With the dry summer and little rain, the rivers have been very low. The rule of thumb is if the river flow is low and clear then the leaders have to be light poundage and long. So I prepared roe bags with a combination of five eggs and three eggs

I started with a small pencil weight and a float that can be adjusted quickly. By having a slip knot under and above the float I can adjust quickly to the river. As I reached the first hole it looked dismal but I stood back away in the trees and noticed a shadow moving. Yep, a steelhead but he was on his way out o the hole. My plan was to cover each hole first with the roe bags and then go over the drift again with a spoon lure. In this case, it was a silver Prime Lure spoon with an orange stripe. No results so off to the next hole. It took about three drifts to be able to acquire the right depth of the drift. Near the end of the run I thought the float paused so I struck and to my amazement, this lovely steelhead flew out of the water.

Winter steelhead took a five-egg roe bag

Anglers have their own favourite wat way of hooking up the roe bag. I just run the hook under the knot this allowing the hook to lay straight

#1 hook barbless

Today I matched the Trend Iron Header X3 Centerpin Reel with the Cast Mob Centerpin Rod

Action: Moderate
Length: 10’6″
Line Wt/Lb: 10-17
Piece: 2
Power: Medium

I always bring two rods the second being a light spinning reel loaded with braid and a 12-pound leader. Today I had spoons on. I find the spoon if twitched and allowed to flutter brings out the most aggressive instinct from the steelhead. I had covered this hole completely and once I had the spoon on the third cast bang a full strong hit and the fight was on.

Great way to start the season when all reports were negative. One winter steelhead and two trout on roe bags, two summer steelheads and one coho on spoon lures.