Six Great Lakes Steelhead Nymphs

I am hoping this post will be the official rebirth of my blog. It has been a wild couple of years with mother nature throwing us a few curve balls, and the outbreak of COVID 19, but we have made it and are welcoming in the 2020 steelhead season with open arms. With the completion of smallmouth season in the middle of October and trout season slowing down, I have been sitting at the bench tying up a lot of bugs for this steelhead season. These days I find myself splitting time between both Lake Erie and Lake Ontario tribs, and wanted to share a few of my favorite flies, not only to fish but also to tie. I have plans to do a few new tying videos over the winter, we will see how that goes, so stay tuned.

Until then enjoy a few photos and recipes from nymph box.

 

The Double Squirrel Jig is one of my favorite trout nymphs, so I decided to up size it and add a barred jig hook to the recipe. I do pinch all my barbs when steelhead fishing, but I do like the little extra security of the small bump from the pinched barb.

The Double Squirrel Jig
Hook: Ahrex FW550 sz. 14-10
Bead: Hareline Slotted Tungsten Bead - Black 
Thread: Veevus 140 - Fl. Hot Pink 
Rib: Veevus Pearl Tinsel sz. Small 
Tail: Hareline CDL Light 
Body: SLF Squirrel Dubbing - Natural Fox Squirrel 
Collar: SLF Squirrel Dub - Drk. Brown

The Sour Patch Stone is a new one for me this year. In the past I have done well with black stone nymphs, some as simple as just a tail and some black dubbing on the hook. That was no fun to tie, so I spruced it up a bit, added a hot bead and some rubber legs with pink accents and away we went. 

Sour Patch Stone
Hook: Ahrex FW550 sz. 14-10
Bead: Hareline Slotted Tungsten Bead - Lt. Pink 
Thread: Veevus 140 - Fl. Hot Pink
Rib: Ultra Wire - Fl. Pink sz. Small
Tail: Rooster Hackle Fibers - Black 
Abdomen: SLF Squirrel Dubbing - Black 
Thorax: SLF Whitlock Blend - Black Stone 
Legs: Round Rubber Legs - Black sz. Small 
Shellback: Veevus Holographic Tinsel - Black sz. Large 
Flashback: Veevus Holographic Tinsel - Pink sz. Med 

This little nymph is a confidence fly for me when fishing any Erie trib. It is simple, natural, and seems to get the attention from steelhead even in low and clear conditions. It is quick to tie, and will likely be the first fly I tie on most days.

Home Fry Nymph 
Hook: TMC 3769 sz. 12 
Thread: Veevus 8/0 - Brown 
Rib: Ultra Wire - Copper sz. Small
Bead: Hareline Plummeting Tungsten Bead - Black  
Tail: Hareline CDL - Medium  
Abdomen: SLF Squirrel Dubbing - Drk. Brown 
Thorax: UV Polar Chenille - Brown sz. Micro 
Shellback: Pheasant Tail - Natural 
Legs: MFC Barred Rubber Legs - Brown sz. Small 

I am obsessed with stoneflies. I love flipping rocks over and finding them anytime I'm on the water. I also love that steelhead eat them like crazy. I have a lot of fun tying stoneflies and just like the fly above, they are always a confidence fly for me. 

Bubble Gum Stone 
Hook: Partridge Sedge Caddis sz. 8
Thread: Veevus 8/0 - Brown 
Bead: Hareline Plummeting Tungsten Bead - Lt. Pink 
Tail: Hareline Life Flex - Brown 
Antena: Hareline Life Flex - Brown 
Body: Fly Fish Food Small Stonefly Chenille - Black Brown 
Legs: Lively Legz - Purple Fleck sz, Large 
Shellback: Turkey Quill - Natural 
Flashback: Veevus Pearl Tinsel - Pink 
Collar: SLF Whitlock Blend - RFS Nymph Thorax
 

Landon Mayer's Mini Leech isn't just a fly for large western trout. It is deadly for great lakes steelhead and brown trout. I tie them on size 10 jigs for bigger water, but a size 14 is the sweet spot for me. It is a great fly to fish under an indicator or use as your anchor fly when fishing euro style.   

