bank fishing

[shakertaker]

i know there are alot of guys out there that do alot of bank fishing for steelhead including me. i've done alot of fishing on the bogie the sol duc and the nooche but my results havent been so great. most of the time i just plunk out in a hole with eggs and maybe a spin n glow. i also have done some drifting with eggs and with jigs and a bobber. oh usually i try to go during the first of the year jan feb and mar. i always see the guys in the drift boats slaying them. i was wondering if maybe someone could give me a few pointers so i improve my success with these smart fish.. thanks guys   

[riverwader]

When you are on the home page, click on "Winter Steelhead" and read it. That just about says it all. find the technique you like and stay with it. good luck.

[Brian]

Thanks Jim!

Here is a link to the homepage if you haven't been there yet. Steelhead Notebook Homepage

You can always get there by clicking on this logo at the top of this forum.

 

Browse through the pages on the main site and check out the techniques, tips and tutorials there. Lots of good information in there that has been provided by our members as well as what I have wrote about. Hopefully you will find what your looking for.

[BigCohoTom]

I'd like to welcome shakertaker42 and Bank Bum to Steelhead Notebook !

[Strike Rite Tackle Co.]

Cover water. I know you will hear it a lot but it is true. Besides having better access to holding water, a fisherman in a drift boat can cover large expanses of water. I credit their success to this. In my mind, steelhead do not pulse into the river like salmon do. Therefor, plunking in a singular hole, will only produce a singular fish. Maybe more but you get the idea. Covering may areas puts your offering in front of many fish, and that leads to success. Preparedness and carefull planing are more critical when bank fishing as well.

[Brian]

Covering water is a definite advantage. Don't expect the steelhead to come to you, go after them. I have found that if your set up correctly and are reading the water right, you will hook any fish present  in just a few drifts if they are there. If float fishing, try to match your depth to the conditions you are facing and don't forget to fish the soft water lies close to shore. I can't tell you how many steelhead I hook in less than a couple feet of water right near shore. My jig or PW may only be 18" below my float in these times, very fun. The key is to keep flexible with your offerings, and to cover all the water you are traveling through. You will be surprised where you will hook steelhead.

Reading water is also a key, if your not very good at this, hook up with someone who reads water well and follow them all day and watch where the make every cast. It maybe sound boring, but it will shorten your learning curve dramatically as far as reading water and understanding why steelhead hold where they do. This is a key to success.

Good Luck this winter.

[Rossiman]

First off Shacker welcome to Steelheadnotebook!

I to fish from the bank 98% of the time, very rarely do i get a chance to fish from a boat. Bank fishing requires a different approach than if you where in a boat. You want to look for good holding water, this can be broken into 3 categories: Depth, Structure and Current Velocity.
I like fishing water anywhere from 3-10 feet deep, the water has to have enough depth to it to make a steelhead feel secure. You can catch steelhead in water that is deeper and shallower, but most of the fish i take are from within that range.

Structure: Can consist of boulders, logs, riffles, ledges, depressions and channels. Steelhead will very rarely hold in structure that consists of just sand, sand irritates there gills. Instead look for water that has a rocky bottom, this could be made up of rocks that are the size of baseballs/basketballs to submerged/visible boulders.

Lastly, Current velocity. Water that is between a slow walking pace to jogging speed are a good bet. Remember steelhead aren't like salmon they prefer water that has some velocity to it, but they also don't like water that consists of extremely fast water. They want to get from point A to point B with the least amount of energy required to do so.

As for areas to look for, simply casting out your lure will most likely equal little to no success. You need to know/have a reason to cast where you are. Understanding where fish hold/why they hold there is hands down one of the most important factors for a successful outing.
And like the guys before me said, COVER WATER. They aren't salmon, they come by in the few... not in the thousands. Good luck out there, and i hope to see some fish porn in the near future from you.




Edit: If you haven't already, read the home page under techniques section http://www.steelheadnotebook.net/techniques.htm. Brian goes into great detail and i am sure you will learn some stuff, i know i did. If there is anything else you want to know just ask, there is a great group of guys on here who will share info with you. Maybe next time i can get out on the river, i will take some pictures of good holding water and post a tutorial up.... since there isn't a lot of info in this category.

[chum77]

  i pretty much always fish from the bank and i have alot of luck when it comes to iron heads i usualy spot fish meaning i use polarized sun glasses and cover lots of water and i have pretty good luck that way. weather im using plugs,drift gear,bobber&jig thats my fave but haveing those glasses helps alot !

[cuttstosteelies]

Welcome aboard!
The biggest thing you can do after reading up is spending time on the water.  I would encourage you to visit more frequented rivers and closely observe the folks that appear to know what they're doing (cowlitz excluded)....  There was a gentleman on the Green that just happened to be there every time I showed up at the beginning of my steelhead career.  After developing somewhat of a rapport with him I was able to learn a ton of useful information.  I found myself mimicing him and while it took a bit of time, success eventually came and I was then able to venture out alone and feel somewhat confident.  Master ONE technique first.  I'd suggest drift fishing as it is more condusive in most situations than hardware or jigs.  You can drift in clear water as well as water with limited visibility and you will always have a chance of success.  Use bait.  If you don't have your own eggs handy there is nothing wrong with fresh sandshrimp or store bought prawns.  Good luck....

[chum77]

I have a suggestion for somthing to use on the bank that has landed me tons of steelies and thats the old jig & bobber so easy to use and produced lots of fish i just wish i started using it earlyer ! just get a 9 to 10 foot rod and your in biz, but i started out using my 8'6 first and that worked just fine for me i had no trouble but whats nice about jig & bobber apposed to drift fishing is you really dont have to worry about snagging the fish at all cuz if the steelhead hits the jig that means he went out of his way to grab it and that means always in the mouth, unless by some freak accedent you snag with a jig but i have never done that. oh and also tip your jig with prawn it can be store bought or you can go to the tacjle shop and buy some but i rather go to the local super market and buy them you get more for your money. So hopefully this has helped you out.

[bobber down]

that is a good technique I some times tip jigs with sand shrimp or prawns or i love to take an 1/8 OZ Pearl White jig head and a Pink worm below An 1/8 OZ turbo master float or i like west coast floats A lot. If your new to float fishing you might want to look at breaded line like 14 LB Fire line or 30LB Power Pro I use both the 14 fireline for fixed floats and the 30LB Power pro for sliding rigs.  I'll try to post some pics of rigs i use a little later good luck and Bobber Down!

[Rossiman]

Jig fishing is by far the easiest technique to master for a new guy. That's why the call it the "Training wheels".... 
I love jig fishing, boulder strewn water that could not be reached unless you had jig fishing in your arsenal.
I already stated this on another forum, fishing a jig without a prawn is like fishing a kwikfish without a sardine wrap. For something so small, that can make such a huge difference it amazes me at how many people fish jigs without some sort of extra attractant.
Squid, crawdad/sand shrimp tails, prawns all work.  My favorite being the prawns for cost effective, and the fact that you can store them for long periods of time, without making your fridge/freezer smell like..... Well you know what