It seems anymore, in my home state of Oregon, there are less and less salmon in the rivers, and far less bank access to the rivers. An easy way to combat this problem? Fish from a driftboat!
Whether you purchase your own, go with a friend, or hire a guide; drifting rivers can really widen your options. I am a newer driftboat owner, but a captain none the less.
Using a driftboat to fish you favorite salmon or steelhead river will not only allow easy access of hard to reach stretches of river, but it will also enable you to use different methods that would otherwise be foreign from the bank. I couldn’t believe it the other day when Magicsoul aka Brent the SH drift master….(my words, not his) told me he had never fished from a driftboat. That’s what got me thinking about elaborating and just clearing out my mental archive on the subject.
One of the methods I eluded to above would be backbouncing. This method can be applied when fishing several types of bait and/or lures. As a brief description, backbouncing is a way to walk your bait or lure downstream towards the fish. Whether it be anchoring your boat, or stationary rowing…this technique allows you to present the bait or lure first. Also, when you’re backbouncing you can really beef up your terminal gear (swivels, snap rings etc) and leader size as visibility is not a factor at this point.
There are basically two types of backbouncing rods. A short stiff rod for heavier water conditions, and more of a magnum tapered rod for light to moderate conditions. If you ask most fishermen what type of rod they prefer, they will almost always tell you a magnum taper is preferred. A true magnum taper….or extra fast action rod is a one piece rod, usually right around 8 feet long. By nature, you have a very sensitive tip section with this rod…….and then it tapers down fast into a stout rigid backbone when bent. This allows you to feel the bite, yet have the power to hammer back on it and set that hook home! A rod with these specs can also double as an anchor rod in the big river (CR) for wobblers, spinners or plugs.
Along with the mag taper in the arsenal of driftboat rods would need to be one that had a stout nature all the way through. For the heavier water conditions I mentioned earlier. Those deeper, faster slots might require a stiff tip so be ready with a couple sticks. This way, you can be as prepared as possible without littering your boat with rods.
Your presentation from a driftboat is just as important as the presentation of a bank angler. It’s okay to call us bank maggots Todd. Don’t worry. Anyway, the presentation….it needs to be pretty accurate in the case of flat or kwikfish along a slot by a rock wall, for example. Natural presos are also important with a shrimp or a bait of eggs. It’s much easier to achieve this from a driftboat for a longer period of time. Hell, most guys are side drifting now for steelhead and leaving these methods for the salmon season only. They work for everything though. Keep in mind when you are backbouncing to target water that you can reach…..your success will depend on being able to reach that crucial part of the run or hole where the fish will be sitting. All of this also depends on your ability to read the water. When you’re reading water, using a pair of polarized glasses helps to eliminate the glare on the water and allows you to identify slots and pockets much easier than without. Also understand that salmon are typically lazy and make sure when you select your bouncing water that it doesn’t look like water that a fish would have to exert a lot of energy to sit in.
If backbouncing doesn’t sound like your cup of coffee….and it may not be, maybe we’ll throw the bait and diver technique out there. This method doesn’t require as much attention (nice way of saying skill). The diver will constantly work behind the boat regardless of the person holding the rod, so go ahead and rig your uncoordinated visiting uncle up with that method. You can apply this technique to a lot of the same water you look to backbounce in. There are divers that run as shallow as a few feet and as deep as 40 feet. The preferred situation for a B & D might be slower moving water with some of the same depths that you are already targeting. This water would most likely be passed up by someone exclusively bouncing. You’ll want to work the current seams, positioning the boat above the target area. Like backbouncing, the bait is being presented to the fish first. So again, a heavier leader than normal can be used just to be safe, as visibility of the terminal gear and leader is not a factor to the fish at this point.
The rod to use for a B & D rigging is that of a limber, more forgiving action than described above. This allows the diver to work more freely behind the boat. You’ll want to make sure however that the rod you choose still has enough backbone to set the hook with ample power. Of course you can also pull plugs with those lighter, wobbly and parabolic (rainbow bend) rods, which is just another method at your discretion when you are fishing from a driftboat. With the plug pulling method you also row just slightly slower than the current…..working your plugs downriver. You will be rowing through current seams, slots and deep glides. Very little terminal gear is needed when plug pulling…..a duo lock snap with a barrel to eliminate twist is all that sits between the plug and your main line….unless you’re running some kind of bumper section. Believe it or not, I know a guy who runs tuff line directly to his plugs with no bumper section. He even runs the white stuff and says it doesn’t deter biters. I don’t know if I’d go that far…….
