What are your favorite steelhead flies. I have heard that the patterns developed by george richey are some of the best. i cant find any of them on the internet though.
In terms of the number of steelhead I have caught, I would say glo bugs, san juan worms, stonefly nymphs, burlaps, pheasant tails, PMD and BWO dries, and slumpbusters are my top ones. That covers about 95% of the thousand or so I have landed in my life.
But I have caught one or two steelhead on almost any fly you can imagine, from deer hair mice to poppers to mayflies to…
With the exception of a Skunk. Never caught one on a Skunk, of any butt color. Or a Skykomish Sunrise.
For the Lake Erie “mutt” steelhead I’ve fished for, the vast, vast majority are taken on some sort of egg pattern, woolly bugger, or small nymph.
For egg patterns, I’ve done well on a big, blue glo-bug and a big shaggy orange sucker spawn.
Buggers, about a size 8 or 10, in black.
Nymphs: Prince, stone, PT from 14-18.