Know how to work your bait when targeting steelhead trout

For those willing to brave the elements, this is a great time of the year to chase a unique fish - the steelhead trout.

A wintertime staple in the Great Lakes region, the steelhead comes from the same species as rainbow trout. While rainbows mainly spend their days in freshwater ponds, lakes and creeks, steelhead trout are anadromous, meaning they migrate from larger bodies of water (lakes, oceans) into rivers and tributaries to spawn. This typically begins in November and is still occurring.

With fish currently in rivers in southeast Wisconsin, northwest Indiana and western Michigan, Chicagoland anglers are just a short drive away from some fertile steelhead grounds. There are many different tricks to consider when targeting these fish, but the two that I will focus on tend to be the popular: drifting eggs and fly fishing.

Though it may come as a surprise, and perhaps a gruesome one to those unfamiliar with trout and salmon eating habits, fish eggs are a beloved food source for these species. Most bait shops in the area sell them under the name of roe, skein or spawn sacs. Imitation eggs are also sold by most tackle retailers and make a good substitution.

Drifting an egg sac is a very condition-dependent tactic. At this point in the winter, steelhead have generally settled into deeper pools and holes. A slip bobber rig is a good go-to as it allows you to be flexible with depths. Simply attach a swivel below the bobber, tie a good length of leader to the other end of it, then add a small split shot and 1/0 octopus or salmon hook to the leader.

When targeting fish with this method, try to locate the deeper pools of the river or stream. Allowing the bait to pass through these pockets is key in drawing strikes. Additionally, allowing the bait to slowly drift on the outskirts of downed trees and other cover is a good way to coax steelhead from their hiding holes.

If you like to fly fish, it would behoove you to target steelhead. Fly fishing for steelhead hearkens back to the Atlantic salmon fishery of yore, where anglers targeting migrating salmon in the American Northeast and Maritime Provinces of Canada refined the sport of fly fishing into what it is today.

For those targeting steelhead on the fly, there are a couple of different methods to consider. Presenting nymph or low-profile egg flies under an indicator is very popular, and similar to drifting egg sacs. This is a classic approach that steelhead die-hards have been using for decades across the country.

A more newfangled approach called streamer fishing is also catching on in the steelhead world. This approach involves a 7- or 8-weight rod bearing sink-tip line. On the end, you want to use larger flies, typically known as streamers. A favorite is the Egg Sucking Leech fly, which mimics a predator eating eggs, the favorite forage species of steelhead trout.