What Makes a Steelhead

This is the juicy stuff. As most people know, fish are cold blooded creatures. Their environment dictates its behavior. Every steelheader worth his salt carries a stream thermometer. Why? The stream temps will give you a BIG clue on where the fish might be and how the majority of them will react. To be a great fisherman, one must think that fishing is like a big puzzle. All the clues that nature gives you add up to solving where,how, and when to catch any fish. This is true no matter where or what you fish. If you are a great detective, you can be a great fisherman. Too many times I've seen people fish areas that weren't productive at that time, but were fishing them because this is where they caught fish there before. That is a bad habit! The proper way to steelhead is as follows: 1)chose river 2)check water levels/clarity 3)take stream temp 4)understand the seasons and stream and 5)chose bait/fly appropriate for the situation. This analytical process is a proven method for consistency.