Casting the Surf For Steelhead
all the recent talk of Steelhead on the fly, got me thinkin…
what about, wadin and castin the surf for staging fish??
so made up my mind last night to try and get out first light this morn to a North Shore Trib and start tossin some fur n feather and see if my theory would stick.
so armed w/my #9Wt and some Clousers and a few secret saltwater flies, i obtained over the summer, i waded out into the surf. thank god for neoprene waders, that water was cold!
after 1-1/2 hrs of tossin flies around with no action, i moved out another few yards and tossed a baitfish imitation i had (size #4) after a short few strips something hit hard!
whatever it was it didn’t last long. a fairly lengthy run, almost into my backing. when it hit it must of been on a downward swing, cause my line, although being striped out a furious rate wasn’t really moving left or right. the run lasted maybe a minute tops before my leader/tippet snapped at the knot connection. being only armed with my bass/pike setup(leader/tippets) i cursed myself for not running to Gagnon’s last night and buying a heavier Leader/Tippet combination
am i dissapointed? sure , BUT , i’m now sure, armed with more appropriate leaders/tippets and some good baitfish imitation flies it is possible. a fairly stiff rod is needed to punch those large size flies into the wind luckily my IM6 is fairly fast. also be ready for a sore arm i thought castin hardware for Muskies gave me a workout, this is a close second. the added excitement of the runs (even if they are short) is intoxicating!!
who needs Saltwater??
suggestions:
- definately a #9 or #10 Wt (preferably a Saltwater Taper rod )
- a good large arbour reel w/plenty of backing
- good mix of Clousers/Deceivers in various sizes
- stripping basket would be ideal
