new to the sport. 3 outings, zero bites, going for steelhead on Lake Erie tributaries. not expecting to always catch, but don’t have a good baseline—- once moderately proficient, roughly what % of trips do you actually land a fish on?
This. Steelhead are hard. “Fish of a thousand casts,” and all. Trout? If you’ve done it enough years and aren’t on some incredibly pressured tailwater, 30-50 fish days are common.
Greats lakes “steelhead” are not the fish of a thousand cast. Dudes that know what they’re doing can have 10-30 fish days. Ocean run in the pnw? Yeah I would give them that title
It never is , its all about peace and quiet . Id rather get skunked every day and not see another person than stand shoulder to shoulder around a honeyhole catching with every cast.
Same for hunting, Im just there for a walk in the woods, if I get to put meat in freezer all the better .
I’ve been steelhead fishing pretty seriously since last year with a Spey rod and haven’t had anything more than 3 grabs, no fish to the net yet. It’s a tough sport!
I fished about 100 days this year. Nine of those (mostly short-duration stops at a big lake I worked near, totaling 6.25 hours) were zero fish. Otherwise I caught something. Any day I seriously fished, I was successful. Some days phenomenally so. My catch per unit effort the last three years has been fairly steady.
48 years, ~40 thousand hours experience.
It’s fishing, not catching.
Steelhead can take a long, long time. You have to find them. You have to convince them to bite. You have to land them. I’ve had conversations on the water with people who had fished for them (PNW) for a year or two without catching one. Your odds go up as your skill level does. As a novice, expect it to be a slow progression.
About 90%. Sometimes it’s slow and it’s just one fish all day though. When I began it was closer to 15-20%. Keep honing in on your technique and absorbing all the info and it will pay off. Home water is South Platte, Deckers CO
In 8 years of fly fishing for steelhead, I think I've caught 3 and hooked 5. I started spey casting in January and have only been out 12 times but have only had one strike that I trout-set on like a dork. Steelhead are dubious and enchanting for a reason.
Trout set vs strip set. Trout set: lifting the rod tip up. Strip set: keeping rod pointed at fish and pulling fly line with your stripping hand to set the hook.
Obviously i don't live where you live. But for me it's about 70% that i catch some trout. 90% where i have a strike, the other 10% are usually when i know it's shit and don't cast a lot.
How cold has it been? Is the mouth of the river iced up? The tribs south of Buffalo are pretty much fishless because they’re iced up. That may change between today and tomorrow, but I was told this week would likely be a nothing burger.
I went up to the Ontario tribs and landed 3 lake run browns in under 3 hours. I’ll probably hit Oak Orchard on Friday and stay there most of the day unless I hear the ice has cleared from the tribs to the south.
I haven’t been skunked on my local trout rivers in years. I mostly fish for warm water species and salt water stuff these days though, and that can be a lot more unforgiving. Steelhead are pretty tough, so I wouldn’t expect to be catching consistently for a while.
You’ll get there. When I first started out, I went many months between catching fish before it really clicked.
Invest time now and walk the streams. With polarized sunglasses, you should see fish. Erie tribs are all about understanding conditions and how the fish react. Avoid the crowds but pay attention to where they fish
Lake Erie Steelhead are all about moving and getting on fish. I’ve been out around 5 times this year and caught anywhere between 3 and 30 fish per outing.
It took me a full season or two to get my first steelhead, and it wasnt on the fly. I bring a fly rod and a spinning rod with me when I go - I'll start with the fly rod but almost always end up fishing spinners lol
Erie Steelhead are hard mode fly fishing. If they’re hungry you’ll catch them all day and if they’re not you can stand in a spot and see a couple dozen but not catch one all day. Try to find a local expert for advice or just get out there for trout season.
To get a meaningful answer you need to ask people who fish the waters you’re fishing. Some fisheries are a lot tougher than others. I generally catch at least a fish or two wherever I go but there have been exceptions. Your chances of catching fish will improve as you develop competency with the various techniques.
