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A critical component of any kind of fly fishing is fly selection, particularly when it comes to winter steelhead fishing. A lot has been said about color and size of the fly, but too often little is said about the weight of a fly. Weight in the fly is crucial to maximizing adaptability on the stream because one can vary depth and adapt to untraditional water types by changing the weight of the fly. Most coastal rivers and streams on the West coast have decent numbers of winter steelhead but few have that classic 3-6 foot deep boulder strew run that is most often discussed with steelhead rivers. This article will discuss the importance of weighted flies for winter steelhead in an attempt to ensure you are prepared to fish the wide range of rivers and river conditions you may encounter.

Fly size and color are certainly important for a solid winter fly selection and should be briefly addressed. Be sure to have a broad range of color from bright to dark and few mixes of dark and bright. Pink, orange and chartreuse are all good bright colors while black, blue and purple are great dark colors. Be sure to throw in a few natural colored flies like olive, burnt orange, white and brown for low clear water. Also be sure to vary the size between 6 inch flies to standard size 2 flies with all the color variations.

Where does weight fit into the equation? Sink-tips are limited to a cetain degree by the current speed and material used in the fly. Marabou flies and bunny leeches typically won’t sink on their own and require the sink-tip to pull them under the current. But just as the sink-tip pulls down on the fly, the fly also pulls up on the sink-tip limiting the depth of your fly. In faster currents the fly pulls against the tip so hard that it won’t even begin to sink until it hits slower moving water. Some rivers are very slotty meaning the holding lies are situated on a hard current seam (where the fast water meets the slow water) or along bed rock shelves (i.e. the North Umpqua). A standard unweighted fly and a sink-tip will not be able to achieve the more immediate depth needed to fish slotty lies properly. Other pieces of water are deeper than your standard 3-6 foot deep run and require a little more weight to get the job done. There are also smaller rivers where the fly completes its swing before the tip has taken it down completely.

Here is where weight fits into the equation. With weighted flies slotty, deep and faster runs can be fished with confidence. Approach any of these situations as you would any steelhead run but be prepared to fish your fly deep. In slotty runs or narrower rivers cast your fly slightly upstream with a heavy mend to help get the fly down. Dead-drift the fly until it comes tight and let it swing out of the slot. This may require a few casts in the same spot before stepping down to be sure to give the fish different presentations. In deep water cast straight across to slightly upstream with a heavy mend to drop the fly and tip down. Keep slack in the line as long as possible then let the fly swim slowly across the current. The weight in the fly will help the sink-tip stay lower in the water column giving the fish ample time to make a decision. In faster water cast upstream at a 45 degree angle with a heavy mend and slack the line out right away. When the line comes tight put one small mend in the line to straighten everything out and let her rip. Be sure to put a couple of casts in before stepping down or lengthening your line to get several presentations.

Coupling differently weighted flies with a solid sink-tip wallet will put in you prime position to tackle any winter steelheading situation. As with sink-tip fishing, try to get out and experiment with differently weighted flies and take notes. A weighted fly is certainly not warranted under all conditions but it can certainly open up new pieces of water you may have overlooked and can allow you to fish familiar water optimally under any water conditions.

Link to Winter Steelhead Flies