Steelhead – Spring Run Action – Jig & Egg Sac Presentati
Posted: Tue Mar 13, 2007 4:08 pmFall steelhead fishing action on Lake Erie tributaries is legendary, but the spring bite is pretty good too.
In the spring you have access to three types of steelhead; holdover fish that entered the streams last fall, spawned out fish netted and returned to the streams by the Pennsylvania Boat and Fish Commission hatchery workers and fresh, spring run fish.
Snow melt and spring rains make the day to day fishing weather sensitive, but given good water levels and decent air temperatures, you can have a great day on the streams. It is best to start trip planning with a call to a local bait shop you trust or stay in contact with friends who recently have fished the streams.
Lord willing, I will be fishing on March 14th so I have been getting ready with the two presentations that have worked for me in the past - jigs and egg sacs.
First I tied some jigs. My skill level is beginner and my equipment is very basic, but the finished jigs look okay and they catch fish when tipped with maggot or minnow and fished under a float.
I posted some images of my jig tying equipment in my blog. The video clip in the blog shows you how easy it is for a beginner to make jigs just in case you ever get the urge to do so.
Steelhead Jigs: http://www.storytrax.com/node/612
If jigs are not your thing, you probably agree that some natural baits work better. And when it comes to steelhead, the egg sac is the “go to” bait for me. If you too are a bait angler at times and you have used egg sacs you know what I mean. My treatment and tying methods are explained in the blog.
If I could have any type of loose trout eggs to create egg sacs for steelhead it would be brown trout eggs. Most of the time when I am tying egg sacs, I use salmon eggs or steelhead eggs because they are easier to acquire.
The real secret to great egg sacs is treating the eggs and there are plenty of commercial and homemade methods out there from which to choose. My home remedy is simple – equal parts of Borax, pickling salt and sugar. Nothing special – all I know is these eggs catch fish for me!
The blog URL below contains a video that shows how easy it is to tie eggs sacs and a few pictures of the equipment necessary for making your own baits.
Egg Sacs: http://www.storytrax.com/node/604
In the spring you have access to three types of steelhead; holdover fish that entered the streams last fall, spawned out fish netted and returned to the streams by the Pennsylvania Boat and Fish Commission hatchery workers and fresh, spring run fish.
Snow melt and spring rains make the day to day fishing weather sensitive, but given good water levels and decent air temperatures, you can have a great day on the streams. It is best to start trip planning with a call to a local bait shop you trust or stay in contact with friends who recently have fished the streams.
Lord willing, I will be fishing on March 14th so I have been getting ready with the two presentations that have worked for me in the past - jigs and egg sacs.
First I tied some jigs. My skill level is beginner and my equipment is very basic, but the finished jigs look okay and they catch fish when tipped with maggot or minnow and fished under a float.
I posted some images of my jig tying equipment in my blog. The video clip in the blog shows you how easy it is for a beginner to make jigs just in case you ever get the urge to do so.
Steelhead Jigs: http://www.storytrax.com/node/612
If jigs are not your thing, you probably agree that some natural baits work better. And when it comes to steelhead, the egg sac is the “go to” bait for me. If you too are a bait angler at times and you have used egg sacs you know what I mean. My treatment and tying methods are explained in the blog.
If I could have any type of loose trout eggs to create egg sacs for steelhead it would be brown trout eggs. Most of the time when I am tying egg sacs, I use salmon eggs or steelhead eggs because they are easier to acquire.
The real secret to great egg sacs is treating the eggs and there are plenty of commercial and homemade methods out there from which to choose. My home remedy is simple – equal parts of Borax, pickling salt and sugar. Nothing special – all I know is these eggs catch fish for me!
The blog URL below contains a video that shows how easy it is to tie eggs sacs and a few pictures of the equipment necessary for making your own baits.
Egg Sacs: http://www.storytrax.com/node/604