First Time Steelhead Salmon Fishing

[Bunny]

So I want to try fishing for Steelhead and Salmon. I've read ODFW's 2012 regulation booklet, but I'm a complete novice and don't actually have a rod or any gear yet. What do I need to get started?

What length and kind of rod would you suggest?
What type of reel?
gear?
suggestions?
any special advice for a female fisher?

Thanks guys

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[lostbackpacker]

the easiest for a newby is using a float and jig set up. 9 ft to 10 ft rod is best. that way you keep the line off the water longer for better presentation.
open face(spinning) reel is easiest to cast but harder to mend the line and set the hook..
amato publications has a lot of goood books for beginners.
steelheading is very addictive.
go to your local tackle shop. tell them you want 5 jigs that will produce. pink colors work the best for steelhead. get a couple of floats and some lead. they will most likely help you set it up. or just get a book. it's not too hard to set up.
have fun--fish the "seams" on the rivers(read a book, it will explain it)
it might be best to go with a guide the first time to get the hang of it.
have fun

 

[jbett98]

I've got some really nice gear that I will sell cheap. I gave up on river bank fishing and will never use all the stuff. Give me a private message if interested. I am in the Portland area.

 

[Dunerunner]

Want to find out how to fish a specific piece of water and the gear you need. Book a guided trip out of Winchester Bay (Umpqua) or Gold Beach (Rogue).

 

[nwwoodsman]

Guess it depends on where you're fishing. I fish a smaller river and the creeks from the bank around here. I just use a basic spinning rod with 12lb line and toss spinners and spoons into my favorite holes. If there's a sporting goods store where the people actually know about fishing, ask them. Check out youtube also. In my humble (but usually correct) opinion, a lot of people make it more complicated than it has to be. I go fishing to destress so I like to keep it simple and have been successful a time or two

 

[Bunny]

Thanks for the help guys. Found a couple links and videos online that might help and chatted with the owner of a tackle store for a while who gave me some advice and recommended this book. Amazon.com: Steelhead Fishing Essentials - DVD: Marc Davis: Movies & TV

 

[redmud]

Have fun and the fish will come..The Spring Chinook will be coming in soon. You can plunk from shore with a spin-n-glo and a drop leader add a cured prawn for scenty. I forget the size of spin-n-glo and the lead will have to be heavy 8 oz with around a 16 to 32 inch leader get a bell on your rod and a rod holder cast into the seam basicaly where the current has a difference in speed and wait for the bell to ring.

 

[HunterCollector]

Illustrated Rigging For Salmon, Steelhead, and Trout is a great place to start reading. It will explain the rigs you need for different situations/locations, which really dictates what you'll buy for gear. Amato Fishing Atlases will give you a good general idea of where and when to go.

Want to fish everywhere? Then for starters you need a couple rods, spinning and casting, a couple/three reels spinning, conventional, and bait-caster, and a big tackle box to hold the $500 in lures, jigs, rigs, floats, plugs, etc., you'll soon be buying. If you get good, your fish should cost you on average, oh, $30/lb. But it's a hell of a lot of fun. Enjoy.

 

[nwdrifter]

the easiest for a newby is using a float and jig set up. 9 ft to 10 ft rod is best. that way you keep the line off the water longer for better presentation.
open face(spinning) reel is easiest to cast but harder to mend the line and set the hook..
amato publications has a lot of goood books for beginners.
steelheading is very addictive.
go to your local tackle shop. tell them you want 5 jigs that will produce. pink colors work the best for steelhead. get a couple of floats and some lead. they will most likely help you set it up. or just get a book. it's not too hard to set up.
have fun--fish the "seams" on the rivers(read a book, it will explain it)
it might be best to go with a guide the first time to get the hang of it.
have fun

I am a guide myself. this info is the best here. The hardest thing about any fishing is you have to know where the fish are first, thats 97% of the catching. Gear and techneaic is second. Bobber and jig is easy, now you have to find the fish and that depends on the river. A few good rules of thumb are water speed that a fast walking speed, usually 15 feet or closer to shore, never cast over strong currect to fish the other side. steelhead like shallow near shore not fast strong water. Yes like another guy said booking a guide on your river you can learn a ton and it will cut your learning curve way down. but plan to pay $150=$175 a head for the lessons.

 

[swoop]

Looks like most everything's been covered here except that after you hook your first steelhead you'll be hooked for life. Kind of like your first trout X 1000...

 

[jmurray192]

Guess it depends on where you're fishing. I fish a smaller river and the creeks from the bank around here. I just use a basic spinning rod with 12lb line and toss spinners and spoons into my favorite holes. If there's a sporting goods store where the people actually know about fishing, ask them. Check out youtube also. In my humble (but usually correct) opinion, a lot of people make it more complicated than it has to be. I go fishing to destress so I like to keep it simple and have been successful a time or two

+1 my first year was 2011. this is what i follow. Started out with 6 pound and a little poll broke it in 15 secs. Came back next day with a big cheap walmart combo $20. Used number 2 blue fox blue caught one again in 5 mins. Got him. Cheap and basic. Forgot to add bumped the line up to 20 pound.

 

[Don't Sue People Panda]

+1 my first year was 2011. this is what i follow. Started out with 6 pound and a little poll broke it in 15 secs. Came back next day with a big cheap walmart combo $20. Used number 2 blue fox blue caught one again in 5 mins. Got him. Cheap and basic. Forgot to add bumped the line up to 20 pound.

Jmurray where were you fishing?

 

[jmurray192]

That time I was on the santiam in stayton. I start in lyons and work my way to stayton

 

[SteveInAshland]

Steehead = heaven & Hell, Beautiful and addictive yet demonically possessed , hum come to think of if they are kinda like a woman, lol.

 

[Bunny]

demonically possessed , hum come to think of if they are kinda like a woman, lol.

You do realize that the OP is a woman right?....

 

[Gaius]

You do realize that the OP is a woman right?....

Are you denying that then? haha! j/k