Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - November/December 2019 - 5

FAST WATER
Steelhead

photo-Jade Thomason

by Carl Haensel
It was one of those beautiful days along Walnut Creek,
Erie County, when all the anglers decided to go steelhead
fishing. There were plenty of fish around, and the fishing
holes often had 5 to 10 anglers fishing for steelhead.
As we walked upstream, I noticed a glint of a fish in
a swift section of river only inches deep. While it was
only one fish, I surmised, nobody else was fishing for
it. Casting into the run, my strike indicator rig passed
by the fish, and it made a small motion to the side. The
strike indicator stopped, I set the hook, and a silver bullet
charged upstream, heading toward the next hole. About
50 feet upstream, it stopped, turned around and raced
back downstream. Passing me in seconds, I raced to
recover the slack line to keep pressure on the fish. Moving
rapidly down the river, the fish coursed through a narrow
slot in the shale bedrock of the river and turned to fight
in a slightly deeper hole. A few minutes more and I had
the fish in the net to admire, then released it back into the
current to fight another day. That day long ago was one of
the first times I started targeting steelhead in fast water,
and I have experienced plenty of successful days on Lake
Erie tributaries since then.

Fishing to active fish

When you fish to steelhead that are holding in fast
water, you are casting to fish that are on the move. These
fish, as opposed to the fish sitting in slow, deep pools,
are often more likely to take a fly. Steelhead tend to be
fresher, brighter and stronger than other fish that have
been in the tributaries for a long time. In short, steelhead
are active fish. Start pursuing steelhead by spending
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some time looking for these fish. When the water is clear
enough to see fish easily, you may find fish in fast water
by slowly walking along tributaries, like Walnut Creek or
Elk Creek, and looking for fish in riffles and runs that are
near large pools and holding areas. During higher water,
steelhead are more likely to move, and it may be a great
time to fish. When stalking fish, look for reaches of water
and look for flashes in the water. Steelhead in fast water
can be hard to spot, and sometimes fish can hide in only a
few inches of water.

Important gear

Polarized sunglasses are a necessity for anglers looking
to sight fish for fast water steelhead. Using polarized
sunglasses cuts the glare on the river, and these sunglasses
are invaluable when trying to find fish in clear water.
Test two pairs of sunglasses for polarization by turning
the sunglasses at a 90-degree angle to each other. The
sunglasses should darken and block out nearly all of the
light. If this does not occur, at least one of the pairs of
sunglasses are not polarized. When you are fishing with a
fly rod, an easily adjustable strike indicator is important
for drifting egg patterns and nymphs to fish in fast water.
Often, you will be changing the amount of weight you
are using, as well as the length of the line between the
strike indicator and your fly. It is vital to have your fly
moving near the bottom of the water column where the
fish are holding, so a quality indicator makes a huge
difference. Quality indicators do not kink your leader,
making moving the indicator easy. A good selection of
splitshot is also important to be able to get the line down
quickly. I prefer to use tin weights, because tin weights
are environmentally friendly and come in natural colors
that will not startle fish. A wide variety of steelhead fly

Pennsylvania Angler & Boater * November/December 2019

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Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - November/December 2019

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