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Best Lures for Steelhead

Writer's picture: John WielingaJohn Wielinga

Picking the right steelhead lures can be tough, especially considering how much it changes day to day, week to week, etc. There isn’t one lure that produces the most steelhead on every given day, so it is important that you have several different options in your arsenal. There are three main techniques used to steelhead fish, float fishing, plug fishing or trolling, and back bouncing.  Each has its own set of baits or lures that are most effective for said technique, we will dive into all of these individually as we figure out what the best steelhead lure is for you. 


Best Steelhead lures
Steelhead Fishing Michigan

The first method we are going to discuss is my personal favorite, float or bobber fishing. If you want to dive into the specifics of float fishing visit Steelhead Float Fishing 101, for now we are just going to discuss the best bait and lures to use for this method. There are three main categories of lures when it comes to float fishing, Beads, jigs and bait. All are very effective and have their days of being the best. Beads are an artificial egg coming in a variety of different colors and sizes here in the midwest we run primarily 8mm-12mm and a very wide variety of colors. The other common lure is jigs, coming in two main styles, tube jigs and hair/marabou jigs. Available in several options and an endless variety of colors. Tying your own is always an option but my favorite jigs come from Hawken Fishing. The last and in my opinion the most consistent and best to use for bobber fishing is bait, either spawn bags or skein. Here in the midwest I use spawn bags for steelhead fishing. This requires eggs from a legally harvested fish but is extremely effective. This article on Beads Vs. Bait helps explain when and how to use the two. For those of you who are shore fishing or wading this is likely the best method for you. 


The next method we will cover is plugging or trolling. This can be extremely effective at times as well and there is definitely a few baits that shine with this method as well. You can run plugs or crankbaits behind the boat on anchor and let the current do the work or you can slowly troll your way up. Spread your plugs to make a V shape. Outside rods closest the boat and progressively go farther back as you work to your inside rod. Colors and types of lures that are best will very based on your location and the river you are fishing. However, I favorite Kwikfish in various colors but black and gold specifically. 


Back bouncing is the last technique we will talk about. This technique is usually done with bait in the form of spawn bags. There isn’t much opportunity for other options, you can use beads to back bounce but not quite as effectively. This is an extremely effective technique used to effectively cover a lot of water and fast. 


Ultimately, there isn't one lure that is the best for Steelhead fishing. It greatly varies from day to day, week to week and season to season. Other factors to consider when deciding what you should fish with are the river conditions, water clarity, temperature, etc. Try different things and see what works best for you!


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John Wielinga

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