All Around Angler

Note from the founder…

“Although I never mention river names or locations…I still hope to win the respect and repeat viewership of not only the 10% of anglers that catch 90% of the fish but also from the rest of you too. How do you become part of the 10%? You read this website and pick up tips, tricks, suggestive language and hopefully a fishing partner or two. I can’t tell you where to go but I’m darn happy to show you how to do it. Or at least my interpretations.” Christopher Heller, Site Founder

TIP #1 “Stay on your toes”

Fish the water that is in front of you right now. Do not fish the water that was there last time you fished it. Chances are it’s changed and need re-evaluating. The All Around Anglers in the 10% have figured this out. Having a bit of everything in your box doesn’t just mean having different methods available. It also means you must have a variety of sizes and colors and even shapes within that gear set. It may sound very academic to you more seasoned anglers reading this but many people need a good reminder that rivers change constantly. They are like living, breathing creatures. Which is why I am addicted to them so much. They keep you guessing and readjusting and there is never a dull moment. One day you’re casting heavy slinkies and egg looped yarn balls and the next day you’re using little teeny black and red jigs and a split shot.

TIP #2 “Stay within a small color range”

Winter steelhead are so much more fun to fish for than summers. No comparison really. I suppose if you are a salmon-centric steelhead fisherman you will agree with this assessment as well. Their behavior is much more similar to that of a salmon than that of their summer cousins. They typically like deeper water which allows an angler to target more seam habitat and less tailout habitat. Which for me is excellent because of the methods I chose to use most often: Dead drifting yarn balls with chunks of eggs on top (tutorial to come soon), float fishing jigs, plastics and yarnies…and upriver drifting oblong style spoons. All of the methods are allowed when targeting your typical winter water. What you don’t want to do is go crazy with your colors. Stay within a small range of pinks and reds and keep it simple. Cerise, pink and white are your very best friends this time of year. I would rather fish an all-cerise yarnie over any other color, period. Coupla fresh berries from a skein tied into the top of the egg loop…money. Same with float fishing. Match your jigs to the water in front of you. Don’t use a big pink jig if you can see the bottom of the river. Go to black and red. Keep it simple with hardware as well. Go silver or brass and stay away from lots of colors on your hardware. Stay within a small range.

TIP #3 “Tip your jigs”

One of the most effective things a jig fisherman can do is tip his jig with a tiny piece of bait. The water conditions must be right and the piece of bait must be placed perfectly on the hook and must be an extension of the jig itself. Not a hook to hang bait off of. There is a fine line between the two. I discourage adding any scent to your jigs. Adding scent will muck the jig up and ruin the action in certain water. Whereas tipping your jig with a small can enhance the effect when done properly. The best type of bait to use is shrimp. There are many variations of ways to do this so I’ll let you come up with your own. In most cases you must use something extremely small…so I will say to keep that in mind. You’ll also want to either cure or scent or both….the shrimp itself. Again, many ways to accomplish this so experiment away. But I promise you…it can drastically change your results from one cast to the next for winter steelhead.

Christopher Heller, Site Founder