Get the drift for steelhead

By Gord Ellis

As winter slowly loosens its grip on the province, most of us start feeling antsy for spring. Luckily, we can scratch that April itch in a variety of ways. Fly fishers spend their free time digging through smelly old bags of feathers, bucktail, mole skins, and hare masks. A few nights at the tying bench transform those road-kill remnants intoboxes crammed full of freshly minted flies. Walleye anglers like to tie spinners. They spend evenings sorting through beads, blades, and hooks, in hopes of creating the perfect opening-day combination. Muskie anglers? Well, they generally like to buy stuff; mostly expensive lures, but likely one or two new rods, as well.

Growing up as steelheaders in northwestern Ontario, my friends and I beat spring fever by pouring sinkers - egg sinkers mostly, but split-shot, as well. We pour for fun, but also out of necessity. You see, Lake Superior steelheaders are, for the most part, drift anglers. Losing terminal gear is just part of the cost of tapping sinkers and yarn flies along rocky river bottoms for silvery trout.

Drift fishing, or bottom-bouncing as it's sometimes called, is about as basic as it gets in the game. Yet, many southern Great Lakes steelheaders, weaned on floats, have never tried it. The technique shines in deep pools, pocket water, swift runs, and riffles.The rough and tumble nature of Lake Superior's steelhead streams make them perfect for drift fishing. Yet, the pocket water of the Ganaraska River, the deep pools of the Niagara, and the wide runs of the St. Mary's are just as conducive to drifting. Wherever trout hug the bottom in water a bit fast or deep for float tactics, drift fishing is a better way to catch them.

Achieving a good drift doesn't require fancy tackle. I grew up using an 8-weight fibreglass fly pole as my main drift rod, and it worked well. Most modern drifters use graphite spinning rods of 8 to 10 feet in length. A drift rod should have a soft tip for sensitivity, a strong butt section to handle big steelhead, and a fast action. Traditionally, steelhead drifters in the north used fly reels loaded with monofilament. Fly reels work well on small- to medium-sized streams, but on larger flows, you'll probably want to use a spinning reel. Front-drag models are my favourites. They allow you to make small adjustments without too much hand movement.

A variety of real and artificial baits are effective when drift fished, with worms, roe bags, egg skein chunks, single salmon eggs, and mayfly and stonefly nymphs among the best. Wet flies, glow bugs (yarn flies), Corkies, and rubber eggs also work. The key is in the rigging and execution of the drift.

A basic drift rig is simple. You need a few split-shot, a selection of No. 4 , 6, and 8 short-shank octopus-style hooks (or your own favourite steelhead stickers), and bait. Tie on a hook and slide split-shot a foot to 18 inches up the main line. In slow current, you can drift with only a few sinkers, while heavy current requires more. The key is to use as little weight as possible, while still keeping steady contact with the stream bottom. You want your bait to look natural as it bumps along the bottom.

When you fish a pool, start at the head of it and quarter your casts upstream. By squeezing your finger on the line against the rod blank, you should more easily feel the sinker on bottom. Use your rod tip to follow the bait. Let it flow naturally with the current. If you can't feel bottom, add more weight. If youget snagged a lot, lighten up on the sinkers.

A dropper rig will save a lot of time re-tying. To make one, you need a barrel- or three-way swivel, 1 to 3 feet of leader material 2-pound test lighter than your main line, and a hook. Tie a hook to one end of the leader and a barrel-swivel to the other. Attach the other side of the swivel to the main line. Then tie about three inches of line off the bottom of the swivel. This is your dropper. Lightly pinch on split-shot, an egg sinker, or a chunk of hollow pencil weight to the dropper. If the sinkers get hung up, they should pull off. Add more and you're quickly back in business. If the hook hangs up, only the lighter leader should break.

A Slinky rig is even slicker and snag-resistant. It's made up of a length of hollow nylon parachute cord or shoelace filled with split-shot. The ends are sealed with a hot knife or a soldering iron. Then, a snap-swivel is clipped through one end. This can be tied between the main line and leader, or used as a sliding sinker ahead of a barrel-swivel separating the main line and the leader. Make up different lengths and weights to match varying currents and water depths.

Use abrasion resistant monofilament when you're drifting. Line takes a beating as it slides over rocks, twigs, and sand. Check it regularly for wear and re-tie often. Line strength should be dictated by fishing conditions. In brush-lined Superior streams, 10-pound-test is none too light for steelhead. In clear, more open water, you can move down to 6-pound leaders to tackle line-shy trout.

A good rule of thumb is, when in doubt, set the hook. Keep a close eye on your line. If you see it tighten suddenly, lift your rod tip and set the hook. Drift fishing is the foundation on which most steelheading techniques are built. Master its challenges, and you'll be on your way to getting up close and personal with the greatest fighter of them all in the Great Lakes.