Intro | When to Go | Weather | Time of Day | Where to Fish

When To Go
Good numbers of steelhead swim into Great Lakes tributaries from September until the following May. A few rivers in Canada and along Lake Superior produce from June through August because the water stays cold; however, the number of fish in the runs are considerably smaller than those in the fall and spring. Even so, this long season gives Great Lakes steelhead anglers a wide window of time to pursue their quarry. The greatest amount of fishing pressure generally occurs when the fishing is at its best--usually in late October and November and then again in March and April. Fishing during these periods decreases your chances of finding a stretch of untouched water or undisturbed fish.

I often take advantage of the weeks bordering prime time in late September and early October when fishing pressure is often light on rivers that don't receive runs of Chinook salmon. Pressure is also light in May after the best fishing is past.

The trick with these shoulder times is water conditions and temperature. In September I look for cool rainy periods that raise water levels, drop water temperatures, and bring fish into the lower ends of the tributaries. I look for the same conditions in late April and May. Water and weather conditions are the variables that affect steelhead the most, and having a flexible schedule allows you to adjust to the conditions and find both fish and solitude.

Keep an eye on a thermometer when fishing during these periods. When water temperatures reach 70 degrees (F.) and above, steelhead activity slows and the chances of killing a fish while releasing it are increased. Water temperatures that linger between 50 and 60 during these shoulder periods produce aggressive, hot steelhead. The quality of the take and fight compensate for the lack of numbers generally found at this time. You may find fish dropping back to the lake in late April and early May, but on rivers like the Salmon River in New York and the Pere Marquette in Michigan where temperatures remain cool, I have caught fresh fish well into late May.

The cold weather and less active fish found during the winter months (January through March) creates another period of light angling pressure. Flexibility during the winter is more important than any other time of the year. I don't enjoy fishing in sub-freezing temperatures when ice instantly forms on the line and guides. Instead I look for breaks in the weather that produce temperatures in the mid to high 30s.

In winter, check weather reports often. Predicting Great Lakes weather is always difficult, but in the winter it is especially frustrating. Breaks in the weather are often short and come without much notice, so it becomes critical to seize opportunities when they exist.

Not all rivers and streams fish well during the winter. Many tributaries ice over unless the winter weather is extremely mild. The best winter rivers for steelhead are large ones with a high gradient or are fed from a reservoir like the Salmon River in New York. Unless there is a prolonged period of severe temperatures, these tend to flow.

You may need to adjust some of your techniques to be successful in the winter months. In early winter, water temperatures in the mid to high 30s keep fish fairly active. But as the season reaches a midpoint, water temperatures hover just above freezing. Since a steelhead's metabolism slows dramatically to conserve energy in the cold water, they are less aggressive and won't waste energy chasing a fly. Dead-drift techniques work best under these conditions because it allows your fly to drift naturally with the current.

Great Lakes steelhead take a swinging fly even in the winter, but when the water is cold they don't move too far. Fishing the fly slow and near the bottom is the best bet. Most fish take at the start of the swing as the fly drifts with the current on a tight line or at the end of the swing.