I really hope you guys enjoyed a little peak into a couple of things I could think of tonite about fishing from a driftboat. Thanks for the motivation, Brent.
Captain
PS-I literally broke my wireless keyboard writing that post. Wow. Call me Leadfingers.
……a thought from the author how fishing with friends still excites………..when ToDD came by my place for some quality NBA television, fish stories and some music, I asked him if he would be interested in coming along with Nookslayer and I on bank steelhead romp……Team Salmon bank style. He obliged quickly, which impressed me a lot as a fellow fisherman. The reason it impressed me is because it is very hard (and I know from experience) to stray from a comfort zone that has been good to you. While DD maintains a platinum status (my words, not his) with big water sled fishing……he is admittedly less experienced at some of the bank romping techniques and tactics for steelies that works for a lot of us from time to time. I was genuinely excited that Nook and I were going to be taking him out. I have learned something about myself since my layoff; there is nothing more rewarding than either learning or teaching a new method of fishing to a friend. Spread your knowledge to your own friends…..but do read on first.
Fishing from one day to the next can be like going from red hot FIRE to ice cold, well, ice. This was the case for me this weekend and one day was fire, and the other was……… And ice is exactly what we ran into along with all my steelhead….and snow….and huge blinding wet wind whipped snow flakes in your face….yeah, all that too.
After I built my survival fire and warmed up….my rod was jingling baby!
DD got the hang of things early and wandered of to this beautiful hole….
After being scared up river by too many cars in the parking lot, we found some familiar water that we happened to hit at the right level. Fishing pocket water, especially next to slots and runs, an angler becomes very vulnerable to loosing a fish down river to a full head of steam and a high gradient river to accelerate the effort. Well, for a pretty sweet little amateur video effort detailing this exact scenario, kick your feet up and check this clip out. I swear, on the fifteen pound permit I caught in Florida on the flats….and on my 18 pound silver up at my Auntie’s place….this SH would go at least eighteen and some change….maybe a 40 incher. Ask either jaw dropped Team Salmon member with me. Check it out, but keep in mind it’s a six minute video and the series is more like fifteen. So if you’re in a hurry, come back later.
Yeah, pretty nuts right? So, I sat right there and watched the whole video on the camera, and just thought about the fish. Just sat and thought about the bite…..just imagined going right back up there and doing it again. Or, maybe I just got really lucky. Part two:
So there you have that. Or something like that. Or I don’t know how the hell to land a SH in really fast water that can constantly bruise it’s way back into the middle of the gnarliest currents. I think in both cases; had I not forgot my wader boots in freezing cold temps…maybe I could’ve steered those fish around differently…..or maybe I just needed to hook another one. Finally, one small enough to land.
Like I said, finally a fish. I missed one more as well, non documented. What a day. It was also very cool to see so many new and cool flies and techniques from Nookslayer…..
Nook carried two fully rigged heavy fly rods and a ton of gear. He switched up often and fished hard. Amazing caster.
See ya’ll over the next snowy hill……happy winters huntin’…….
I couldn’t wait another minute….I had to take the drift boat out this morning. It was visceral and could not be stopped. I put up that post this morning and then waited until I could wait no more. I ran only two methods today, drift and jig. I switched up with the drift outfit maybe three times, with two different styles within that method. The other of course was my float outfit…and was newly re-rigged with jig heads on my plastics instead of threaded free falling worms. I ran one marabou jig and two shads of pink on the plastics. Tried black and white jig heads as well. I had seams to fish, big gravel bars and even a deep run…….I varied my depths a bunch and ran casts in patterns…..Gave it a pretty good go. Got low holed by some side drifting sleds…..heard of no fish today.
