Fishing for steelhead during the winter is usually good due to the fact there are usually a lot of fish in the river and few anglers pursuing them. Most of the year river levels are fairly predictable but winter water conditions fluctuate a lot. Each stream will fish best when the water is neither very high nor very low. Small rivers and streams will start to fish best within a couple of days of a major rainfall as the water begins to clear. Within a couple of days thereafter, the water in the smaller creeks gets too low to fish well and at times, difficult to navigate by boat. If the weather remains dry, you may want to change locations to fish a larger river.
Some of the larger rivers need a lot more time to clear after heavy rains before you have good opportunity with a fly rod. When that occurs on the stream you had planned on fishing, select a smaller stream to fish. The bottom line to this is to get familiar with different types of streams so you will have a good opportunity when you head out.
When the weather is very cold, steelhead usually hold in the deepest part of the pool and more towards the tail end of the pool than the other shallower locations. The current is usually slacker in this type of water than other types of water and other locations within a pool. That lets the fish spend less energy fighting current and is nature’s way of making sure they can acquire enough food to survive.
When the fish are in the deeper water, it is often best to use a float or a strike indicator and drift your fly through the pool. Clear floats work good for this. Nymphs, wet flies, and egg flies work good under these conditions. Nymphs like our Perfect Fly Black Stonefly Nymph and our Hexagenia Nymph are good fly choices. You should weight the fly down with split shot placed a few inches above the fly to keep it down.
As a rule, smaller flies work better than large ones when the water is very cold. Steelhead are almost always holding very near or on the bottom in the pools rather than suspended in the middle and upper sections of the water. Make sure your fly gets into the very bottom zone of water.
Fish at the warmest part of the day, say from 11AM to 3PM. Even a one-degree difference in water temperature can make a difference. As a rule, rising air temperatures are better than dropping air temperatures. Sunny days are usually better than cloudy, overcast days.
Dressing properly for the cold is not only good for you as far as feeling good while you’re fishing. You will do a better job of fishing when you are not bothered with the cold temperatures and sometimes harsh winter weather.