Just depends on how well I know the water. My local river I catch a lot of fish. My local lake I’m lucky to catch 1-2 lmao but my lake I don’t spend the time at compared to the river I just live closer to the lake and own a boat…. But I fly fish so I go to the river more lmaooooo
I get skunked about 1 day a year fishing for river trout, and usually it's a combination of new waters and rough conditions (high flow, no flow, ice, etc).
I am 100% confident that if I went for Steelhead for the first time, I'd get skunked if I didn't hire a guide to teach me what to do and what I'm doing wrong.
Finding the fish is the hard part, you’re looking for walking pace water with good structure. I fish Erie tribs, not sure what state your in, but once you find a pod (provided they’re eating) you should be able to get at least a few strikes out of the pod, average hook->land ratio is probably 50% (best way to increase odds is having a rod and real that can hang with a big, strong fish, sharp hooks, and heavy enough tippet)
This time of year I’m just floating eggs/stonies/jig streamers under an indicator.
I caught 30 fish in a single day, been skunked the last 3 times out after that. Fantastic fly anglers know how to minimize skunked days, but for the rest of us dry streaks happen. Sometimes the fish quite literally aren't there, sometimes they aren't biting, sometimes they know we are there, sometimes they know better than to bite the stuff we are sending their way.
If it were easy, it’d be called catching. I know it’s frustrating sometimes but enjoy being outside in nature. A bad days fishing is infinitely better than a good day at work.
Starting off by fishing for lake-run rainbows in the middle of winter is not a kind way to introduce yourself to the sport…
That's what I was thinking. He may have gotten the itch to go on three cold and sluggish days...
Keep it up, it's still better than work!
Steelhead are one of the more difficult to catch. Mainly because they are hard to find. Getting skunked three strait times fishing for them is common.
This. Steelhead are hard. “Fish of a thousand casts,” and all. Trout? If you’ve done it enough years and aren’t on some incredibly pressured tailwater, 30-50 fish days are common.
Came here to say this.
Greats lakes “steelhead” are not the fish of a thousand cast. Dudes that know what they’re doing can have 10-30 fish days. Ocean run in the pnw? Yeah I would give them that title
There's a reason they call steelhead, "the fish of 1,000 casts."
They say that about a lot of fish……
I thought that was musky? Or is musky also considered a steelhead? I also thought steelheads are just big rainbows? I’m relatively new haha
Edit: 1,000 not 10,000. I see my mistake
I’m not even sure being out there is 100% about the fish at this point.
It never is , its all about peace and quiet . Id rather get skunked every day and not see another person than stand shoulder to shoulder around a honeyhole catching with every cast.
Same for hunting, Im just there for a walk in the woods, if I get to put meat in freezer all the better .
I’ve been steelhead fishing pretty seriously since last year with a Spey rod and haven’t had anything more than 3 grabs, no fish to the net yet. It’s a tough sport!
You poor bastard. Keep at it
I fished about 100 days this year. Nine of those (mostly short-duration stops at a big lake I worked near, totaling 6.25 hours) were zero fish. Otherwise I caught something. Any day I seriously fished, I was successful. Some days phenomenally so. My catch per unit effort the last three years has been fairly steady.
48 years, ~40 thousand hours experience.
It’s fishing, not catching.
Steelhead can take a long, long time. You have to find them. You have to convince them to bite. You have to land them. I’ve had conversations on the water with people who had fished for them (PNW) for a year or two without catching one. Your odds go up as your skill level does. As a novice, expect it to be a slow progression.
Steelhead is a tough game to start in.
This
About 90%. Sometimes it’s slow and it’s just one fish all day though. When I began it was closer to 15-20%. Keep honing in on your technique and absorbing all the info and it will pay off. Home water is South Platte, Deckers CO
In 8 years of fly fishing for steelhead, I think I've caught 3 and hooked 5. I started spey casting in January and have only been out 12 times but have only had one strike that I trout-set on like a dork. Steelhead are dubious and enchanting for a reason.
