looking for an honest opinion

[bigbear]

So here's the situation:
1. I am new to steel head in new york, i went up for trout day, but well all of you who went up for that know how it turned out:(
2. I have the time between x-mas and new year off, without my kids and i'm thinking of comming up fishing
3. It is a 5 hour drive up and honestly i'm tired of driving the whole way up and getting the peppi le pew result :snow:

So the question::help:
Is it even worth the time, money and effort to come up for a few days then or should i just wait 'til next october and try the salmon again?::crazy:

Thanks for any pointers guys :)

[Ditchrat]

The best part of steelhead season is yet to come. And hell yeh its worth every mile, and every runny nose just to get on the water and fish for them. I'm going up at least twice in the next two weeks. We are driving up and back 3hrs each way in one day. Do I think its worth it? No doubt about it steelhead fishing hardin the winter, but work hard and youll put some fish on the shore, work really hard and you'll put several fish on the shore.

[goat ball]

Depends on what your looking for. Are you looking for #'s? Or are you looking for just a chance at hooking up? These fish are in their winter stage and will sit in the deeper pools for the most part. They will become line shy, and very selective in feeding habits. Not to say they are impossible to catch, but they can be a little tougher than say Late October and November when they are feeding machines. Personaly I love steelhead fishing in the winter. There is less fishing pressure and the scenery is great. I am an experienced fisherman and consider a few hookups in 6hrs of fishing to be a fantastic day. More often that not, I will get skunked. If you are new to the game and want a better chance at hooking fish, hire a guide. They work the river on a daily basis and are your best chance at getting some action in the winter. Hope this helps.

[cuz]

Bigbear, to answer your question, first ask yourself this: What are your expectations? Steelhead fishing is much different than salmon fishing. It's not uncommon to go up for salmon and hook 20-30 fish a day. Steelhead fishing requires much more patience and covering more water. If someone gets into a few steelhead a day, they should be grateful. I consider the trip successful if the weather cooperates and we have fun. Catching a fish is a bonus. Granted, my ride is only a little over 2 hours long, but each trip up to the river is a learning experience for me. Plus, it's just nice to get away for a while. My suggesting to is, GO!! Have a good time, learn a little, and enjoy yourself! Also, check the site, I believe GMAN will be up there during this time. I'm sure he can help you out, plus I'm sure it will be a fun time!! Good luck to you.
Cuz

[bigbear]

thanks guys
i am not looking for big numbers, i do LOVE to fish and winter is my favorite time of the year:)
i would just like an honest chance at catching some
becuse as much as i really love the time of year and fishing, no body is totally into standing in a creek in the winter with no chance of catching a fish!:crazy:
what the heck, i'm going up that monday and see what happens:woohoo:

[goat ball]

Good Luck! I will most likley be fishing Monday too, but can't confirm yet.

[flyguy]

At this time of year, steelhead fishing is very much mental. Not sure how to describe it, but you can literally think yourself out of fish or think yourself into fish.

Find a positive, confident attitude and come on up!

[the happy salmon]

At this time of year, steelhead fishing is very much mental. Yeah ,you have to be MENTAL to stand out in O temps fishing all day!:snow:

[bigbear]

lmao
well it ain't salon crazy for nothing!!:D

[Ditchrat]

At this time of year, steelhead fishing is very much mental. Not sure how to describe it, but you can literally think yourself out of fish or think yourself into fish.

Find a positive, confident attitude and come on up!

Thats Fing great, you should reword that and make it your signature. Kinda like happy gilmor. Be the ball, dont you like you home, get in you home, its your home

Mental is not the word for it. This time of year I spend more time on the river, fishing inside of my head, imagining the lay and the drift, and just letting the rest happen. Maybe its me thats mental;) . Anyway fishing is and exscape from reallity, and the quite of the river this time of year is great

[Bunker Breath]

Hey BigBear, I feel your pain brother. We've all paid our dues learning to steelhead. I've fished fresh and saltwater since I was old enough to hold a rod but found winter steelheading to be one of the most challenging forms of fishing I've encountered. My first year steelheading, I made about 6 trips up with the drive one way totaling anywhere from 5 to 6.5 hours each way (depending on weather). I even lost a girlfriend because I blew her off...again...to go fishing. Too Hell with her if she didn't understand:) ! I spent most of those trips watching my buddies (who had been doing this for many years prior to my first trip) hook up while I was going through the learning curve. The worst was breaking off my first steelie in 2 seconds because I was still holding the flyline in my line hand when he wanted to run:yell: I don't think I've ever called myself more foul names in my life on that one.
Anyway, if you can afford the trips up, preferably with someone who knows the ropes, it's the only way you will become proficient and start hooking and eventually landing steelies. You just gotta stick with it and the rewards will come!
Best of luck...and go get 'em!

