Back to Drifting

Drifting flies is a more effective than swinging for steelhead, but that's not why I went back to the indicator rig during my last two outings. On Saturday I fished with a friend and it's hard to fish together when one drifts and another swings. Kind of like trying to go for a walk with a guy riding a bike. On Tuesday morning the water had dropped even more and drifting through a slow moving pool is still a lot easier than trying to swing; particularly when time is at a premium.

While drifting I hooked a few solid fish on a simple white marabou minnow fly that I've used for years with great success. One of these days I'll try swinging it on the spey rod. The fly is ridiculously small compared to the intruder style flies I like to use, but one never knows. I also had a lot of luck with a black stonefly featuring a red estaz collar. Hooking fish on a new pattern that you tied up on a whim is always rewarding.

On Tuesday I hooked three skippers before my 9 a.m. conference call. The first two hit without me having to enter the water -- something that is hard to do swinging. Wading when the water is 33 degrees isn't a lot of fun when dress pants rather than fleece are under the waders. Eventually I waded in, lost feeling in my legs and hooked a few more fish. Yes, I'm an addict.

Tuesday's heavy rains brought the Steelhead Alley rivers up to near flood levels, which means I'll be back swinging soon.