What’s a trout set vs a steelhead set?
Trout set vs strip set. Trout set: lifting the rod tip up. Strip set: keeping rod pointed at fish and pulling fly line with your stripping hand to set the hook.
Ah, I think I’ve only heard that streamer lures should be strip set but are you saying the set type depends on the fish?
Obviously i don't live where you live. But for me it's about 70% that i catch some trout. 90% where i have a strike, the other 10% are usually when i know it's shit and don't cast a lot.
How cold has it been? Is the mouth of the river iced up? The tribs south of Buffalo are pretty much fishless because they’re iced up. That may change between today and tomorrow, but I was told this week would likely be a nothing burger.
I went up to the Ontario tribs and landed 3 lake run browns in under 3 hours. I’ll probably hit Oak Orchard on Friday and stay there most of the day unless I hear the ice has cleared from the tribs to the south.
I haven’t been skunked on my local trout rivers in years. I mostly fish for warm water species and salt water stuff these days though, and that can be a lot more unforgiving. Steelhead are pretty tough, so I wouldn’t expect to be catching consistently for a while.
You’ll get there. When I first started out, I went many months between catching fish before it really clicked.
Try Czech nymphing for em. My experience with fly fishing is that I catch 80% more than bait fishing.
Invest time now and walk the streams. With polarized sunglasses, you should see fish. Erie tribs are all about understanding conditions and how the fish react. Avoid the crowds but pay attention to where they fish
Lake Erie Steelhead are all about moving and getting on fish. I’ve been out around 5 times this year and caught anywhere between 3 and 30 fish per outing.
It took me a full season or two to get my first steelhead, and it wasnt on the fly. I bring a fly rod and a spinning rod with me when I go - I'll start with the fly rod but almost always end up fishing spinners lol
Erie Steelhead are hard mode fly fishing. If they’re hungry you’ll catch them all day and if they’re not you can stand in a spot and see a couple dozen but not catch one all day. Try to find a local expert for advice or just get out there for trout season.
To get a meaningful answer you need to ask people who fish the waters you’re fishing. Some fisheries are a lot tougher than others. I generally catch at least a fish or two wherever I go but there have been exceptions. Your chances of catching fish will improve as you develop competency with the various techniques.
Just depends on how well I know the water. My local river I catch a lot of fish. My local lake I’m lucky to catch 1-2 lmao but my lake I don’t spend the time at compared to the river I just live closer to the lake and own a boat…. But I fly fish so I go to the river more lmaooooo
I get skunked about 1 day a year fishing for river trout, and usually it's a combination of new waters and rough conditions (high flow, no flow, ice, etc).
I am 100% confident that if I went for Steelhead for the first time, I'd get skunked if I didn't hire a guide to teach me what to do and what I'm doing wrong.
Finding the fish is the hard part, you’re looking for walking pace water with good structure. I fish Erie tribs, not sure what state your in, but once you find a pod (provided they’re eating) you should be able to get at least a few strikes out of the pod, average hook->land ratio is probably 50% (best way to increase odds is having a rod and real that can hang with a big, strong fish, sharp hooks, and heavy enough tippet)
This time of year I’m just floating eggs/stonies/jig streamers under an indicator.
I caught 30 fish in a single day, been skunked the last 3 times out after that. Fantastic fly anglers know how to minimize skunked days, but for the rest of us dry streaks happen. Sometimes the fish quite literally aren't there, sometimes they aren't biting, sometimes they know we are there, sometimes they know better than to bite the stuff we are sending their way.
Just keep throwing it out there.
If it were easy, it’d be called catching. I know it’s frustrating sometimes but enjoy being outside in nature. A bad days fishing is infinitely better than a good day at work.
2-5 fish per day. But also depends sometimes that’s 15 sometimes that is 0
Those are hard as fuck to catch for experienced fishermen, being a newbie is going to be near impossible