Many different conditions  present themselves depending on the fishery and the water conditions. I will try to give some general tips . Keep in mind that experimenting with new ideas can lead to some great fishing. Since I don't know a lot about fly fishing I will leave that to you.

Steelhead: All must be fin clipped to be retained !

 Line weight  can be from 4Lbs. to 15 Lbs. depending on the water condition. In normal water 8 lbs. and 10 lbs. are most often used. Fluorocarbons are highly recommended. In high winter water that's off color you may have to go to 12 lbs. or 15 lbs. to fish heavy weights or plunk. In low clear spring or summer water 6 lbs. and even 4 lbs. especially  for summer Steelhead when fish are leader shy. Check your leaders often nicked or abraded leaders will break off when a fish runs. Hook sizes usually range from size #1 to 2/0.. Most prefer #1 or 1/0. Make sure to keep your hooks sharp. Replace hooks with broken points. No amount of sharpening will fix a broken hook.

Many methods will catch fish, bait  such as Egg Roe, Shrimp ,Night Crawlers or Cray Fish drifted thru runs on slinkies or with a bobber are all good methods. Corkies ,Spin n glo's and yarn with or without bait have there place. Pulling plugs like Hot Shots or Kwikfish or Norman's Sand Shrimp are all very effective. Spinners are used  with much success on our river. High water requires #5 and #6 Blades. Lower water #3 and 4's. In high water fish  across and down stream. In lower water pitch these up into rapids are reel them down very quickly. This often triggers violent strikes as the fish don't have much time to strike..

One of the most effective methods to come along in a while has been bobber and jigs, this method of fishing has been absolutely deadly at times and is a great way for inexperienced as well as experienced fisherman to fish as you rarely are snagged on the bottom. Kids especially can fish with success with this technique. You can also tip a jig with a night Crawler or plastic worm . In higher water with some color , 1/4 oz. bright jigs, in colors like pink and white or shrimp and white or cerise or bright orange are all very good choices. In lower clear water, darker colors in 1/8 oz. like black, black and red ,dark red, or purple and pink are better choices.

Plastic worms or live Crawlers used in conjunction will fish pills are also a great way to catch fish. Especially when you want something different. Fish pills are a new concept .They are basically round styrene pellets of different sizes and colors. They are used to provide floatation for your bait and also the different colors provide contrast ,as Steelhead especially will key in on contrast differences. A red egg with a yellow fish pill is an example.

DON'TS  PLEASE !!! I suppose now is as good a time as any to talk about etiquette. Although these next two methods are legal ,using them is detrimental to the Steelhead runs and are ,in my opinion,  not very sportsmanlike. The first method is Diver and Bait .When a fish takes a bait from a diver, the bait is in front of the fish for a very long time and with a bait like shrimp or eggs ,a Steelhead will swallow these very deep. Usually the fish will come to the boat hooked deeply and often bleeding and if its a native , it must be released. Not a very fish friendly method.

The other method I would like to address is flossing. This method employs a longer leader and usually just a bead. No bait or other attractants. This method is drift fished thru fish sitting in a run, opening and closing their mouths to breath. The hope is that a leader will end up across a fishes mouth and then the fisherman will tighten up until the hook is very near the mouth and  then the hook is set. Very often this will result in the hook being in the mouth or just outside. This fish did not bite a bait and you really didn't get it to strike. It's a bit like riding a motor cycle and getting a bug in your teeth. You didn't bite it but it ended up there. Most real fisherman don't condone this method and if you believe your a good fisherman for doing it think again. The skill is in figuring out how and what a fish will actually bite. If meat is all your interested in go to the store .This is supposed to be a sport.

 Salmon:  Spring fish must be fin clipped. !!!   Fall fish do not have to be clipped.

Line weights for Salmon very greatly depending in water levels and methods used. Salmon as a rule are not leader shy.  Anything from 25 lbs. to 80 lbs. are used. Mono lines are usually 25-50lbs. Braided lines 50- 80 lbs. are common. Make sure you check you leaders often for nicks. Chaffed or nicked leaders will definitely loose fish. Hook sizes range from 3/0 to 6/0. Most preferring 5/0 and 6/0. Make sure to keep your hooks sharp. There are a variety of different hook styles on the market, some are extra sharp or laser sharp. Some feature cutting points that will actually dig in deeper as you apply pressure to a fighting fish. A dull hook will cost you a fish.

Braided lines are most often used for bobber and egg or shrimp. Monofilament's are used more for drift fishing, back bouncing or pulling plugs.

In tide water the most common bait is Salmon Roe or Sand shrimp under a bobber. Trolling Kwikfish  ( K-15 and K-16 )and spinners are widely used. Recently bobber and large jigs in 1/2 and 3/4 0z. were being used. This method is helpful when the Pogie bite is exhausting your fresh egg supply. When using bobbers be sure to match your casting weight to your bobber capacity. Its important that the bobber rides low in the water . When a fish pulls a bait under you don't want the fish to feel much resistance. Using a 1 oz. weight on a 2 or 3 oz. bobber most often will result in a fish letting go of the bait as it will feel resistance when pulling the bobber under.

Bay fishing is usually done  trolling Herring or Spinners. Herring can be plug cut or fished whole. Brining your Herring the night before in a solution of rock salt and water will toughen them up. Also fish brite or bluing or other products designed to create more flash are useful.  When purchasing Herring look for vacuum packed products. Be sure to puncture the package before thawing ,if you don't the fish will lose its scales. Also Herring that have been starved 3 or 4 for days  before processing are better as they have no stomach acid or contents. Herring that are not starved will not last a day before their stomach rot .This will turn all your Herring to mush.

 When the Salmon finally hit the river Back bouncing bait and back trolling Kwikfish are very good methods. Bobber and bait are also used widely. When Salmon first enter the river  fishing in the lower river is best . Farmer Creek to Cloverdale are the go to runs. As the season extends fish move to the upper river and can be caught from about 6th bridge all the way down. There is no Salmon fishing allowed above Blaine ( moon Creek ) . Spinner fishing can also be great this time of year.

 On purpose there was no discussion of rods and reels. This is almost as personal as practical. Call us  1-503-392-4269 for that discussion.