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Rivers

All riversHatch chartWhite River, ArkansasDavidson RiverPenns CreekLetort Spring RunFarmington RiverPere Marquette RiverNorth Umpqua RiverDeschutes RiverSan Juan RiverFryingpan RiverYellowstone RiverBighorn RiverTraun RiverBeaverkill RiverRío GrandeGreen River below Flaming GorgeRiver WharfeHenry's Fork of the SnakeSoča RiverAu Sable RiverTongariro RiverSouth Platte — Deckers and CheesmanRiver TestMadison River

Insects

Brown troutRainbow troutMountain whitefishBrook troutCutthroat troutSteelheadEuropean graylingMarble troutSea-run brown troutResident brown trout

Techniques

Reading waterMatching a hatchNymphingDry-fly presentationStreamer fishingSwinging a flyCatch and release, done properlyTying flies you will actually fish

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Insects
White River, ArkansasDavidson RiverPenns CreekLetort Spring RunFarmington RiverPere Marquette RiverNorth Umpqua RiverDeschutes RiverSan Juan RiverFryingpan RiverYellowstone RiverBighorn RiverTraun RiverBeaverkill RiverRío GrandeGreen River below Flaming GorgeRiver WharfeHenry's Fork of the SnakeSoča RiverAu Sable RiverTongariro RiverSouth Platte — Deckers and CheesmanRiver TestMadison River
Brown troutRainbow troutMountain whitefishBrook troutCutthroat troutSteelheadEuropean graylingMarble troutSea-run brown troutResident brown trout
Reading waterMatching a hatchNymphingDry-fly presentationStreamer fishingSwinging a flyCatch and release, done properlyTying flies you will actually fish

Salmonidae

Steelhead

Oncorhynchus mykiss (anadromous) · 55–90 cm; a 10 kg fish is a good one anywhere.

By The Fly Desk

How it feeds

Steelhead are rainbow trout that have gone to sea and come back; unlike salmon they do not die after spawning and will feed again in fresh water. That is why they can be caught on a swung fly or an egg pattern rather than only by flossing.

How to fish for it

Two approaches dominate: the swung fly on a floating line with a sink tip, in cold clear water, and the float-and-jig or bead rig in bigger, colder systems. Because steelhead are a threatened population in many basins, check the local regulations before you fish — some rivers are catch-and-release only, and some are closed.

Flies that work: Intruder-style streamer · Egg-sucking Leech · Nuke Egg · Woolly Bugger

Steelhead in the ledger

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