Okay, all you budding steelhead anglers out there, here’s a little quiz for ya: Say you’re pulling plugs for steelies with a guide on a drift boat. The guide hands you and your buddy these two plugs with the same paint scheme to snap onto your lines. Which would would you pick?

If you chose the lower Tad Polly, you’re right! The upper lure would seem to be the more logical choice until you consider that the reason the bottom one is missing so much paint is that it’s been eaten by a lot of steelhead. The fresh out of the package model has yet to be proven under fire.

Regardless of the plug make or model, you’re going to have a few that fish really well and several others that, for reasons sometimes undetectable by the human eye, just don’t get bit. That’s not to say that the shiny one won’t be a winner — but do you really want to be the test pilot?

This all brings up an interesting point about plugging in general. Most of my top-producing salmon and steelhead plugs are missing most of their original paint but continue to get bit…proving that the right action trumps color.

Let’s face it, there are times when steelhead just go off the bite. Maybe they’re getting pounded by boats or are reacting to a something like a sudden change in barometric pressure. Whatever the reason for the lull, you can sometimes turn stale fish back on by showing them a little something different.

One of our favorite old tricks under these circumstances is side-drifting with F7 Flatfish. I know, sounds kinda crazy, but it works!

We drift these little plugs pretty much like you would a chunk of bait: A Slinky or pencil lead for weight, a 3- to 4-foot leader and then the lure. F7’s are very well suited to boondogging and freedrifting and you can be pretty sure that nobody else on the river will be fishing with them. Don’t expect a typical plug take-down when a steelhead picks up a drifted Flatfish, however. You’d think the fish would murder them like they do Hot Shots and Wiggle Warts, but the take is really a lot more like a bait bite – soft and spongy. That’s not to say that you won’t get your arm yanked off from time to time, though!

This technique actually works well in most conditions – even when there isn’t a lot of other angler pressure. It is also worth trying when big native steelhead are present. These fish are generally much more aggressive than their hatchery-reared cousins and will angrily chomp down on a plug when nothing else is working. Just be sure to replace the stock hooks with a size No. 2 or 4 Gamakatsu siwash hook attached via a quality barrel swivel — or run the risk of potentially losing the fish of a lifetime.

Silver, gold, chartreuse and fluorescent red are all good basic colors to have onboard though F7 Flatfish come in a huge assortment of patterns, so don’t be afraid to experiment.

Most grabs come as the plug starts swinging down and away from the boat. Make sure the plug is still wobbling as it swings…hold it back a little with a crank or two if it starts to stall out.

While roe will always be the number one bait for steelhead, the Poor Man’s Glo Bug (aka “yarn tie” or “yarnie”) will hold its own in most drift fishing situations.

Really, what’s not to like? They look great underwater and have an almost translucent look to ‘em. Poor Man’s Glo Bugs also hold scent very well and drift in an extremely natural way. PMGBs are super simple and easy to tie — and you can do it right on the river bank. Here’s how:

Start with several 3-4 inch strands of Glo Bug yarn:

And then, with a leader already attached to your hook (a No. 2-4 octopus style) via an egg loop (Learn to tie one HERE), take and slip the yar strands through the egg loop:

Next, cinch the knot down tightly and pull all the yarn strands straight up:

With a set of extremely sharp fly-tying scissors, cut the pulled yarn into a dome shape…again, keep everything tight!

Then, fluff and pull on the yarn ends to form a ball:

Don’t worry, your PMGB won’t look too sexy at this point, but when you drop ‘er into the water, you’ll start to get the idea…

And, hopefully, this will be the end result:

Don't forget to let those wild steelies go!

Okay, you asked for it…here’s the basic way to bait up with roe for steelhead fishing:

One of the biggest keys to catching steelhead is knowing your water temperature and how it affects the fish. Since steelies are cold-blooded beasts, their metabolism slows down in colder water and increases as the temps go up (until they got too hot).