During some point today, or maybe ALL day long, I looked around befuddled yet ecstatic at the blue skies and semi-warm breezes that surrounded us on this January day. Yes, just a short two weeks after our whole world crept to a stop from disastrous forms of precipitation……yes today we just floated…..Oh yeah, and we even caught a few Steelhead. Other than our three SH (2 for Sal) of all the people we saw, including a trooper that had been on a different fiasco-laden, drift boat drain clogged river, there were only a handful of fish caught today. We just happened to have the hand that was full this time around.
A very special thanks to Chris Vertopoulos of NW Angling Experience, first of all for going fishing on a weekend….but even more so for his water reading prowess, great conversation….and oh yeah, I keep forgetting….the Steelhead too. Thanks for the Steelhead…..all three of them……you rowed me and Sal into. What? You guys think I’m going to give away his secrets? Just enjoy the pics.
Chris prepares rope for boat drop…
The first thing I thought when we pulled up to this cliff…..alright….REALLY steep hill, was that someone was going to get hurt. I mean, ‘pushing’ the drift boat (19 footer, by the way) over the side of the hill?? Yep. That’s exactly what Chris schooled us on. He said “you gotta get into the water somehow”……well, there is that.
Sal acts as a land rudder….
I have to give credit where credit is due….and by this I mean an extremely nimble Sal dirt plowing down the hill to assist in the kamikaze launch…..which didn’t end up being kamikaze at all.
Sal at home plate
#1
Our 1st fish….
This beauty of a little fat coastal cutthroat, in the picture above, ate a pink worm under a float…..warming us up for future rod bends….and in my case…about a half mile fight down river……
#2
Our 2nd fish is a steelhead and is lifted up by Sal to the surface for Chris V to scoop
Sal got this fish above early in the day and shook his skunk before his coffee buzz ever left him. I can’t remember Pop…What did you get that on? Bobber or drift?
#3
Our 3rd fish was this amazing Brood stock hatchery fish…
Not since the Situk river in Alaska fourteen years ago has a Steelhead taken me across a river like this fish did today. And, if bringing her back across the river from the limbs on the other side wasn’t enough…she even went under and behind the boat at one point. Chris’ gear he had us running was incredible. Sized precisely. Great gear and great guide meant nickel slab for this guy.
#4
Sal nailed this native on Chris’ call….
As if on queue, Chris V called out to Sal that the little tailout he was about to drift over was the best part of the drift and to be ready….like I said; ‘as if on queue’……
Hey guys, we have some cool vids I’ll get up as well. Thanks!
I thought it was worth a mention that TS has booked Chris Vertopoulos’ tried and trusted guide service for today ( DD ) and tomorrow ( Sal and myself ) ………………. word is the bite has been good, as the rivers are just finally dropping into shape. Stay tuned for a report with pics and don’t forget I will have a new ‘how to’ article next week…….as I am shooting for one a week at least.
Does anyone have any requests for subject matter? We can call this section Dear Abby eerrrrrrrrrr I mean ask Hellcat….or Ask Team Salmon or something…..
Everyone knows how great it is to see old friends. Especially during hard times it’s just a little bit sweeter to see an old buddy and let all the small stuff fade away…..well that’s what I got to do this mid week while fishing with my, not only my right hand man, B Dog, but also a reunion with 1HOOKEDBEAK! That’s right. None other than. After almost two years we wet a line together. Folks, 1HB may be the happiest man alive….especially when he is walking a river for SH.
1HookedBeak returned to H3llcat’s for a second chili feed
We began the day with a recon hike after so much receded water while still high flows: The high water marks were awe inspiring. I’ve never seen anything like it. It’s incredible how damage two years ago during the 2006 floods could still have an effect on high water this year. Nature takes a while to rebuild, especially when she keeps pounding her rivers. All the same, we should be seeing some real healthy returns when the numbers come back….although none we captured here.
We each made sure to switch up to at least 4 different times with both drift and float methods being covered….and both bait caster and spin, but no fly. It looked darn good out there. Got goosebumps fishing that deep green water…but no takes. Some of our ‘money water’ was not accessable due to erosion of epic proportions or just plain high water. At least we were able to partake in the chili feed part deux back at my place while watching Larry Dahlberg fishing videos. Not a bad day at all.
