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Steelhead Fishing in High Dirty Water

Writer's picture: John WielingaJohn Wielinga

Steelhead anglers usually get excited when there is rain in the forecast or a big warm up during the winter causing melt-off. However, as we have all heard before, too much of a good thing can still be bad. In this case the river could “blow.” This means there was too much water at once and the river flows have greatly increased and in a lot of rivers they turn a dark chocolatey color. There does come a point where the odds are highly stacked against you when it comes to finding and getting steelhead to bite in these conditions. However, I think that point is much farther along than what people think it is. Below are the most important things to consider when steelhead fishing high dirty water.


The problem we run into under high dirty water is that for one fish spread out, there are more areas and places for them to go to, and that pile of wood that is normally in 2ft of slack water with a log jam just might have become fair game as a hiding spot. When the fish spread out we lose competition for food amongst the fish, making those easy bites a bit more difficult to get and top of it all their visibility is greatly limited. When it’s put that way it may seem as if you are fighting a losing battle, and depending on the severity of the situation that just might be the case. However, don’t assume that's the case because the water is higher and moving faster with a darker tint or because the another guy on the river said so, there might be some great fishing still on the table.

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Steelhead Fishing High Dirty Water

During these types of conditions I have found I have to change my program up a bit. I normally have a rather aggressive fishing style when it comes to steelhead fishing, moving fast, covering a lot of water and looking for easy bites. However, that is not the most effective strategy when fishing in these conditions. I slow down and visit my spots that I know have larger concentrations of fish in them and I spend a bit more time there than what is normal for me. On the flip side, look for spots that you normally wouldn’t fish that now look good, look for “new” seams and runs that are normally too slow or too shallow or don't fish at all and those just might be a great place to fish during these conditions. Some of your best water might not perform and some water you might not think to fish under normal conditions could be great. 


When it comes to bait selection there are two main choices and a third option I might fish as well. My first two options are the usual bait (spawn bags) and beads. However, there are certain things I look for in my selections. Spawn bags are pretty straight forward, I increase my bag size and stick to brighter color netting. When it comes to my bead choices for high and dirty water I prefer opaque beads over transparent beads. The transparent beads have an easier time getting lost and are harder to find and see in dirty water. Steelhead have incredible eyesight but we don’t want to make it any harder for them. I will also try upsizing my beads as well to 12mm and sometimes larger,  but that isn’t always a must. My third and final trick in these conditions are big oversized jigs and some with plenty of flash. Tip them with some wax worms and get to it. White and Chartreuse are my go to for dirty water jig colors. 


There does come a point where venturing to fish a certain river might not be worth your time if you’re looking to do more than take a boat ride and watch a float drift. However, that point might be different than what you think it is. Don’t be afraid to fish some dirty water and see what you can find. When you do, take notes of your flow chart and water clarity, I’ll drop a bead I like to fish in dirty water with a small split shot and note what MY visibility for that bead is, (they can see better than we can.) Then you can start building data on your river and start making calculated decisions on where to fish. Just because one river in the area is blown doesn't mean they all are. Part of the steelhead game is knowing where to be and when. Good luck!


John Wielinga

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