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.
Spawn Sack says
JD, I’m curious why you have a barrel swivel between the split ring and hook? I was taught by a guide that when you are removing the trebble hook on a flatfish and adding a single hook you should do the following:
1- Add one split ring to the eye coming off the flat fish (like is done in the the photo)
2- Add a second split ring to the first one.
3- Add an open or closed eye siwash hook with the hook point facing up. I was told this would give the best chance of a good hook set when a fish strikes the flatfish.
I’m guessing the swivel is to get the hook farther back behind the tail of the flatfish? However the swivel will allow the hook point to rotate: sometimes facing up, sometimes sideways, etc.
Do you find you get good hooks ups with the single split ring and swivel setup? Do you think my method of two split rings and the hook point facing up is better? Worse? Any tips and knowledge you wish to share would be appreciated.
JD says
Spawn, I actually do it both ways and generally now days run the double split ring. The main reason for the swivel was to keep the fish from using the plug as leverage when hooked. The double split accomplishes the same thing…
Spawn Sack says
Thanks JD. I’m going to try the single split ring and barrel swivel on a few of my flat fish just for kicks. It would get the hook a bit farther back which may yeild better hook ups.
What hooks do you like to use when going single barbless? I always use the gamagatsu open eye siwash. IMO, offset hooks affect a lures action (with the exception of, say, a heavy salmon spoon 1/2oz-ish and heavier). The straight siwash track straight in the water. I’ve never tried other hooks like sickles etc on my lighter lures. Any opinion?
On my heavier salmon spoons I like the offset Mustad Ultra Point open eye siwash. On everything else that takes a siwash hook I usually stick with the straight siwash Gamagatsu.
JD says
Yea, I like the Gammis and Owner Siawash too…
Spawn Sack says
I’ve heard good things about Owner hooks. Never tried them. If my local tackle shop has them in the siwash variety I’d give them a shot for plugs.
One last question. So earlier tonigjt I finished converting all my flatfish to single barbless hooks.
On the smaller ones, like say an F5, I just attached the two spit rings to the ring in the middle on the underside of the lure, and from there attached the hook facing point up. Pretty simple.
However with the bigger ones, say an X5, there are TWO rings (middle and out the back) were the trebbles were before. I scratched my head…should I attached the hook to the belly, or out the back? I decided out the back was best. Do you agree? I twisted the rear rings so they were at 3/9 o-clock, then added one split ring so it was at 12/6 o-clock. Thus leaving the hook pointing up. Is this how you would do it?
Also, the unused ring on the belly is still there. What would you do with it? Unscrew it and toss it? I turned them all so they were facing front/back, instead of perpendicular to the lure. I reason it’s less likely to push water this way and monkey with the plug’s action.
If you could advise me on these two points I would greatly appreciate it:-)
JD says
To run the hooks off the back can sometimes mess with the action. To help counterbalance that, I’ll keep the splitring and sometimes even the hookless shank of the stock treble on the belly to help offset the weight on the back of the plug…
Adam says
my mistake, I should have been more specific….I'm not fishing from a drift boat. I'd be strategically & stealthaly (is that a word) wading in my toasty neopreme's…..Any tricks you could share for me would be great…..you da man, thanks for all you do for this unmatched sport!!!
fishwithjd says
Oh…okay. From shore, you can simply slow-crank the ol' flatfish when it starts to stall out. But, the impact zone will normally be right at the apex of the swing…and you shouldn't really have any problem with lack of wobble at that point.
Adam says
JD, your giving away my secret……lol
Question When drifting flatfish, on the downstream, or swing drift, or more specifically how can I be sure that the flatfish is shaking perfectly the way I want it to??? Do you absolutely have to feel that shake, wobble? Of course my line is tight but how can I be sure there is always ACTION on the F7??? Please help – thanks bud
JD says
Yea, you really need to feel that thing wiggling…though even a slight pump is fine. You have to modify your boat driving a bit…hold back a bit more on the oars (or kicker) so you always have tension and you should feel the thing kick…and then WHAAAAAAM!
fishwithjd says
Yea, you really need to feel that thing wiggling…though even a slight pump is fine. You have to modify your boat driving a bit…hold back a bit more on the oars (or kicker) so you always have tension and you should feel the thing kick…and then WHAAAAAAM!
Adam says
J- Deezey! I would like to use HI-VIS mainline what would you recomend sir? Something that is reliable and won’t break the bank….you know, affordable.
I appreciate your website, thanks Man!!!
JD says
Suffix clear/blue or Trilene Big Game XT Solar…