Whether you are already an Allaroundangler or learning how to become one, it’s important you open your mind to several verticals of fishing. By this I mean quite simply the following: Spin fishing, bait casting & fly fishing. Those are ‘the big three’ and I’m not talking about the Boston Celtics, or our Country’s major auto makers. By pushing yourself outside of your comfort zone, you will undoubtedly discover that by extending your area of expertise into one or more of those methods you don’t currently practice, your success rate will most certainly increase.
Don’t be afraid to ask for help. Even if you are nailing fish on a regular basis, chances are you are fishing some of the same water over and over because it is producing for you, and with the method that you are most comfortable with. Remember though, those fish have to go through a lot of water to get to where you are fishing for them. So, why not expand your arsenal and begin to look for fish in water you wouldn’t have otherwise been able to fish due to your primary method not fitting in well with all water?
A fly rod modified with a marabou jig…
This is true of most fishermen. We go back to those familiar methods and water because they’re comfortable and most of all: They give us confidence. It’s a lot like a basketball player who is big enough to play down low, but prefers to shoot jumpers. If he would only learn how to post up, he could get a lot more points than he is already scoring. Your perfect Allaroundangler analogy to an athlete is up to you, but I guarantee you’ll find some.
Now, to get to the title of this ‘how to’ tutorial, let’s look at how to choose when to use a bait casting outfit over a spinning outfit or fly outfit. If your a beginner to fishing and I’ve lost any of you with these monikers, please take a moment to Google the differences of these three types of outfits. A quick image search should do it. Anyway, I decided on this content for the week because I recently began fishing with a spinning outfit again and this topic is near and dear to my own efforts out there for Winters.
Meskel shows versatility in shallower water with his fly outfit…
For years now, I’ve watched a partner of mine, H2O, carry around three or four different rods when romping the bank for Winters. Despite the obvious pain in the rump of hauling those sticks around without getting them all twisted up as you crash through the brush that is so common for us bankies to run into…..I began to watch the different types of water that H could fish simply by switching from his casting outfit to his spinning outfit, etc. I guess I began to mentally document the different things he could do by switching methods. H2O’s ability to work a piece of water is always significantly more expansive than my own…..and he catches a lot of fish, just like a lot of us. So, since I seem to get fish at an okay clip as well most years, I would notice these things spin fishermen could accomplish, but never got compelled to change up my bait caster.
In a recent article, I mentioned fishing high water at your feet. You can see how well it worked for Magicsoul recently on his limit this week…….Well, part of fishing high water is getting down in the currents and to the fishable depth without losing too much real estate under your drift in the process. Fly fishermen are some of the best at guesstimating how far UPRIVER they need to cast in order to get to that ‘fishable’ water for the majority of their drift or swing. These things being pointed out all the same, for years I have fished at my feet with bigger floats to keep my heavy leads from pulling those floats under water. I haven’t had any complaints and in fact, was absolutely convinced that getting into that ‘fishable’ zone quickly, is the key to a Steelhead strike.
Nookslayer fishes all methods, though primarily fly…see his arsenal above….
Here is the problem with my school of thought…..although the more buoyant float and heavier leads gets down into the ‘fishable’ zone very quickly, it limits you in water that is shallow due to a gravel bar or uneven bottom. In some cases, that’s okay. If you have an uneven bottom with a pretty good consistent depth (5 to 12 feet) you are golden with my heavier rig (which by the way lends itself perfectly to a bait casting outfit ) but, as I noticed for so many years watching H2O, I just couldn’t run a little tiny jig, plastic, bait of eggs, etc, in all the water I wanted to. So, like most of us, I would reel in my gear and move on to some water that looks like it would accommodate the rig on my rod.
This isn’t the best way to Steelhead fish, or any other kind of fishing for that matter. We need to adjust our methods to the water at hand, not the other way around. One way is lazy fishing, the other is not. I am very guilty of this crime. Mostly because I hate to re rig all the time. I loathe it….although not as much as Sal. What can I say, we heller’s like to fish more than re rig. Guess what: So do all of us. No one likes to re rig. So, the solution is to carry multiple rods that represent multiple methods of angling. This way you can fish light gear in shallow water (spinning outfit), heavier gear in faster water ( very buoyant float with terminal lead and shot crimped on your leader ) or a swinging method in a tailout, which a fly rod and line lend itself to, perfectly.