In general, when water temps are low, you’ll find the fish in the softer water along the edges of the river and in slower, deeper runs, pools and flats. They seek out these spots to avoid fighting the current. Conversely, the warmer the temps, the faster, choppier water you’re going to find them in.

The really interesting thing is — and I have yet to ever hear anybody talk about this — that water temps affect fish differently depending on where you are fishing. Again, they’re going to be governed by their cold-bloodedness but steelhead also react to what they’re used to.

For example, here on my home stream, the American River near Sacramento, CA, we don’t have cold winters. The fish have gotten used to relatively warm water temps and when the river drops below about 55 degrees, they start to get a little less active and we have to fish a bit later in the day and work slightly slower water to get them to bite.

On most rivers along the coast and in the Pacific Northwest, BC, Alaska, 55 is considered very warm for winter steelhead. I’ve caught plenty of steelhead in those areas in water that was all the way down in the mid to high 30’s. Temps like that here in California’s Central Valley would put the fish into lockjaw mode but the northern fish will still bite. Why? Because that’s what the steelies are used to.

So, it seems odd but water temps are a bit relative. You have to take a look at what the steelhead in your particular area are accustomed to before you can put water temperature to its best use.

Looking for a new technique to help you put more steelhead in the boat — especially in clear, snaggy rivers? Give side gliding a try! A modified form of side-drifting, side gliding allows baits to be presented to steelhead quickly and naturally with minimal bottom contact by keeping the lines slightly downstream of the boat. Here’s a mini lesson:

The Cast

The first step to successful gliding is to get the boat into position upstream and off to one side of a fishy-looking spot. With the boat moving at the speed of the current and the bow pointed downstream, it’s time to cast. The first caster needs to make a toss that lands straight out (perpendicular to) the boat. As soon as the first sinker hits the water, the second angler should throw slightly upstream of angler number one’s line.

With the lines now in the water, the rower will want to pitch the bow of the boat slightly towards the drift – which allows the anglers to face their lines. The rower’s job is to keep the lines in the optimum position, which is slightly ahead of the boat – just a bit less than 45 degrees. Sometimes the lines will get too far ahead of the boat, which means the oarsman will have to push downstream to catch up. Other times, he’ll need to pull on the oars to slow the boat down to keep the lines working downstream. The ability to scull will help you keep the boat in the right position.

With the right amount of weight on, the sinkers will run anywhere from just in front of where the oar hits the water to a bit behind (there will be somewhat of a bow in the line between the point it where enters the water and the sinker). The current pushing on the line bow helps to lift and glide the weights over the rocks. If everything’s going right, the sinkers should tap the rocks every two or three seconds.

The Bite

Bites are often fairly subtle – in most castes, the sinker stops bouncing and a slight fluttering sensation can be felt in the rod tip. A steelhead can mouth and spit a bait in a nanosecond, so it’s important to set the hook hard – and fast.

Rigging Up

The best setup for side gliding is a 7 to 9-foot rod with a plenty of backbone and a sensitive tip. Spinning or casting gear is suitable and Slinky-style weights or round Plunk-N-Dunk sinkers are the best choices. Pencil lead is a little to “grabby” to be used on snaggy rivers that are best suited for gliding.

Three to 5-foot leaders that test 2 to 4 pounds lighter than the main line are great for gliding and a No. 4 octopus hook for holding small clusters of roe finishes off the rig. A No. 2 baitholder hook can be substituted when using nightcrawlers or pink plastic worms.

Learn More

To find out more about gliding and the other types of side-drifting, check out the book I wrote with fellow guide Fred Contaoi, Side-drifting For Steelhead.

It’s no secret that steelhead love pink plastic! Here’s a quick and easy way to rig up…

There are few techniques more deadly on steelhead than side-drifting. With summer and fall steelheading cranking up, it’s time to learn how!

Okay, shameless plug time…everything you need to know is in here:

Get your copy @ www.amatobooks.com

The Pimped Out Egg Loop is handy for back-bounce rigs, Cowlitz-style steelie side-drift rigs, mooching rigs…and just impressing your friends!