Category: steelhead

Dear Italo. I hope you are well! Can steelhead roe be used to catch steelhead? I have been trying this on the Maitland River, but so far no success. I don’t have roe from other species. Would live worms or other bait be a better option? Thanks!

Posted on May 1st, 2023

Hi Peter, I am OK. Fresh or treated Steelhead roe is one of the best baits to use to catch Steelhead. Small garden worms, nymph flies and small jigs with either 1-2″ soft plastic like twister-tails or plastic grubs can also work well. I think the reason you have not been catching Steelhead on the Maitland River is location. I have a feeling that if you are fishing areas that are holding Steelhead you will catch them…God bless you.

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Hi Italo. I recently started river salmon fishing in BC. I had a lot of trouble fishing a float rig with my spinning gear and was recommended to buy a Baitcaster set up. Just wondering if you could recommend a beginner bait casting reel for me. Eg. low profile or round reels. Thanks for your help.

Posted on December 13th, 2022

Hi Andrew, a good, affordable beginner baitcaster to use in BC rivers is the Abu Garcia S Round Baitcast Fishing Reel,  Once you get used to it you can always upgrade to an Abu Garcia 6000…God bless you.

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Hi ItaloCan you please let me now the brand name of the waist wader you wore on the spring fishing videoposted on U Tube.Thank you ManfredPSWe now each other for a long time. Stay well.

Posted on April 24th, 2022

Hi Manfred, nice to hear from you. Those waders are called Jean Waders by Rapala. Not sure if they have any in-stock, https://www.amazon.ca/Rapala-Tactics-Wading-Jeans-XX-Large/dp/B07TWMS41W …God bless you.

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Hi Italo,glad to see you’ve been enjoying the Southern Ontario steelhead fishing recently. I haven’t been able to make it out yet. do you think it will still be worth it in a week or two?thanksbrad

Posted on March 26th, 2022

Hi Brad, we have been making the most of the early season runs. Steelhead will continue to move in and out of the river mouths if the weather stays cold. If water temps increase over 36F suckers will move in and the majority of the steelhead will shoot through the lower sections to their spawning grounds. So all weather dependent.

Make sure to check the fishing videos on our Italo Labignan YouTube channel and if you have any questions just email them to me at Ask Italo throughout our www.canadian-sportfishing.com website.

 

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Hi Italo! Happy New Year! I hope you had a safe and relaxing holiday.My question is about finding winter steelhead in Georgian Bay. I float fish in the tribs until they close for the season and occasionally I fish in the surf with floating roe bags during the winter. But I would love to get into some more active fish using lures! I went out twice last winter tossing spoons in the same areas where I catch steelhead using floating roe bags – but I didn’t get any hits. Neither time did I get even a single strike. Do you have any tips for catching steelhead (or browns, lakers, whatever!) during the colder months using hardware from shore?Tight line!-Alex

Posted on January 7th, 2022

Hi Alex, the only place I am familiar with catching Steelhead throughout the winter from shore using hardware is the Niagara River at the Whirlpool. One of the reasons why the fishing is good there is because there is a concentration of fish.

I think that in most of the smaller Great Lakes tributaries the Steelhead are scattered in the lake before they start staging at the mouths of the tributaries. I know of guys that fish them through the ice in late Feb. and March just off the tributaries when the ice is safe. I think that later in the winter you would also do well casting hardware off the piers. As you know with Steelhead fishing timing is very important…God bless you.

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Hi Italo,I was wondering which fishing line you were using for this episode:https://youtu.be/XYe8qCyCfssI’d like to try a different line this trout season.Thanks!

Posted on September 8th, 2021

My favorite line for tributary river fishing is the Sufix Seige line. It has floating principles which I like since it enables me to “mend” the line to ensure I get the most natural drift.

Make sure to check the fishing videos on our Italo Labignan YouTube channel and if you have any questions just email them to me at Ask Italo throughout our

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hi again Italo,thanks for always being so responsive to questions, I’m very appreciative. what do you recommend for fishing a steelhead river when there is little to no current? I was at my local river today and it was so slow the float was just sitting still in the water. are spoons/spinners a good option for these conditions?

Posted on March 16th, 2021

You are welcome. If steelhead are in a stretch of Great Lakes tributaries or even in the lake at the mouth of the tributary off a natural shoreline or in a harbour where there is some flow, little to no flow they will still take a stationary spawn sack fished either under a float or on a sliding sinker rig with a floating spawn sack off the bottom. They will also take artificial lures and one of the best to use in slow to no-current is the KwikFish in size #5 & #7. Some of the top colors are: skunk, bullfrog, silver/pink, silver/green.

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Hi Italo! You’ve always provided very helpful answers to my questions on this site and I’m thankful for that! My latest question is about winter steelhead fishing: Do you have any tips for finding steelhead in tribs during the winter months? I generally fish off Georgian Bay so my only open river during the winter is the Nottawasaga. Can you suggest what types of water steelhead usually hold in during the colder months? I would also appreciate any tips on presentation, time of day, and even river sections on the Notty. Thanks a million!

Posted on December 17th, 2020

Hi Alex, my pleasure answering anglers questions. Most of our stocked steelhead are “winter-spawning” strain which means that many enter rivers that have enough water in the fall and some spawn attempt spawning in the fall with most spawing in late winter when rivers open-up after they flood.

Winter steelhead will hold in any deep-water area where they feel safe. Some of the best areas to fish in a tributary is the lower sections since many steelhead move in and out of a tributary with fluctuating water levels. While you can use artificials such as imitation eggs, beads, flies and hard lures such as spinners and KwikFish, the most reliable is using either salmon or steelhead egg roe bags. Fishing the right-size (dime-size/clear or natural netting for clear water- nickel-size/bright yellow, orange, pink for murky water), roe bag under a float is the best presentation.

If there is open water you can enjoy excellent Steelhead fishing all winter long…God bless you.

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Hi Italo, I was wondering what color and kind of egg cure you like to use for salmon eggs, also how is the steelhead run in Lake Erie tribs in Ohio?

Posted on November 30th, 2020

Hi Colten, I normally don’t color my salmon eggs for steelhead fishing, only when I’m using skeened salmon eggs for Chinooks. For salmon fishing I die them hot-pink. For steelhead fishing I use different color of netting material depending on the water color;

-white, pink and natural netting for clear water

-chartreuse, hot pink and orange for murky water.

There are a few good steelhead tributaries that flow into Lake Erie in Ohio. Timing is everything and some of the best fishing takes place now and through until March as most Great Lakes steelhead are winter-spawning strain….God bless you.

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Hi Italo, Do you have footage of the steelhead you found with sea lice in the gills? I’m working on a film and would like to see any footage you might have. Thanks, Scott

Posted on November 16th, 2020

Hi Scott, no video footage. We only did a photo shoot that day…God bless you.

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