Multiple rods to fish one hole….
By preparing yourself for a variety of water, and planning on putting in the work necessary to change out all the time, a person can really open up some new water for themselves they may not have fished before. Remember, Steelhead are not like Salmon. They are like Trout. They will sit in two feet of water or (quite literally in some cases ) 20 plus foot of water. Because Steelhead are NOT predictable ( I don’t care what anyone says ) you must be prepared with multiple methods and types of outfits. If you need a hand, just ask. We have fly fishermen on this site who can help you with some very easy tutorials and tips, and I am one of them.
I am really excited to continue to fish new water for Winter Steelhead by coming prepared with multiple rod and reel outfits. I can’t tell you how nice it is to fish a very small float with no lead and a tiny jig in high water RIGHT next to the bank in one hand, and in the next cast quite literally drop a heavy jig with terminal lead in a current seam. Once you’ve worked the top end and middle with your spinning and casting outfits, you may swing a milking egg pattern or something more mobile across the tailout below you. Now you are a player who can play multiple positions. You’ll score more points for sure. Please let me know how I may expound on this content for some of you individually. For those of you learning to fish and using Allaroundangler as one of your instructors…..I sincerely appreciate the time you spend here and don’t hesitate to ask me something directly at ‘info@allaroundangler.com’.
Tight lines with multiple rods,
Captain
NOTE: This and other ‘how to’ features can be accessed by clicking on page #10, ‘The new “how to” page’
After all of the boat fishing we did this past summer and fall, it’s nice to get out and rack up a good ‘bank romp. Anxious with the virgin 9 foot spinning outfit and a new enthusiasm for this website, I spent most of Saturday evening, night, and midnight hours putting together the prettiest box of gear you’ve ever seen. I mean it was great: Bobbers in their own little slot, both shades of pink Zipper plastics, a worm threader, all brand new terminal tackle…..great eggs…oh yeah, and a brand new underwater Olympus that Sal got me for Christmas. Not even all that stuff was enough to compete with the infamous ‘Magicsoul’ and his drift techniques. It was great to see you, Brent, and thanks for the yummy pics….Great work with the camera to you and your boy. I did manage to snap some cool pics of high water side channels and Meskel on top of the pipeline……….Brent’s aka Magicsoul’s fish below…..B Dog and I are off to the Sandy with none other than the infamous Nathan Hornbeak. Cheers.
…………Sal……..
..Meskel..
..1 of 2..
…..Magicsoul…..
Way to go Brent, that is one helluva Winter limit. I should’ve stayed put. Way to keep changing it up. I learned a lot today by hearing you switched 7 colors until you found the right one. Excellent work.
The Oregon Chapter of CCA held its annual membership meeting at Kennedy School last Wednesday (1/7). The Chapter is going on its second year and already has over 3,000 members. CCA started on the East and Gulf Coasts and has a reputation for getting things done to help sport fisherman. They were a major player in bringing back striped bass on the E Coast and Redfish on the Gulf Coast. They focus on changing laws, regulations and policy to benefit the resource and the sport fisherman who use it. There are currently 17 Chapters in the US and CCA is definitely a grass roots organization. They are now in Oregon and Washington and are currently focusing on salmon issues.
There were about 40 folks at the meeting. Shawn Miller, a recently hired lobbyist for the Chapter talked about past work and the agenda for the coming year. He talked about three main targets for 2009: Harvest reform - ending non selective salmon harvest on the Columbia River (gill nets in particular); Getting sport fish representation on the Commission for ODFW; Marine reserves - demanding good science and proven results before establishing the reserves.
Membership in Oregon CCA is only $25 a year. It is looking like the group will make a difference. The next Portland Chapter meeting is in March and will be a Kennedy School. I would encourage anyone interested to sign up and drop by the next meeting. There is definitely a need for more members and especially ones younger than 50.
One of my favorite things about Steelhead, particularly winters, is fishing them during wet seasons or high water conditions….how much easier they are to catch in these situations is hard to argue. For the purpose of this training, I’ll focus on ‘where’ to fish, as opposed to ‘what’ to use.
