Top Ten Winter Steelhead Flies!

Winter steelhead have a reputation for being difficult for the fly angler. The winter weather and water conditions, as well as sexually developed fish, create some of the most demanding conditions that the angler will encounter all year. Winter steelhead are most often bottom hugging denizens of cold, often rain swollen rivers.  Sometimes it is very difficult to present the fly at the depth where the fish are holding. A sinking tip fly line is most often used to present the fly at the right depth. Often large expanses of water must be covered to find a fish that will bite.
Flies that are easy to cast are essential in this game. Flies that cast small, but fish large are ideal.  My favorite winter steelhead flies are made from soft flowing material that collapses when pulled from the water and puffs up when submerged.  Marabou and rabbit strip are two key components on my fly tying bench.  These materials breath with life when submerged.  Marabou drains out almost instantly when it leaves the water.  Even very large flies constructed from marabou are easy to cast.  When the water is cold,  large flies will often move fish that small flies won't.
Because of their mating instincts, winter steelhead, especially the males, can be territorial and will attack a fly to drive it from their hold.  Large flies dressed in steelhead spawning colors can bring jolting strikes. Fresh steelhead have an acute search image of the marine organisms that nurtured them. Flies dressed in the form of squid or krill can trigger a feeding response.
In most cases your fly must be presented to fish that are holding fairly close to the bottom of the river. Sometimes these holding areas are deep with a cover of fast water. This condition most often happens when the water is low and clear. When the water is high and colored, steelhead often hold in slower edge-water.  For that reason, an angler should carry a selection of flies that are not only different colors, but also different weights. For that reason many seasoned anglers carry flies that have large weighted eyes, medium weighted eyes and no eyes.
Interestingly our year-end fly inventory revealed that our customers are onto the game.The ten winter steelhead fly patterns and sizes listed below are the top sellers for 2011. They run the gambit of sizes, colors and weights, and come very close to the selections carried by each of our professional guides.
To view the most comprehensive and up-to-date selection of winter steelhead flies found on the world wide web, just click this link: Winter Steelhead Fly Directory

Signature Intruder, Red & Black

This thing looks so much like a squid you might be tempted to eat it yourself. This fly is deadly on fresh fish that are new to the river. Coastal steelhead think it is candy, and the Orange Pick 'Yer Pocket is one of the top sellers of all time. It is weighted perfectly for many fish holding spots.

Purple is the sleeper color on many rivers.  It is the main color east of the Cascades. But, purple is also a key winter color, especially for fish that are farther from the Ocean. Pick 'Yer Pockets are fairly easy to cast with medium to larger size Spey rods, or even smaller rods if you have pretty good skills