking up with at least one good fish. Orange seems to be a good choice for color. Spawn was key for taking larger fish from the deeper pools while most of the action on the gravel was from the smaller males.

    Earlier this year, I decided to try and become alittle more proficient with my drifting techniques (especially egg patterns). Last year, I really did a lot of my fishing with streamers and I’m just wanting to invest more time in drifting. Friday night I tied some small glo-bugs and I think they are a pretty realistic imitation on a size fourteen hook.

    I fished a lot of the more subtle pocket water because the deeper pools had some serious heavy traffic in the morning. I hooked a smaller male early in the day that came unbuttoned on the surface. Around lunch time pressure died down and I got a chance to fish some of the better runs. A few casts to some deeper water was all it took to hook up on a much better fish. My little orange egg worked and after seeing many fish kept I realesed my first steelhead of the year…

    Joel Ballweg
    Sauk City, Wisconsin
    Posts: 3295
    #951647

    Nice post!

    It’s pretty neat that you caught fish on your imitation egg.

    Certainly looks like a very good replica to me.

    I’ve always wanted to find time to do some spring steelhead fishing. It never seems to happen but I love seeing the reports.

    It’s on the bucket list anyway.

    tom_gursky
    Michigan's Upper Peninsula(Iron Mountain)
    Posts: 4751
    #951672

    Beautiful! Brings back lots of memories of Steelheading…
    I still have a TON of steelhead and bass bugging tackle and flys in the rod rack…It a shame I never get out there anymore…

    sauger
    Hastings ,MN
    Posts: 2442
    #951692

    Dave Ansell
    Rushford, MN
    Posts: 1572
    #951722

    Beautiful fish

    What weight rod are you using for those fish?

    phishirman
    Madison, WI
    Posts: 1090
    #951741

    Quote:


    Beautiful fish

    What weight rod are you using for those fish?


    I’ve always used an 8 weight on those fish…and man, are they a blast to catch. once you hook up, they go absolutely ballistic!

    this post brings back the memories…When my buddy and I were kids, we would spend hours upon hours tying up flies and ride our bikes down to the root with fly rod in tow for the spring steelie action. haven’t been down there in years but just the other day I was thinking about making the trip in the next week or 2

    hambone870
    Illinois Wisconsin Border
    Posts: 43
    #951925

    This is about to be a tremendous weekend of fishing. Conditions are gonna be perfect for fly fishing on the medium size tribs. We do use mostly 8 weight rods also…

    Thanks everyone

    Hambone

    Randy Wieland
    Lebanon. WI
    Posts: 13478
    #953248

    Blake, nice buck steelie! Love that purple tint they get – looks awesome in pics

    Just a couple ideas, for what its worth. Just because the root or other medium size tribs are higher or a little muddier, don’t look past them. Tie up a few glo-bugs that are a little over sized and mix up the color. Most of the glo bugs I see guys using on the Root, Pikes, Boygan, Pigeon are all Blaze Orange (or equivalent per brand or glo yarn) The different shades (plus chartreuse and white)will work better/worse in muddier or clearer water. I’m not talking about when the rivers are puking a flow of chocolate syrup, but when visibility is reasonable.

    Also for drifting, a great pattern we use a lot of is based off of the old Comets. The orange comet is pretty much done and seen its better days….but the modified green butt skunk has been hot for muddy water. For guys that don’t flyfish, we run these beneath floats and do very well.

    Here’s a few other patterns/colors that have been doing well in the high water.


    hambone870
    Illinois Wisconsin Border
    Posts: 43
    #953279

    Very nice, thanks for the fly advice and pics. I’ll try giving a couple of those a whirl.

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