As I linked up to the river levels through the website this morning, I tried to imagine what might help those of you out there wondering ‘when’ is the right time to fish on a dropping river system. This question was brought up to me recently by a friend I worked with that is really trying to make it out on the river more often….but he lacks a network of information….and so I figure although sometimes I think most of you know exactly what I think I know…..it seems there may be some benefit to making sure basics continue to be covered.
Most of you reading this have probably caught Steelhead in high water…….this is more likely due to the number of times you have fished high water versus the pattern you’ve recognized while fishing the aforementioned. This being said, let’s look at some of the reasons that fish are so much more vulnerable in high water and how you, as an avid Metal Head chaser, can capitalize:
Everyone know that Salmon are lazy. Well, although Steelhead are about as different from Salmon as men are from women….they are still lazy by nature….this allows them to conserve calories for their freshwater ventures. So, every time you walk up to a piece of water you plan on fishing…..don’t walk right up and start casting. Take a moment to observe where the heaviest flows of water are. Imagine where the least path of resistance is…..and then begin to take into account the necessary things such as depth, clarity and turbidity. Once you’ve observed where the water is swelling (this would not be a good cast) versus where the water is fanning (classic SH water) begin a couple very short casts……with either a float and a plastic or jig…..or a traditional drift rig.
To begin; if you are drift fishing (bottom bouncing as the notorious Sal would call it ) you will want to start with an obviously smaller than required amount of lead. This will ensure that while you cast and retrieve to gain a sense of depth and water speed….you most likely will not get hung up. Nothing more frustrating that getting hung up on your first or second toss ( B dog may have a story to share here…..).
If it’s a bobber or float you are using for your first cast, again, to ‘feel’ out your drift…starting closest to you. Run a very short leader or float depth here as you are going to be fishing at your feet in some cases. One of the best examples of fishermen who do this method effectively…..is fly fishermen. They understand better than most how close fish can be to the bank in these conditions. Mostly because, at one time or another, their casting abilities were limited…and they ended up short by default. Even as they got better and more skilled with casting distance, that ‘close to the bank’ mentality is already ingrained.
An old TS member works a whole shoreline at his feet
It is always surprising to me how many times a SH is hooked a dozen feet off the bank, or closer. I’ve watched Sal fish at his feet for a long time…..for trout and SH….and I firmly enlist in this method……simply because I catch more fish close than I do far. I believe, as bank fishermen, we tend to think the farther casts are better, but this couldn’t be farther from the truth: A far cast creates some very obvious problems that will limit your ability to be successful; 1) the longer the cast, the harder it will be to set the hook, especially with traditional line, mono, that most of us from the bank use. 2) You will rarely achieve the depth you need to for Winter fish, by cast far. Even in lower flows, you want to find a deeper slot, and fish you feet if possible.
Brandon fishes at his feet with conventional drift gear….
A longer cast can make you successful in a tail-out situation, however, where your goal is to ’swing’ your bait, jig, spinner or fly across a tail-out. This is a fly fisherman mimicking method that can be extremely successful, but more so for Summers, than Winters.
I can’t remind everyone enough that Steelhead are just big, spooky trout. Try to sneak up on the water you are going to sample, even if it’s higher and off color. A lot of times, with a smaller river or stream, if you don’t consciously practice this, you are startling fish before you ever even knew they were there. Think about how many times a fish has hit your bait or lure while you were very close to the boat or bank. Same idea. That fish MAY NOT have followed your bait or lure, it may have just been positioned much closer than you had anticipated. Maybe you got lucky.
But luck is usually not a factor when fishing high water. No more than with anything else you do, anyway. Read the water, but do so in sections. By this I mean, don’t overwhelm yourself by trying to imagine where ALL of the fish might be laying (remember, we aren’t salmon fishing) but rather, where is a spot that A fish might hold……considering all of the things I’ve said to this point.
Once you have petered around in close, you can loosen up a bit and loose a bit of your stealthiness…while focusing on that next section of water. The ‘next section out’ as I call it. Fish three sections out, and then step down or up. Resist the urge to cast across the river. The fish will never see you bait or lure other than by fluke…..which, folks, this is a fluky thing sometimes, after all, it is called fishing now isn’t it.
