Best Way To Catch Steelhead In Rivers: Methods Used By Pros

I am a steelhead guide who has been fishing steelhead for 37 years, and although I have my personal preferences for steelhead fishing methods. I guide with just about every method there is.

I will say that some fishing methods for steelhead are better than others, but often, the best fishing method will depend on the conditions or type of river you are fishing..

The best methods for steelhead fishing are:

• Float Fishing: Using a float to suspend your bait and make long drifts down the river while your bait suspends in the strike zone is hard to beat. The keys to float fishing are proper setup and proper presentation.
• Drift Fishing and Bottom Bouncing: These two methods are very similar. Drift fishing is better in deeper water and longer runs, while bottom bouncing is better in smaller spots, shallow water, and pocket water. With these methods, no float or bobber is used.
• Lure Fishing: This is a favorite among anglers, and at times, it’s hard to beat. Use flashy lures around 2 to 4 inches. Lures like spinners, spoons, crankbaits, and jigs are good options.
• Back Trolling: This is an effective method that requires a boat. However, I have seen anglers do this while wading out into the river.
• Fly Fishing: Last but not least is fly fishing, which, in some areas, is all the guides do, which is a pretty good indication of its effectiveness in catching steelhead. The three main methods of fly fishing are nymphing, streamer fishing, and Spey fishing.

I will discuss four other river fishing methods for steelhead that are worth trying.

What Is The Best Way To Catch Steelhead In Rivers?

One of the most effective ways to catch steelhead in rivers is float fishing with a Centerpin reel. This method allows you to get longer controlled drifts while keeping your bait in the strike zone for longer.

The slower presentation you get when float fishing increases bites, and the float improves your strike detection, but float fishing is excellent in deeper and slower spots.

Float Fishing Methods For Steelhead

You don’t actually need to float fish with a Centerpin reel. You can also do float fishing with a spinning reel or with a baitcasting reel.

However, in my experience, the Centerpin reel is a much better reel to use if you want to maximize your success when float fishing.

Centerpin vs. Spinning Reels

So what’s the deal with a Centerpin reel being better than a spinning reel anyway?

I have had the opportunity to fish with both, as well as guide clients with both types of reels, and then compare both methods side by side many times over.

When compared side by side, and when both anglers are equally skilled and using the same baits, the Centerpin reel is always more effective than the spinning reel.

Controlling the line coming off the reel means you get a smoother and more controlled drift so your float is not jerky and bouncing.

A controlled drift like what you get with the Centerpin reel also means that your float speed and your bait speed are controlled, which will significantly increase your hookups. In fact, I believe that speed control on your float and your bait can ten times your success, which is why I wrote an entire article called Controlling Your Speed For More Fish When Float Fishing.

The line coming off the spinning reel is rarely consistent, and it’s more difficult to get a perfectly smooth and controlled drift while controlling the speed of your float and your bait with a spinner reel, which often results in fewer fish.

I have yet to see a spinning angler do this as well as you can with a Centerpin reel.

With a spinning reel sometimes, you need to pull the line off by hand because it sticks, other times you need to slow the line down with your hand and there is no real easy way to do this.

You can see the four float fishing fundamentals on my page Centerpin Fishing: An Expert Centerpin Guide Explains It.

Centerpin Reel Vs. Baitcasting Reel

What I like about the Centerpin reel is its ability to let the line come off the reel freely as the float pulls the line and spins the spool for you.

You can actually do this on a baitcasting reel if you push the button down to free-spool the reel, you can then use your thumb to control the speed.

The difference is that the baitcasting reel doesn’t have the same high-end bearings that make a Centerpin reel so smooth and spin so easily. Because the baitcasting reel doesn’t have the same bearings, in slower water, the float may not pull the line off the baitcasting reel easily or at all.

On the much larger and faster rivers like the ones that you might find out west or on large rivers like the Niagara River or the St.Mary’s, the baitcasting reel will work much better since the faster current will pull the float, and the line more, and that will spin the spool of the baitcasting reel better.

Catch Steelhead Fly Fishing

In some situations, I would say fly fishing is great for catching steelhead, and I know this because, at times, I have caught more steelhead than the Centerpin guys.

