Any ideas for winter steelhead flies and rod setup?

Fly Tying: Any ideas for winter steelhead flies and rod setup? - Fly Tying

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Any ideas for winter steelhead flies and rod setup? Single-hand vs. double hand spey rods, your thoughts?

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#1 FishAholic85

Advanced Member

Group: Members
Posts: 127
Joined: 29-June 09

Posted 08 February 2010 - 02:22 AM

So I was thinking of trying my hand at steelhead fishing.
And I would like to stick with a single hand 9wt. rod for slinging steelhead flies, but would it better to break down and go all out and buy a spey rod? Well this is the setup I was thinking of:

- Loop pike booster 8/9 wt. rod (all ready have), and looking for a second rod, either a fast action 8wt. or a 6wt. switch rod.
- Amundson TXS 7/9wt reel, Okuma cascade 8/9wt (I already have)
- 200yrds of 20lb. backing.
- Yancy multi tip line or Rio Skagit short or Rio Coldwater versitip

and for flies:
- eggs
- purple wooly bugger
- popcicle
- gp's in various colors
- Electric blue
- alley's shrimp

any inputs on rod, reel, line and flies would be very much appreciated.

p.s. I also am trying to get in to tying these flies on tubes for something different, but what is the right wat to attach them to your leader?
I made some 4' 10lb. fluorocarbon leaders with a gamakatsu size 2 hooks attached with a uni knot on one end and a small uni knot on the other end to do a loop-to-loop connection to the fly line.
hope that makes sense.

- "I don't exaggerate... I just remember BIG!" - Anon.

- "I knew my tippet was too big when the willow tree I'd hooked on my back cast came flying over my head." - Jimmy D Moor

#2 btrout

Advanced Member

Group: Members
Posts: 91
Joined: 03-January 06

Posted 13 February 2010 - 02:31 AM

I guess the first question that comes to mind is what rivers and where are you planning to fish ? I have been spey fishing for ten years and I have my opinions on switch rods, I think they are trying to be both a single hander and a spey rod and from what I have seen and don't do either very well in my opinion. If the rivers you are planning to fish are wide and you are planning on swinging large weighted patterns I would consider a true spey rod an 8wt. 13' to 15' double handed rod. However if the rivers are small to medium in width I would recommend an 8wt. 10" single handed rod which you could also use off the beach should you so wish. The fly patterns you select would depend on the season you are targeting these fish, summer runs would be smaller surface or near surface smaller patterns where winter patterns would be weighted somewhat larger patterns fished on a sinking tip line. However in smaller rivers an 8wt. floating line with a 9' leader and strike indicator with an egg pattern with some split shot will catch fish. I hope this is of some help but I know this subject can be confusing and a little bit of research on the internet might put you right.
All the best in your steelhead fishing, please PM if I can help.