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I use almost exactly the same method Brian, except for leader length.
I’ve never done very well with a leader much shorter than 4′. Maybe the 4 lb. line I use is too heavy to be coupled with a shorter leader? I’ve tried 2lb. test, but I’ve broken a few of the fish in the 13-15″ range off with it.
I wish they’d make clear Fireline. 😉
Andrew”
“Michael- With a fly and bubble, I always make sure to use a long leader with light line (4-5' of 4lb. test). It also helps to put some floatant on the fly and leader, just like in regular flyfishing. Oh and don't get a comically oversized float–you don't want to create too much commotion in the water. Make sure it has enough weight to get a decent casting distance though.^^^^Hope this helps^^^^Andrew”
“Wow, I've never heard of anything like that. You're saying you caught fish out of a thawed lake when there was still snow around the bank, covered the fish in the snow, and released them in the morning?^^^^Can you or anybody else explain how this is biologically possible? I'd be very interested to find out. I was under the impression that trout needed water to live. ^^^^Very interesting as it is, though. Maybe ice fishing in alpine lakes just isn't possible if the fish are all hibernating?^^^^wwarner, when you say “swam off” are you sure they didn't just sink to the bottom gracefully? ;)^^^^Andrew”
“Very interesting, Brian. What is the elevation of Williams? I know that the thickness of the ice could definitely pose a problem, but maybe if one were to go earlier in the winter, chances of success would be better.^^^^Every once in a while, I'll see or read something about ice fishing for trout. I know it's done successfully over in Eastern Washington, so I assume that it could be done in the Cascades as well.^^^^I thought about trying some of the lakes near Talapus in the ALW. There is a lake above Talapus called Island that has decent summer fishing, and looks like it could be quickly reached by taking a shortcut up the creek connecting the two.^^^^Any thoughts on this?^^^^Thanks^^^^Andrew”
“Very cool. Thanks for the info, and nice fish! ^^^^I'm one of those bobber and jig guys you speak of. I do alright, but maybe I'll have to give the Kastmaster a shot. I guess it makes sense that it would work on steelies too… they're just big ocean trout. 😉 ^^^^I'll have to give the Methow a go next time I'm in the area.^^^^Andrew”
“26 steelhead? I've never heard of such a thing. That is amazing. What on earth do you use? I've never fished steelhead on the east side. Are they just incredibly willing to bite? ^^^^On the west side, at least in my experience, if you catch a single fish it was a good day. If you catch more it was a great day. ^^^^I don't know anybody that's ever had a double digit day but I do know a lot of people that would be just as surprised as me to hear of a 26 fish day. ^^^^I won't go and tell a bunch of people to fish the Methow, but good lord that's a lot of steelhead. ^^^^Andrew:o”
Nice fish!
McPil it’s been a while since you’ve posted here. Good to see you’re still around. =)
How about some more of those fishin’ stories?
Andrew
Brian- In my experience, Fireline actually lasts longer than mono. I’ve used it for a few years now. One of the nicest things about Fireline is that it has no memory–you never get line twist or have to re-spool it. It can fray, like sooperfly said, and I can imagine that fraying would cause greater problems with lighter line, which I dont use. (I use 10 lb+ for steelhead/salmon.)
One way to cut down on fraying is to initially wind it on with high tension so that it’s spooled very tightly. That way, when a fish takes out drag, the line on top won’t cut into loose line underneath it. In any case, I think it’s a great line, and yes, incredibly strong.
Sooperfly- I almost always use Kastmasters as well (In the mountains). Do you use a leader with the green Fireline? I have been to lakes where the fish will not touch the lure if its on a leader going to a swivel, even if the leader’s 4-6 feet long. Consequently, I end up with line twist. If I could just tie the lure straight to some Fireline, I imagine I’d be problem-free.
I go to Hooked on Toys whenever I pass through Wenatchee. They have a great selection of maribou feathers for my salmon/steelhead jigs.
By the way, what rivers do you steelhead on?
Andrew
Welcome to the forum, Michael.
The best advice I can give is to begin the retrieve within a couple seconds of the cast if you are unsure of the depth. This will generally be enough time to keep the lure from htting bottom. Like DJH said, avoid wood unless you have a lot of lures to lose.
Other than that, just pay attention to what you’re doing, and if you lose a lure, try to figure out why you lost it so you can avoid it next time. Everybody loses a lure now and then, but with some experience, you shouldn’t lose too many.
Another tip is to not use too light of line. I used 6 lb. Maxima Ultragreen this season, and I caught more fish than ever before. It may seem a little heavy, but it’s a shame to lose a lure on a stick that you could have just reeled in with heavier line.
Or, like DJH said, you can just go with flies and you’ll never have to worry about another snag again (except for that fish that always runs for the underwater log, or the bushes behind you when you’re learning).
Good luck
Andrew
“Great shot! Yep, that looks familiar.^^^^Facing in the opposite direction, could you have seen Libby Lake? It's the highest lake in Okanogan National Forest, and it reportedly has excellent fishing.^^^^Andrew”
“Well, I don't have any personal experience with Royal Lake, but a hiking book I have from 1990 says that it is “brimming with hungry trout”.^^^^Take it for what it's worth. ^^^^More than likely, you'll catch fish.^^^^Andrew”
“That certainly was an interesting read. All sides make some good points.^^^^I guess I just don't much understand the true origin of the opposing beliefs. There are fishless lakes for biologists to study. How much do fish in a lake really impact the ecosystem? I would imagine it's somewhat significant, but is it really that adverse? ^^^^I strongly believe that the enjoyment of the general public experienced by fishing lakes like these far exceeds any enjoyment or satisfaction that can be extracted from hardcore biological study on an ecosystem that's ever-changing anyway. ^^^^And what's really important in life? The fish aren't hurting anything significantly, in most all cases, while generations are and will be continuing to enjoy the opportunity to fish in such a pristine setting. Sounds fine to me.^^^^”If it ain't broken, don't fix it.”^^^^At least thats what I think…”
“There's not much better than fishing alpine lakes on weekdays, especially with nice weather, good fishing, and no bugs! ^^^^I'm always glad to hear about successful stocking trips–they're what keep alpine fishing going, but I suppose we all knew that.^^^^Thanks for the report.^^^^Andrew”
ltlcleo- Welcome to the forum.
Salish- I’ll second that comment about the Kastmasters. I think you may have a little better chance of landing the fish with a treble [on the smaller fish; I agree with ltlcleo about the bigger fish], but its definitely not worth it with all the time you spend getting the fish off, possible injury to the fish, increased likelyhood of hanging up on the bottom, and in my opinion, a lesser chance of attracting a strike (that could just be me wanting to believe that I’m really doing something special by changing the hooks).
Just my two cents worth. I’m sure Brian has a lot better answer than I do.
Andrew”
