Smokem , I normally start about 3 mph and then go faster , the thing to keep in mind though is how are your lures working at those speeds. Also , some days if you do slow down just a bit , you will catch kings below the steelhead.I have had days when I went out and targeted steelhead and as I was setting my spread had kings start popping the baits before I got my speed up above 3 mph and had all the action I could handle , then we would bump the speed up a bit and get the steelhead going and still catch kings down deeper if I didn't go too fast. Steelhead also like bright lures for the most part , oranges , reds , blues ,flouresents and so on and they like spoons and bodys baits in these colors.Also , to target steelhead you want to look for some temp. breaks on the surface and you may find some debris there as well , bugs , trash , foam and so on. Find these and troll in and out of the breaks , vary your direction and make lots of turns to speed up and slow lures and be ready , most times you will see the steelhead break the surface behind the boat before you see the rod go off.
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I start at 2.8 on the gps and go up. I prefer it when my speed on the ball is about 2.6-2.8 which is a tick over 3 on the gps for me. Must be sure to keep the garbage off the baits when you find a nice scum line...
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faster the better - steelhead are incredibly fast swimmers, as Team EO experienced on the mid lake reef.
As rick said - bright colors - oranges and reds are predominant for me - generally high in the water column.
The other thing about steelhead is that in most cases where there is one there are more. If you go through an area and take a couple bites - turn around and keep working that water until you stop getting bites.
Steelhead are a blast - but be prepared to lose a few - thier aerobatics is known to throw a few hooks.
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As with the others 2.8 to 3.5 GPS any color as long as it's orange ! Well Fire tiger raps will work too. Enjoy catching salmon, But I love those STEELS ! If I can boat at leat half the bites/attacks I feel lucky. Real acrobatic. Two years ago most of my fishing didn't start until 200+fow because of all the fish out there . It wasn't a day unless you had at least 14 or more hits. Enjoy the thrill !
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I have always agreed with the speed too, but I must say I had several trips this year when we took many steelhead going in the low 2's, including the last couple trips of the year in October. As a matter of fact, the very last trip, we were fishing from 2.2 down to 1.8 and took a wonderful mixed bag. Cant remember the count of species at this time, but we had to toss at least one 10# king at the end while trying to clear lines. For lures, as well as the typical hot ornages and reds, I have done really well on shiny metallic finish blues and greens as well. Also on bright sunny days the old school northport nailers in green with the white backs on them just seemed to always work about 55 down. There are also the days when white and green flies work really well. Body baits work as well as spoons along the surface many days as well. All things considered, If I were to "target" steelies, I would be trolling on the faster end of things and looking for some surface temp breaks.
www.salmonheadcharters.com
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We try to stay just under 3.0 MPH on the GPS...Like everyone else is saying ORANGE ORANGE ORANGE! ...early in the morning, when the sun is not up high in the sky or its cloudy out...dark purples seem to be the ticket
Corey Miller Team Reel Naughty
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Greg, wondering about the mid lake reef. is it fair to say that it is about 50 miles from G.H. ? what did you target? is there any off limit areas out there due to DNR rules? it just looks like a great place to fish.
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Another thing that I might add here is that the Lake Erie guys are having very good success with their hookup/landed ratio on steelhead by using single hooks on their spoons.
Official Ohio Delegate to Team Heavy Super-Sized Fishing Specialists bfg@educatedangler.com
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Herman B, yes there are things off limit around the reef. If you come from the Mi side of the pond, once you pass the 50 line west, you are in the lake trout refuge area. No lakers allowed on your boat. Other species are allowed. Also you need to watch your state line on the gps. Its real easy to get into WI water out there. The line pretty much bisects the reef, but more of it is on the WI side.
www.salmonheadcharters.com
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