[bigbear]

Thanks BB

[Linescreamer]

So here's the situation:
1. I am new to steel head in new york, i went up for trout day, but well all of you who went up for that know how it turned out:(

Are you saying you didn't have a good time?? Well, if I could do "Trout Day" weekend all over again I would :D ! 13 hours of drinking, 14 hours of fishing, 3 hours of work and 7 hours of sleep with no fish. We had a blast! Hey Bear, if I can go you will be the first to know.

[bigbear]

NO doubt it was a BLAST!!!
Ok
SO i was thinking of WUSSING out, but I'll be up come H-LL or unexpected release flows!!!:D

:crazy:

[woolybugger65]

worth it, YES but keep your expectations low. you will not find more serene moments in your life than on that river in the winter.

[griz104]

To be honest there is no better place to be on a cold winter's day! It has always been just being there for me and not if i caught any fish or not. I have fished on days when it took a couple hours to make your way thru the snow just to get to the Tresele Hole and then fished all day and never even had as much as a hook-up. Every time i come back from there my mind is clear and i feel re-freshed.It's almost like a Zen experience. For me if there is a heaven i hope it is exactly like the Salmon River! Course if it is i will never know any way cause i have lead far worse a life then to expect to go north!!

[bigbear]

I hear you loud and clear griz
Outside is my church, and up to this point my favorite place to get to that zen experience has been a small hole on a creek i grew up near, a very cool place that i have spent many days sitting and thinking.
I am looking forward to feeling that again, because like everybody, my life right now is alittle nuts.
This trip sounds like just what the doc ordered.

And if i'm lucky i might run into some of the SC guys to hsare a beer with later :)

[gman2153]

you got the right mindset griz...

nothing better than a walk in the woods after a fresh snowfall - no matter how much snow there is..

[get the net]

The best way to learn how as well as where is to hire a guide, that will give you the best chance to catch fish and not just wip water.

[Adrenalinerush]

The best way to learn how as well as where is to hire a guide, that will give you the best chance to catch fish and not just wip water.

On that point I agree. If your unsure and you don't have experienced anglers to fish with, hire a guide and speed up the learning curve. By the way, if you hire a guide, pick his brain as much as possible. Ask about fishing different techniques at different times of year, rigging up, presentation and locations you can fish. A good guide will gladly answer all your questions. I learned how to troll browns in lake O that way years ago. I explained to the captain that I hired that I would be bringing my own boat up and had hired him to learn the ins and outs. He spent a great deal of time explaining trolling speed, lure selection, fishing depth ect. In fact he even let me drive the boat to get a better feel for the proper trolling speed. Its important to catch fish but its more important to understand how and why! Good luck to you!:D :D

[Tiderunner]

A good guide will show you how to do it on your own. instead of being a fish pimp. It also doesn't hurt if they know how to catch fish:D

Check ur PM's :)

[Fish doctor]

Hi Bigbear, now you got more than an honest opinion, this is PURE STEELHEADING!!

[Moochie]

The cold weather is the Steelheads advantage. They know you won't be fishing all day. :D Nothing like a cold wind on a river ;) But you will catch fish.

Merry Christmas to you all,
Moochie

[cliff-OH]

Bear ... you already know where they are ... deep holes, along the seams of the current ... my drive is 8 1/2 hours to Pulaski, 9 hours to Mom's ... she is kind enough to feed and house me for the trip, so I save a few bucks ... things are just getting GOOD (several size 18 or 20 stoneflies seen on the snow on the 16th, not a lot, but ...) Don't worry about the possibility of being skunked ... as GoatBall mentioned, expect a few days of no fish ... doesn't really matter ... so, watch the waterline and the intellicast weather forecast/radar and just GO! My guess is you will not be disappointed ... oops, remember to try not to fish the same weekends as I do ... Cliff (of the anti-Midas touch) ...

[bigbear]

thanks cliff
i am going to go up and i think i stand a fair chance of catching some :D
i can't wait!!:woohoo:

[Tiderunner]

Bring lots of socks :snow::snow:

[griz104]

Big Bear ..I try and watch weather reports this time of year a lot.. most generaly you get a warm spell in January for a few days.. from years past i have found that is the time to head North. I have had some very, VERY good days when it warmed up a bit.. even a few degrees difference over a few days makes all the difference in the world! I wish you the best of luck and don't give up.It took me three years of going up till i caught my first Steelie but i will never forget the first one!!

[1hookk]

Winter is great when you hook up it won't be cold. Go up all year long every chance i can.:bigeek: :bigeek: