drifting bait for steel

[Fisherman_max]

whenever i go fishing for steelhead people are drifting some sort of bait wether it be sand shrimp or eggs. i was wondering how to do this effectivly. i have tipped my jigs with prawns and eggs but that is it, can somebody help me?

[Toni]

whenever i go fishing for steelhead people are drifting some sort of bait wether it be sand shrimp or eggs. i was wondering how to do this effectivly. i have tipped my jigs with prawns and eggs but that is it, can somebody help me?

Do you use a bobber with your jig? I have drifted just eggs on hook (egg loop) and with corky and yarn (egg loop). I have caught a few with either. Once I drifted eggs no weight and that is how I caught my first silver (jack) this year.

[Fisherman_max]

yes i either uses a slip bobber or a fixed bobber but neither seem to produce were i fish. i think drifting eggs might work but the whole egg loop thing is hard for me to get. i think i might just try a big glob of eggs on a hook with maybe a little split shot to keep it down. but i want to learn how to use sand shrimp or prawns.

[Toni]

If I am not mistaken you can use the egg loop for shrimp and prawns too.
What part of the egg loop is hard for you to get? How to tie it? Or the loop that goes around the eggs after it is hooked?

[Fisherman_max]

tying it is the hard part. i just assume to put a big old glob of eggs on the hook and cast out almost like i was using worms for trout. exept for the drift part. i heard i would loose a lot of eggs this way though.

[Toni]

The loop does help them stay on a bit longer. Do you cure your own? If you have a drift set up you don't need a split shot to weight it sown.
Have you seen instrutions on how to tie it? I was looking at one and I could see how a person could not get it. Try looking at several sites and see if you can piece it together.http://www.steelheaduniversity.com/loop.html

http://www.piscatorialpursuits.com/reso ... erknot.htm

http://www.riptheirlipsoff.com/baitloop.html

I even found one that does it different http://www.boats.com/news-reviews/article/egg-loop-knot

and a video but I don't do mine that way but the result is the same
http://revver.com/video/119286/tying-th ... -egg-loop/
and a pimped out egg loop with 2 hooks
http://revver.com/video/119286/tying-th ... -egg-loop/

[Fisherman_max]

thanks for the link toni!

[Anonymous]

I hope it works for you. If this doesn't snag someone who can show you in person. It is a good knot to know.

[Fisherman_max]

okay thanks. i think i can learn from these sites.

[A9]

Drifting eggs is done by drift fishing. You can float eggs too. Spin n glos or corkies with eggs or sandshrimp will produce steelies...

[Fisherman_max]

thanks sam. i tried a spin n glo with no bait and it did not work so i will try again with some bait to see if i can get a different result.

[colton]

where did you try the spin n glo max??

[Fisherman_max]

lucia, in a nice 4 or 5 foot deep straight at the end of the lucia falls park, below the falls.

[Toni]

I have used spin and glo, too, and I didn't catch anything but I didn't catch anything with other methods.

[Derrick-k]

Most every method works, its just a matter of putting in the time, they don't call them the fish of 1000 casts for nothing. If I were you I would learn a method that you can fish effectively, I personally prefer eggs, but spoons will work very well too, If you want to fish with eggs I strongly suggest using an egg loop knot otherwise your eggs will just fall off the hook immediately, yarn tied with your egg loop will add color to your bait and sticks to the fish's mouth better. This is what my eggloop leaders look like.

I will also suggest that you learn to cure eggs yourself, the ones you buy at joe's and sportco will not last very long on the hook as well. Watch other anglers on the river and how they drift fish because it's something you just have to learn by watching and doing. What will increase your catch rate the most will be reading the water, finding the holes that steelhead lie in, for example the really slow deep holes always look tempting, and are worth a few casts but mostly what you will catch out of them is spawners, look for relatively deep holes, 5-6ft with some good flow. The single best way to catch more steelhead is to go fishing and learn on the rivers, put in the time it takes. Being the first one to the river make a difference as steelhead aren't very picky and will usually take the first properly presented bait or lure they see.

Good luck!
and hopefully you will land some nice winter steel in the coming months.

Derrick

[A9]

If your looking at getting into steelheading, the setup to start with is a float and jig...Tip it with prawn, sandshrimp, etc, and that'll produce fish...

Best way to learn the river, depth, etc, is by float and jig. It's considered the training wheels of steelheading..

[michaelunbewust]

i finally agree with sam!HA! its the way i learned, and, the only way ive ever fished for them below the dams on the snake. the only real difficult part in presenting them is to get them as close to the bottom as possible, under the slip bobber. sam, how do you put your shrimp on?? im going to do a lil more of this fishing this year, so, i need some pointers also. great thread!

[A9]

If I'm tipping jigs? I just rip open the tail and stick a little chunk on the hook.

If your intending on using the whole tail, check this link out:
http://www.piscatorialpursuits.com/reso ... shrimp.htm

[Derrick-k]

If your interested in drift fishing try fishing the river you plan on fishing in the summer for trout its good practice, and helps you learn the holes, and spots plus you learn how to feel the bite. Its just on a smaller scale.

[FISHKILLER]

If I am not mistaken you can use the egg loop for shrimp and prawns too.
What part of the egg loop is hard for you to get? How to tie it? Or the loop that goes around the eggs after it is hooked?

Alot of people use the egg loops for shrimp and craws, I just thread them on as if I was threading a worm. They stay on pretty well.