Northwest Fishing Magazine September 2025 Volume 5 Issue 1 - Flipbook - Page 8
Last year at around this
time, we were talking about
the best steelhead run in a
decade. And what could be
better than that? Try this.
As we go to press on this
issue, we are watching the
fish come over Bonneville
Dam right now in numbers
we haven't seen for 15 years.
We are talking summer
steelhead that filter into
the Deschutes or run up
the John Day or go up to
the Clearwater, the Snake
River, the Salmon, and the
Grande Ronde. If your old
waders have holes in them
or you need new boots,
now is the time to take
care of it. And look at the
calendar. The Deschutes
summer run peaks in
September, while October
is tops in the Snake River,
the Salmon, and on the
Grande Ronde.
There are nine main
methods for catching
steelhead, and some of
them are pro-level difficult,
while others are easy. Two
of my favorite ways to catch
steelhead are swinging big
flies and casting spinners.
While spinner fishing is not
the easiest way to catch
a steelhead, it is super
effective. And it is like a jolt
of lightning when a fish
grabs.
SPINNER WATER
Steelhead may be found in
deep pools and slow frog
water, but the best water
for fishing spinners tends to
move at the speed of a fast
walk over gravel bottoms
and through boulder runs.
Summer flows are low and
clear with an occasional
shower to bring the water
up. And steelhead are
highly aware and alert.
That's why knowing anglers
don't wear spikes on their
boots. The sounds of
scraping studs are like nails
on a chalkboard to summer
steelhead. And the first
casts to any run should be
short. Summer steelhead
are willing to chase and can
move as much as 15 feet to
engage a target and might
follow a spinner or a fly
from one bank to the other.
Steelhead tend to travel at
night and when the sun is
low. They hug the banks
and stay tight to structure,
finding the path of least
resistance up through
rapids. Up through the
tailout, into the pool along
a ledge, and often headin to the bubbles beneath
the foam lines to the head
of the pool. When the sun
comes up, steelhead can be
very close to the bank.
SPINNER SELECTION
The spinner itself? For the
lower Deschutes, for the
Snake River, the Salmon,
and other similar-sized
streams, a spinner with
a heavy French blade is
a great choice. We tend
to talk about Blue Fox
spinners when we discuss
steelhead fishing, and
while these are good
spinners, they tend to be a
compromise.