Mayer's Mini Leech Jig
Hook: Ahrex FW550 sz. 14-10
Bead: Hareline Slotted Tungsten Bead - Lt. Pink
Thread: Veevus 8/0 - Black 
Underbody: Pearl Tinsel - Black 
Body: Pine Squirrel Zonker - Black 
Collar: Ostrich Herl - Black

The White Death is a funny looking nymph. It definitely looks more like a streamer to me. However most of the time I am dead drifting it under an indicator with a smaller nymph or egg trailing it. There are so many small baitfish in Erie tribs, this fly is like candy to a steelhead.

White Death Variation
Hook: TMC 5262 sz. 8
Rear Thread: Veevus 8/0 - Fl. Orange 
Front Thread: Veevus 8/0 - Black 
Underbody Weight: Lead Wire - .015 (30 Wraps)
Underbody: Hareline Flashabou Tubbing - Silver sz. Small 
Body: Micro Black Barred Groovy Bunny Strips - Yellow/Olive/ White 

Mini Chocolate Donuts

Jack, Rob and I put another trip on the books. We have now made it a tradition to go steelheading every fall.  The first year we spent that trip on the Salmon River where Jack checked off a box on his bucket list by landing a steelhead in the DSR (Douglaston Salmon Run). So, the next couple years we moved to Erie PA and have had a blast each time. Each trip with the three of us seems to always be filled with stories, some that are only funny to us, and others that are just ridiculous to any that listen. Like last year when we got kicked out of the bar because there was a tornado headed right for us, we paid the bill and headed out into a monsoon with only inches of visibility and headed east away from the tornado. Yeah that was a first for me. This year was a bit less exciting on the weather front and more so on the fishing front.

It’s not very often as fisherman that we experience the “perfect day” of fishing, so when we do we can sometimes take it for granted while is happening. While we didn’t take it for granted, we did have three amazing days of steelhead fishing. Yes, the fishing was incredible, but it was moments like having 2 steelhead eat my dry fly, or doubling up and landing a fish with Jack, or landing Rob’s first fish of the trip only minutes after hitting the water. Oh, and the hot coffee just about the time your fingers felt like they were going to fall off, those are the memories that make a fishing trip perfect.

It was an amazing trip and I’m glad I mustered up the motivation to tell you about it.

Trapped in Ruby Tuesday's

This story started the night before I headed west to Ohio to fish. All winter I wanted to drive around in four wheel drive in a deep snow storm and pull someone out of the ditch with my new truck. Well minutes before I got home, I got a call from a co-worker asking if I could come back out and help a lady stuck in a ditch. Score, spun the truck around and out I went, after pulling her out of the ditch I returned home to pack for my trip. Waking up at 5:30 to 8-10 inches of snow on the ground the truck went into four wheel drive until I hit Pittsburgh. Winter was now complete, so what better way to welcome the spring than a few steelhead?

Justin Pribanic a fellow guide and friend asked me to come out for a few days of hard fishing, I welcomed the idea and after the first day of freezing our asses off, we found ourselves in a Red Robbin eating a burger and some wings. We were the last ones in the restaurant besides one family, and we couldn't get our check for some reason. Justin says "man I feel like we are trapped in Ruby Tuesday's" I just laughed because that was the third time we called Red Robbin, Ruby Tuesdays that night.

Anyway, those are the none fishing stories from the trip. Justin and I did in fact fish hard for 3 days, on the water early and not off until we couldn't see. We swung flies, fished bobbers, and walked a lot. It was all worth it with 8-10 fish days maybe more, we didn't keep count. The primary tactic was swinging and it was very productive, Justin really knows his water and his flies.