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Over the past decade, the steelhead has emerged as the premier game fish of the Great Lakes. In the same time period, fly-fishing techniques used to pursue this magnificent fish have evolved significantly. Anglers no longer are satisfied to chuck ‘n’ duck weighted flies on shooting fly lines or to target fish on spawning beds.
A diverse collection of anglers from throughout the Midwest have contributed to knowledge base of evolving steelhead techniques. One of them is Kevin Feenstra, a guide on the rivers of western Michigan who is on the water 250 days a year. That’s more than many of us manage in a lifetime.
fish. Most fishing apparel is at least earth-tone, but it can't hurt to wear clothes that blend--such as green, tan or camouflage. And, don't wear a brightly colored hat; it's the first thing trout see when you approach the stream.
2. BE STEALTHY. Ever wonder how a blue heron canget close enough to spear trout with its beak? It because a blue heron is a sneak, a predator. It moves
slowly and carefully and pays attention. Spring-creek anglers should follow suit: Stay low, move quietly, cast a fly to the trout before they know you're there.
Feenstra’s river is the Muskegon. Though he’s young, in his late 20s, he considers himself a traditionalist. He still uses a drift boat while many other guides have resorted to jet sleds. When fishing on his own, he prefers to swing flies in the time-honored West Coast manner.
Feenstra will admit to drifting an egg/nymph combination under a strike indicator in the dead cold of winter, but most of his fishing involves swinging flies of his own design on a sinking-tip line.
When I wanted to expand my steelhead horizons, I called on Feenstra, who is a terrific instructor as well as a respected guide. Fishing with him is a step back into history and not unlike hunting deer with a muzzleloader. Every steelhead taken, on small or large waters, is special and the result of hard work and honed techniques.
When you swing flies to steelhead, the fly line of choice is a sinking tip. On larger rivers such as the Muskegon and Manistee in Michigan, a 24 foot sinkingtip (at the end of a shooting line) — originally developed by Jim Teeny— is effective. Depending on depth and current speed, 200- to 400-grain tips are required. Interchangeable tip systems are popular as the angler can quickly adapt to river conditions.
Fly rods 9 and a half to 10 feet long for 8 and 9-weight lines are favored for swinging sinking-tip lines. Two-handed rods up to 14 feet in length are becoming popular as well. For covering wide stretches of river, a two-handed rod is efficient. Long casts are easily made and mending line is a breeze.
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Fish that come to swinging flies are rarely leader-shy. A leader of four to eight feet, ending at a 10- or 12-pound tippet is appropriate. I use a simple two-piece leader consisting of a 20-pound monofilament butt section and the tippet.
Fly choice varies from the traditional, brightly colored spey flies to more imitative streamer-style patterns. Feenstra’s favorite pattern is an oversized sculpin imitation of his own design (see pattern recipe below). Sculpin are abundant in the Muskegon and many other Great Lakes rivers and large steelhead seem to have a special affinity for them. Tied in smaller sizes, it is a killer pattern for stream trout and smallmouth bass.
PRESENTING THE FLY
Once you’ve found a likely holding area, position yourself upstream and to the side. Make a cast across current and slightly downstream. Mend the fly line upstream to give the fly time to sink. As the line pulls tight when the fly sweeps across the current, follow its path with your rod tip kept low to the water. Keep the line straight to the rod tip.
If a belly begins to form as the fly line drifts downstream, throw another mend or two into the line. Wait as the line straightens downstream of where you’re standing and let the fly hang in the current a few seconds; then give
the line a few strips. If you don’t encounter a steelhead, add a couple of feet to the cast or take a step of two downstream and repeat the process, systematically fishing through the holding area. Your fly should be bumping bottom on occasion while it’s swinging. If the fly hang up often, switch to a lighter weight tip. Use a heavier tip if your fly is not touching bottom.
Most strikes occur during the last half of the swing. When a steelhead takes the fly, typically the line will snap tight, you’ll feel the fish’s head shake and then the explosion of the contact. It is, any fisher of swinging flies will tell you , a defining moment.
Can flies be swung in smaller waters? Absolutely! Shorter sinking-tip fly lines of 5 to 15 feet are helpful and it continues to be a process of choosing a sinking tip after consideration of the current speed and depth being fished.
When is the best time to swing flies? I used to think that a water temperatures of 45 degrees or higher was needed. I’m changing my mind. Fishing experiences have taught me that steelhead are active and feeding in surprisingly cold water. During the past several years, I’ve caught many fish while swinging flies in water below 40 degrees.
A week before last Christmas, I fished with author Rick Kustich on Pennsylvania’s Elk Creek. Kustich is another authority on swinging flies for steelhead. We hooked several fish swinging Bunny Spey patterns along shale ledges. The water temperature throughout the day held steady at 34 degrees. When can you swing flies? I guess whenever you want.
Swinging flies for Great Lakes steelhead is a step simultaneously into the future and into the past, echoing the creative fly fishing of West Coast anglers. We can thank Kevin Feenstra, Rick Kustich, and numerous other Great Lakes angles for continuing to push the envelope of our fly fishing, refining the techniques by which we are privileged to be in touch with steelhead.
KEVIN’S SCULPIN
Hook: Daiichi 2220 #1 or #2.
Tail: Mixed olive and brown grizzly marabou.
Body: Golden olive emu with brown or olive grizzly Schlappen palmered
through.
Collar: Wood duck flank feather.
Head: Australian opossum fur, flared and trimmed to shape.
Kevin Feenstra can be reached through the Great Lakes Fly Fishing Company of Rockford, MI, phone (616) 866-6060. Jerry Darkes is Midwest Fly Fishing’s Ohio field editor. This article appeared in a past edition of MFF.
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