In shallower pools, in pockets, and when steelhead are holding in riffle areas around rocks, fly fishing can often be the best method.

However, with fly fishing, you can easily change from using an indicator rig to a Euro Nymphing rig or to a streamer, and these methods can be exceptionally effective.

If you are interested in fly fishing for Steelhead, be sure to check out my page Fly Fishing For Steelhead: Great Lakes Style.

Catching Steelhead In Large Rivers

In larger rivers that have longer, deeper pools, it’s often best if you can make a long drift to cover the water better. This is where a Centerpin reel and float fishing are the best ways to catch steelhead in rivers. Casting lures is also an effective method in larger rivers.

Drift fishing is when you cast out and drift your bait down the river without a float, is also popular and effective on larger rivers. However, detecting a subtle bite and getting good drifts is difficult.

Back trolling, back bouncing, and side drifting are all boat fishing methods that can be very effective on larger rivers. These methods allow anglers to cover a lot of water and get to spots other anglers on foot can’t.

Another method used on larger rivers is a still-fishing method called Plunking.

Catch Steelhead In Medium Sized Rivers

As long as the spots on a medium-sized river are three feet or deeper and they are longer than 6 feet, the float fishing method is still the fishing method for steelhead.

Medium-sized rivers like the one in the picture above are the ones that most anglers would be fishing, and many methods can be effective on a river of this size..

This is where fly fishing, bottom bouncing, and maybe even casting lures will be the better option. If you are versatile and can switch methods easily, you could do well in both types of water.

Catching Steelhead In Shallow Rivers And Pocket Water

Shallower water and pocket water are not good for float fishing. You could probably tweak your leader set-up and shorten up your drifts in this kind of water just to make it work, but there are better methods.

Fly fishing is the best method for steelhead fishing in shallow water, but not everyone wants to fly fish. Therefore, I recommend Centerpin anglers and spin fishermen try something known as Bottom Bouncing.

Bottom bouncing and fly fishing using the tight-line or Euro nymphing methods are best for catching steelhead in shallow water and in pocket water.

With these methods, there is no float limiting your depth, which means you could fish for the steelhead sitting in 1 foot of water.

For fishing in this type of water, it’s wise to learn how to do my advanced bottom bouncing technique, which can be done with any reel. For more information on bottom bouncing methods, check out my page Bottom Bouncing – 5 Proven Guide Tips For More Fish.

Another excellent method for shallow pocket water is Euro Nymphing.

Catching Steelhead In Small Rivers

Small river fishing for steelhead will depend on the type of water you are fishing. In small rivers that are fast and shallow, like the one in the picture, you will be better off fly fishing or using the bottom bouncing method, which is a better method for catching steelhead in this type of water.

On smaller rivers that might be slower and deeper or that have a good-sized pool around every corner, float fishing is probably going to be the best, but being able to adapt to different conditions is best.

Steelhead Fishing In Slow Water

One of my favorite rivers to fish is a slow river with lots of flat water and lots of spots between four and ten feet deep.

Many anglers struggle to catch a lot of steelhead in this type of water because it’s so hard to read the water and figure out where to fish.

A float allows you to find deeper spots in the river where the fish will hold. I discuss finding the bottom on my page Centerpin Fishing: An Expert Centerpin Guide Explains.

Float fishing in slower, flat water is the best because the bait is presented at the right speed for this type of water. Casting lures in this type of water is also a good option.

Another method used in smaller rivers is called Bobber Doggin. However, I’ve tested it, and in my opinion, this float fishing method is not as effective as traditional float fishing.

Lure Fishing For Steelhead

In some cases, when the steelhead are all very aggressive, lure fishing can be the best method simply because you can cover a lot more water.

Lure fishing can also be great on smaller rivers and in shallower water, which is not good for float fishing.

Most days, lure fishing only targets the most aggressive steelhead, which could mean only one out of every ten steelhead might be willing to chase and grab a lure.

According to studies, steelhead populations have been in decline on the West Coast since the late 1800s, which means anglers need to ensure they are using better methods for catching steelhead and they need to do these methods well.

Tight Lines,

Graham