As a temperature start to warm
after long cold winter the first signs of spring Are the reports of spawning
Steelhead in the tributaries of Oswego County. Steelhead which are a
form of searun Rainbow Trout stocked in the Great Lakes. They spend most their
adult life in the waters of Lake Ontario returning in the fall & winter
months to spawn in rivers and creeks that flow into the Inland sea. Even though
the steelhead enters the rivers in the fall and winter the majority of the
spawn takes place from mid February through late April. Once hatched they spend
the juvenile stage in the river returning to the lake when they reach 6-9
inches. Prespawn fish are very aggressively feeding to build up energy to go
through the rigor spawning process. As well as post spawn fish trying to put
back on body mass after wearing themselves out from the spawn.
With the large number of fish that enter the tributaries, the spawn is
carried out over the course of a few months. With the spawn being
spread out over time allows fish of all three stages being in the system at the
same time, Prespawn, spawning and postspawn.
When targeting Steelhead at this time of the year most anglers have
gravitated for the float fishing method. This is typically accomplished with a
9 to 13 foot rod. Utilizing a spinning reel or a centerpin reel. An 8 to 10
pound mainline is a good choice. Many anglers opt for a hi viz line to be able
to follow the drifts. CXX by PLine is a great choice. It Is available in moss
green as well as hi viz. On your leader end 6 to 10 pound is used typically you
would want a liter lighter than your main line to avoid breaking off your
entire rig.
When it comes to baits one thing you’ll hear consistently during the
spring run is people mentioning the pink worm locally referred to as the PW
here in Oswego County. There are many different versions of the pink warm him
the best option is a bubblegum color made by Berkeley with a newcomer on the
market Pautzke‘s fire worm putting up great results in testing so far this
spring. Other baits that help Anglers land fish this time year are beads. With
hundreds of colors to choose from I find that natural colors and 6 to 10 mm
size work best in clearwater. Examples are Ontari-roe, honey, All In, scrambled
Buzzin and Egg-zactly offered by Great Lakes Steelhead Co.
When spring water turns colored brighter beads do the trick at this
time we find that the 8 to 12 mm are best so the fish can find them in
off-color water. Ex. SUV Orange, Tangy, and Atomic Yellow.
Egg sacs still work during the spring and you will have days you will
do very well. The downside is as a water starts to warm and the smolts become
more active your bait will be picked apart by this tiny trout and salmon.
Especially when you are fishing slower water like edges and deep pools.
So where do we find spring Steelhead spawning fish will be on the
shallow gravel bars in our opinion it is best to leave those fish alone, let
them do their thing and when they’re done they’ll be aggressively biting.
Concentrate your efforts instead above known spawning grounds or below
them and little deep pockets or fish rest when they’re done spawning and hold
their looking for eggs I get kicked up during the process.
When your farther down stream away from the main spawn ground look for
slow pockets dropbacks love resting spots. You will find them in small pockets
of calm water where they can rest as they make their migration back towards
Lake. When you find a soft spot in the middle of a fast run or sections of
riffles steelhead will hold to take a break. In heavy water any little edge or
pocket that slows down is where they will sit.
After the rigorous spawning process and long winter without a lot of
food these fish will be looking for a resting spot. You want to find the
spots. They will consistently hold fish time after time as fish move through
one group will leave another group will find that same resting
spot. Similar to the fall salmon migration moving up stream, as the water warms
you will see steelhead migrate in down river.
Make a trip up to Oswego County this spring and visit one of our local
shops to grab yourself some bait and some advice from their workers. Get your wading boots
and start walking the river banks, looking for those spots that are going to
hold fish when they’re migrating and you should be rewarded with some great
steelhead fishing, some warmer weather and a good time. Keep those lines tight
and keep up the chase!
Chasin' Tail Adventures
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