I too am a steelhead junkie. I fish the tribs of Lake Erie but feel compelled to point out that the Oak Orchard Creek west of Rochester was mentioned in fly fisherman mag as best steelhead river in the United States.
I too am a steelhead junkie. I fish the tribs of Lake Erie but feel compelled to point out that the Oak Orchard Creek west of Rochester was mentioned in fly fisherman mag as best steelhead river in the United States.
There's no sense in being dumb unless you get to show it off once in a while...
In my opinion the best time for steel is third week of Nov. to the second week of Dec.
I use a 10' 7wt most times but I also use a 9' 8wt alot. I use a SA nymph taper (wf floating) on both wich is my favorite line but I also use teeny sink tips from time to time.
Egg patterns are very important as well as a good selection of nymphs. Over the last several years I have been swinging big streamers and spey flies and having a good amount of success with them though not as productive as eggs or nymphs (for me at least) it is definitely my preference. You should definitely give it a shot. Once the water temp gets below 40 I drift nymphs and eggs almost all the time.
I like to fish the Salmon river at 350 cfs I feel this is ideal. Above 750 cfs it starts to become difficult to fly fish though if you concentrate on the eddies and water close to shore it can be productive.
I love the Douglaston Salmon run. You have to pay to get in but it's my favorite stretch of river. I feel it's well worth the price you should check it out at least once. The fly zones have nice water but almost always have very crowded conditions but there have been a couple of times that I've had them to myself but thats very rare. The upper fly zone is the nicer of the two imho and is generally less crowded.
Good luck
Turk [url=http://www.1880house.com/fishing_reports.htm:f5101]http://www.1880house.com/fishing_reports.htm[/url:f5101]
Hey Chris
You mean JOKE Orchard right? Not Oak Orchard : )
You must be kidding that they named it the best Steelhead river in the US right? If they did then FF truly has a great deal to be ashamed of. The Steelhead run at JOKE Orchard is not very good for starters, then you toss in the mob of flossers, fly snaggers and such jammed in that tiny public area and you what hell must be like.
I did fish there lots back in the late 70's and early 80's. Back then the place was crazy from Labor day to the last week on Oct or so but after that it was a ghost town and we pounded on the monster Tierra Del Fuego sized Brown Trout and Steelhead. I have not however fished it in many years because of the horrible place it has become.
Of course you can pay Jim Teeny lots of cash and take a class on great lakes trout and salmon techniques where he takes you to JOKE Orchard to stand shoulder to shoulder and teach you how to covertly and "politely" snag fish. Saw him and his bunch of merry men a couple times on that river and I was blown away by what I saw. Now all the guys that were taught to floss (read SNAG) fish in his classes go there to rape and pillage.
Do yourself a favor Permi, stay far, far away from this place as it would only sicken and disgust you. Trust me : (
Hey Marty - Caught many a fish from right where you are standing in that photo : )
------------------
Jeff - AKA Dr. Fish
If it has fins and swims than I must chase it!
If you want some reasonable solitute catching B run Steelhead, the South Fork of the clearwater in Idaho is great! The saddest part is that the North Fork of the Clearwater was among the best for B run steelhead until they built the dam.
I couldn't figure out how to attach a photo so here is a link to a couple of buddies who had thier fish put on by a local shop.
Travis
These two guys introduced me to fly fishing and steelheading.
I caught a smaller fish but never submitted the picture as I was wet from falling in and it was way too obvious. I'll find a inconspicuous place to post the picture and link it if anyone is interested.
Here I am!!!
Some of those rocks are slippery and the water is cold in February.
[This message has been edited by NderdaFilm (edited 17 July 2006).]
From the sounds of JOKE Orchard (as Dr. Fish calls it), I would probably end up intentionally casting at people. Just reading or hearing about people who do such things disgusts me...it's a disgrace to themselves and the rest of us and shows the utmost disrespect to the fish and nature in general.
Away from that topic though, I've been searching around on Bob Marriotts and seeing as my first setup was a Redington Crosswater setup, but I'm also looking at the St. Croix Premier. or there's always the option of building a rod and buying a reel...?
-Pemi
I've only fished Oak Orchard once as I live 3 minutes from 18 Mile Creek, South of Buffalo. The fishing there is outstanding once the lake reaches around 50 degrees until mothers day, as long as it is not frozen over.
I'm also 20 minutes from Cattaraugus Creek which is also a great fishery. There's no need to travel.
On each creek, I am able to fish alone most days, including weekends. The fish populations are healthy and I get a good 3 hours in the morning before I see another fisherman.
There's no sense in being dumb unless you get to show it off once in a while...
Pemi,
If you don't think you'll enjoy the Oak, then steer clear of the Salmon River until November. The Salmon River is where the idiots on the Oak go to hone their snagging/lining skills. If you do go to either (and I do) realize that even if you walk a bit, you'll likely have guys around you, and some will probably be trying to foul hook fish. I do my thing, they do theirs. At the end of the day, you'll still catch fish, just not in the numbers the other guys do. To each their own...
Is it not against the law to foul hook game fish in other states? In Idaho it is a heafty fine plus loss of privalages and equipment.
Is foul hooking what is meant by Dr Fish saying, "Most are flossing or lining fish with slinky weights, sink tips and weighted flies."?
I am pretty interested in what is going on out there.
Thanks for your replies.
Yes, it is illegal and fines are routinely given. But there are alot of guys still doing it - and many have become quite good at it. It's one thing if a guy yanks hard and lands a belly hooked fish, but some guys don't particularly jerk their rods and they hook fish in and around the mouth/head... It's tough to know a guy's intent, but if you stand upstream of him for an afternoon you can get a pretty good idea.
Jeff,
I grew up in Rochester. Fished Irondequoit Creek for many years, and in the mid-80s when it was reopened for salmon angling, I even caught a few Atlantics. I began my steelhead fly career on that very water.
The Genny can be so underrated. The weekend after Thanksgiving in 05 was some of the best steelhead fishing I can remember - flows were perfect, water color was green and fairly clear, and egg patterns were the flavor of the day.
Where are you exactly? I'm in Rochester a few times a year - would love to hook up with you, so to speak!
Marty
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