Northwest Indiana- Summer Steelhead?

[Rkayser 0]

Long time, no post... I know I've been absent from the site for a while- life got in the way, so on, so forth, and etc... The fishing didn't happen as much as it should have, and my tying fell off as well.

That's not important. What is important, is that I'm a college student again, but with an internship at a steel mill in the area! Working 7am-3pm gives me a lot of daylight to work with, and I had planned on re-wrapping my 8wt and stocking my trout boxes when I wasn't working. But rumors of summer run steelhead have made me rethink those plans, since they've been on my bucket list for a while.

I didn't bring waders, or a net, but I have my 8wt and a tying kit that I use for panfish, bass, and Ozark trout. I have no idea where, when, or how to fish for steelhead, or even why they call them skamania in this area. All I know is I want to catch one on the fly, and that google wasn't much help on specifics...

So does anyone have any advice on chasing these things? Streamers from a beach? Nymphs in a creek? IL? MI?

Or maybe just a good bar to sulk in after I get skunked. Yeah, that sounds pretty good, too.

 

Rob

[JSzymczyk 0]

my recollection is they are called "Skamania" steelhead because that is the name of the region of the Pacific Northwest where that genetic strain of fish came from. I remember reading about the excitement in the 80s when GL states started stocking them. If I am correct, they tend to return to tributaries earlier in the year and at higher temperatures than other populations of steelheads.

 

Sorry can't help with any spots to fish.

[Rocco 0]

They are also longer leaner specimens not football shaped usually. They go aerial earlier and oftener too and take skated dries more frequently. They made an initial splash (!) but the runs never got really large in GL watersheds.

 

Rocco

[ditz2 0]

well Rkayser .....I wished I could help. I am originally from east central IN and had a hankering to fish steelhead too but I could never get enough info to make the 3 to 4 hour trip worth while IMO. I even tied up a few flies for the occasion. I had read about a supposedly good streamer called a McNally smelt that was supposedly good for the salmon runs and I figured whats good for salmon should be good for steelhead. I still have the streamers in my box but they have never been wet. If the fly is good it should also work for bass and stripers. Anyway, I wish you well in your endeavor and hope you report back on what you learn.

[Rkayser 0]

From the sound of things, I'll be tying some big hex, stones, and eggs (as big as I dare), with maybe a couple streamers mixed in, and throw them on thinner fluoro once July comes and the fish show up. Probably just take the MO wild fish approach- get something they can see in a good looking drift.

I'm hoping for some good rains in late June and a cooler July, I guess, and hopefully find clearer water and good runs in July. Until then, I guess it's the tying bench and chasing smallies on the Kankakee or St. Joseph River. IL is more likely- I have the license already.

Oh, and I do have access to the Burns Harbor discharge in Lake Michigan, so I might give that a shot next week. Just have to see.

Thanks for the advice,

 

Rkayser

[ditz2 0]

A report of you steelheading would be fantastic for us southern boys.

[heavynets 0]

Consider Trail Creek in Michigan City instead of the St. Joesph. It is much smaller and more conducive to shore fishing. Indicator fishing with eggs would be my preferred method. Here is a map showing public access points.

 

http://tcwatershed.org/Trail_Creek_Public_Access_Map.pdf

[Prybis 0]

Indiana DNR has all the info on where to fish. Your main ones are Trail Creek, Salt Creek, and Burns Harbor. Then you also got the St. Joe River and smaller tribs. As far as flies to use, I am not sure. Some that I would try are woolly buggers, egg sucking leeches, ice man minnow, eggs, nymphs, and maybe chernobyl ants. You can catch Steelhead in the creeks every month of the year. You should check out http://indianaangler.com/ lots og good info about when and where. Also have a fishery biologist that post good info along with numbers of fished passed in the ladder.

[mikechell 0]

Check out takemefishing.com. Pick your State from the State info page and there's a wealth of information available.

[Rocco 0]

Check out Skamania Steelhead on Youtube. Some wild videos of those hooked fish on a rampage.

 

Rocco

[Rkayser 0]

Sunday, took a trip to Michigan City and fished the pier. My friend and I took out the 8wt rods and threw streamers on sinking leaders as best we could, but no takers. Saw a few smolt (coho, maybe?) off the end of the pier, and some people catching gobies, but no gamefish. We eventually gave up because hoosiers kept walking through our backcast area, and we didn't feel like cutting hooks out of anyone.

So it was time for a drive! Went up Trail Creek, which is closed to fishing until June 15, and saw a large carp at the lamprey barrier, and checked out a few other spots. We were about to head home from firehouse #2 (actual access name) when one of the firemen waved us down and we struck up a conversation. He gave us some pretty solid advice (probably helped that my friend was driving his volunteer truck, and wearing the hat and shirt from his PA firehouse). So we'll probably give it another shot on the pier in a few weeks, but with spinning tackle (yeah, yeah, I know- dark side and such...). But crowds don't allow you to throw fly gear, and I don't want the hassle.

So until then, I'm going to call Burns Harbor and see about "employee access" (through my internship), to get some more secluded fishing areas, maybe some backcasting room. I also plan on checking out several more spots before July hits, so I'm not lost in the woods when I go up the creek.

Oh, and Wolf Lake for pike and walleye in the interim. Going to give it a shot, because why not? I've never caught either one of those species, and I'd like to get them off my bucket list. I wouldn't scoff at a musky, either- one of the reasons I built my 8wt in the first place. But realistically, I'll probably end up playing with bass...

Til next week, everyone!