Old-school – and still effective technique for winter steelhead

GO OLD SCHOOL FOR WINTER-RUNS

By Buzz Ramsey

It was while drift fishing an Okie Drifter that I caught my first steelhead from Oregon’s Sandy River back in December of 1966. In case you don’t know, the Okie Drifter was a buoyant imitation egg cluster first introduced by Maxwell Manufacturing (though I’m not sure in what year) and purchased by Luhr Jensen just after I went to work there in 1974.

I guess I’m dating myself to write about a long discontinued lure and a fishing method that isn’t used all that much anymore, at least by those fishing from boats. However, I do still see bank anglers employing the oldschool tactic, especially when river levels are up and fast-moving. After all, it’s when the water levels are high and perhaps just dropping into shape after a freshet that drift fishing can produce as good or better than other river fishing techniques, at least for those who know how.

THE CONCEPT OF drifting an egg cluster, egg imitation, single egg, bead, soft bead or other bait along the river bottom is one that fish readily respond to. It’s just natural (imprinted in their DNA, I guess) for them to eat bait, especially single salmon eggs, as their upstream migration follows that of when salmon dig their spawning nests and deposit their eggs into the gravel. In fairness, drift fishing hasn’t gone away; it has just morphed into techniques like bobber doggin’ and side drifting. And although side drifting lends itself mostly to boat fishing, I see more than a few bank anglers who employ the bobber doggin’ method during their outdoor excur-

Today’s steelheaders have a lot of options, but old-school techniques like drift fishing are still practiced by some who know it’s a great technique as high waters begin to recede. Aaron Henderson shows off a hatchery fish caught on an

A drift fishing setup uses pencil lead (top), slinky (bottom) or other weight options to bounce bottom and present a bait in the form of a Spin-N-Glo, Lil’ Corky or other drift bobber to steelhead as the rig moves downstream slightly slower than the current. Colored line was used to represent the leader, which is typically 18 to 30 inches of fluorocarbon, depending on water conditions. (BUZZ RAMSEY)

sions. In fact, many (including me) carry a set of rods rigged for two or more fishing methods; if one technique doesn’t produce a reaction, perhaps a different presentation will.

In case you haven’t tried drift fishing, here’s how: cast out, across and at an upstream angle using enough weight so your outfit will sink to the bottom and drift along slightly slower than the surface current. Your drift is complete after your outfit drifts through the run and swings toward shore, which is when you’ll need to reel in and cast again. Drift fishing is a series of casts, drifts and retrieves.

The hardest part once you’ve got the drifting down, which has a lot to do with using the right amount of weight, is learning to detect when a fish is mouthing your bait. You wouldn’t expect such a light take from a big fish like a steelhead. But the fact is that this fishing method requires an almost uncanny sense of feel in order for you to differentiate a steelhead mouthing your bait (or bait imitation) from your outfit momentarily pausing or hanging bottom.

So when drift fishing, you need to pay close attention as your outfit drifts along in the river current and should it stop, pause or hesitate – do anything suspicious – set the hook! A really hard hookset is required because the river current will have pushed a big belly in your main line between where it enters the water and your sinker.

What’s true is that if your sinker or hook catches the bottom and stops your outfit from drifting, waiting won’t help. However, if what interrupted your drift was a steelhead mouthing your bait, waiting too long will likely allow the fish time to drop your offering. So, again, pay close attention, follow your drifting line downstream with your rod tip, while holding your rod tip somewhat low (so you can get a strong hookset), and don’t be bashful about yanking back on your rod tip really hard if you feel anything suspicious.

IT’S IMPORTANT TO use the right amount of weight so your outfit will get down and tap bottom every few yards as it drifts along in the river current. If your weight is continually dragging bottom, it means you’re using too much. If it touches bottom only once during your drift, you’re not using enough. The goal is to use just enough weight so your presentation will stay in the strike zone, drifting downstream, while keeping your offering within a foot or less from the bottom.

There are several different weight options used by drift fishermen, all of which work for side drifting or bobber doggin’ too. Pencil weight is generally sold in 1-pound coils in either solid or hollow core. As you might guess, hollow core has a hole running

While a drift bobber might be all you need, adding a hank of yarn and/or small cluster of cured eggs can make the setup more productive. (ANDY MARTIN)

down its center. Having a coil of lead wire in your vest allows you to cut off the right amount based on water conditions. What I’ve found is that this sinker style will take your outfit to the bottom quickly and transmit bottom-tapping signals to you better than other weight options. It’s also true that pencil weight is more likely to hang up on rocks or bottom structure than other types of weight.

A popular way to attach hollow core is to crimp/pinch one end onto a 2-inch dropper line extending from the swivel where your main line and leader meet.

Although there are many ways to attach solid-lead wire, here are a couple that have worked for me. Flatten one end of the lead wire with a pair of needle nose pliers and punch a hole in it such that it can be attached to the snap end of a snap swivel, with the swivel portion used to connect your mainline to the leader. P-Line and Beau Mac offer needle-nose pliers, called posting

pliers, that will allow you to flatten the lead wire and punch a hole in it.

Another common way to attach solid-lead wire is to thread your main line through a short piece, an inch or so, of surgical/latex tubing prior to attaching the line to your swivel and jamming the weight into the tubing for a friction fit. The surgical tubing method is designed so your weight will pull free if it hangs bottom, which should allow you to retrieve your outfit minus your sinker. Surthe 1/8-inch diameter or a short six- or eight-shot slinky when rivers are low and slow-moving, or when side drifting. Under normal or average water conditions, a combination of 3/16-inch pencil weight and slinky-style sinkers in various lengths performs best. You should realize that nothing will get you to the bottom in high, heavy current like employing ¼-inch pencil weight.

Check out Dave’s Tangle Free (davestanglefree.com) for lead-free sinker options that might work for you.

LEADER LENGTH IS mostly determined by water clarity. The clearer the water, the longer the leader you might consider. For example, a 30-inch leader might be the ticket when the water is running clear as compared to a more normal leader length of 20 to 24 inches. Fluorocarbon leader material can add considerable stealth to your presentation, as it is less likely to show up due to its refracting index (the amount of light that bends when passing through it) being nearly the same as that of water.

Most anglers employ single hooks when drift fishing. For winter steelhead they can range in size from as small as a number 4 to 3/0, but for most river conditions, a size 1 or 1/0 is what you will likely need. And while Okie Drifters are no longer available commercially, Lil’ Corky or Lil’ Corky Cluster single-egg imitations are, and in a wide array of sizes and colors.

A Lil’ Corky or Spin-N-Glo threaded on your leader above your hook might be all you need to catch a steelhead while drift fishing, but adding a small cluster of eggs is a favorite way to bait up. The popular method of attaching an egg cluster to your hook, in addition to piercing your hook through the cluster, is by adding an egg loop to your hook tie when snelling. There are several videos on YouTube that can walk you through the process. CS

gical tubing is sized to accommodate either 3/16- or ¼-inch lead wire.

Slinky sinkers are a lot less likely to hang on the bottom than pencil weight. They consist of a section of parachute cord filled with lead shot or several short sections of pencil weight. You can make your own with a slinky-making tool or purchase different length slinky sinkers at stores specializing in river tackle.

I rely on hollow-core pencil weight in 1/8-, 3/16- and ¼-inch diameters, using

Buzz Ramsey’s been drift fishing for steelhead since catching his first one more than 55 years ago, and he used it to hook this hatchery winter-run two

seasons ago. (BUZZ RAMSEY)

Editor’s note: Buzz Ramsey is regarded as a sport fishing authority, outdoor writer and proficient lure and fishing rod designer.

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