Quote Originally Posted by billhouk View Post
Fished Elk Creek (in PA) last December. Lost track of the hook ups (over 20). And, not one in the net. One of the most exciting and frustrating days fishing I've ever had. We used Ice Minnows in orange and pink 10 ft 9 wt TFO Pro, Orvis mid-arbor with floating line. Snow and leaf fall during the day. Fly, rod, reel, line comments?
9wt is a little much for Erie tribs. If you get a chance to get a 7wt 10' maybe try that. As for loosing fish at your feet, it seems to happen a lot when you new to steelhead fishing. You need to know when they are ready to come in. If you bring them too close when they are full of energy they are going to freak on you. Also, make sure you land them in a calm area.

Fighting steelhead is something that has a learning curve. Make sure you drag is set right, strong enough to hold them but with enough give to let them take some line on a strong run. Dont touch the line or reel when they are running, let the drag do what its supposed too. Otherwise they will come off. Also, keep your rod low and too the side, and when they run I like to point the rod almost right at them. This eliminated pressure on the rod and on the hook and lets the reel take the pressure. When they stop running go back to giving them SIDE pressure with the rod. Holding your rod up high will lead to lost fish.