Spring steel on a schedule

[tnflyfisher]

So far I have been out on the road a lot here this year and with my busy schedule the last thing I anticipated was having a chance to chase steelhead again until at least September...

When I was requested to attend my grandmother's surprise 90th birthday party up in NY a few weeks ago, it got me thinking... what if there was a way to slip out to the creeks to try and nab a spring steelie or two? To say the least, I would have been more than happy just finding a way to make getting on the water a reality, regardless of catching any fish. Luckily for me, one of my VT fishing buddies was on his way to the lake this particular weekend and we made it happen for a few hours. Even though the water was up everywhere we looked, we actually managed to tangle with a few steelhead. However, it was mainly an effort in hooking up and not much else as trying to battle the big fish in the fast water and strong currents was heavily weighted in the fish's favor!! One turn downstream from a big steelie in these conditions and you could kiss both the fish and your fly goodbye... I did manage to bring in one of about a half dozen fish to the net for a quick picture. Overall it was a great time even if just for the afternoon and it would be a lie if I said I wasn't already counting down the days till fall even with spring just barely here...


My friend making an attempt to follow a fish... notice the water??


I finally landed this respectable female. A nice fresh fish...


My friend managed to get this beauty to the net as well...


Perfect steelhead conditions but still high water even on the little creeks...




Tight Lines,

[flyred06]

great post and thanks for taking the time to post it. Was those typical water flows or high water? Also I have never fished for steelies what size rod do you use for this type of fishing?

[tnflyfisher]

Originally Posted by flyred06

Was those typical water flows or high water?

I'm guessing you missed the part about where I said that the water was up everywhere we looked... It was nothing but high water as NY had been recently pounded with rain prior to my arrival. Hence a shot of even the little feeder creeks which were difficult to fish and wade due to the strong currents and fast water. Normally this river is much, much lower. Only reason we were fishing in this location was because it was full of fish. We watched them trying to jump the falls for hours...


Tight Lines,