Knowing how to fish for steelhead takes time and patience.

How to Fish for Steelhead

I am not sure what it is about steelhead fishing that intrigues me, along with so many others anglers. Maybe it’s the fact that you will often never catch as many steelhead as you want or hope for that really plays a huge role in how incredibly awesome it is when you do catch one. There are a lots of good anglers out there who love to fish, but that doesn’t mean they know how to catch steelhead, because it’s a real challenge to land one.

Hire a Good Fishing Guide

One of the best ways to learn how to fish for steelhead is hiring a good guide. This will speed up the process dramatically, and save you a lot of time and frustration.

We can consult with you and help you find the exact fishing trip you’re looking for. We’ve fished with these guides ourselves and our job is to find you that perfect trip FOR YOU. If you’ve already gone steelhead fishing with a guide and your ready to do it yourself, the pointers below will give you a good start.

Start Planning Your Fishing Trip

How to Fish for Steelhead

The challenge these awesome fish offer is similar to bowhunting for me, but sometimes it seems to have even lower odds.

There has to be a fish in the river, you have to have the right fly/color, you have to have the right presentation (the most important part) and you have to capitalize on the opportunity if all of the above align and get the fish pinned. Then, the fight ensues…a fight in which you may very well lose.

  1. Determine where to fish. Do your research and narrow down where to fish for steelhead. We can help you with that process.
  2. Know when steelhead are in the river. It’s not enough to fish the right river. One of the first steps in knowing how to fish for steelhead is timing the run. Steelhead are anadromous fish, meaning they spend most of their lives in the ocean and travel up the river systems from the ocean to spawn. If you’re not there during the run, all you’re doing is practicing your casting.
  3. Learn how to read the water. find a good run, pick your water, read it right, fish it how you want to fish it, and land that fresh, beautiful steelhead.
  4. Have the right steelhead fishing gear: Having the right equipment will make a big difference.

Are you interested in booking a fishing trip?

We work with wide variety of steelhead fishing guides and outfitters in all of the major runs. So if you’re looking for a great fishing trip, get in touch. We think you’ll love working with us.

Ask For Pricing or More Information

Here are some steelhead fishing trips that you might like:

Ask Us About a Fishing Trip Request pricing and availability

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There's a reason I keep booking this steelhead fishing trip!
Second time I’ve done this particular trip. The steelhead run was awesome! The food was even better than the first time, which is hard to imagine, and our guide is the best there is! If catching big fish is your thing I highly recommend booking through Outdoors International.
Ernie Sorenson
Mark Stasz with a great dorado.
We had an incredible time fishing in Mexico. We've already booked our next trip and can't wait to go back!
Mark Stasz
Greg Pope with a Strobel Lake rainbow trout.

I expected big trout on this trip based on all the stories I've read over the years, and I was not disappointed! I broke my own personal best rainbow trout record at least SIX times on this trip, with the biggest being a 16 pound beauty.

I will be going again soon!

Greg Pope

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Outdoors International
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