SPRING: March to May

This is without a doubt, THE SEASON for most steelhead fisherman. The spring run fish have no choice but to spawn and numbers of fish held over from fall/winter mixed with fresh fish coming in everyday can stack fish on top of each other. This is the time of plenty. Fish are spawning in the riffles, river levels and water temps are up, and fish are everywhere. Spring can also be as frustrating as fall due to snow melt and rain. Waiting for the rivers to drop into shape only to have another system push through can break your heart. Steelhead can be moody due to temp and weather fluctuations, but fishing can catch fire when a pattern is established.

Now as far as what fly/bait to use, that is debateable. It all begins an those factors decribed above. How do one get a picture of current river conditions? Is is muddy or clear? When will the river drop in shape? Back in the good ol' days, you would travel and hour or so and find out . That proved to be a waste sometimes and many time you would scramble for plan B. Now experience is the best way to give an idea if the river is in shape or not, so please don't disount that. BUT, the internet has evened the playing field . I wish I had it when I started,but I paid my dues and have a better grasp on every river and it conditions. I can now look on a website, see how much rain/snow has fallen, check river flows in real time, and have  great grasp on my options. It has cut out a lot of cold calls and running around the state(http://waterdata.usgs.gov/oh/nwis/rt). Once you see the conditions, you can determain what to use. This is a complex issue and will be handled in later pages in this website.