What's your top 3 steelhead flies that AREN'T eggs

[dudemanspecial]

1. Squirmy worm 10-16
2. Red Dart nymph size 12-16
3. Green Weenie 10-14

What's yours?

 

[Broodstock]

Stoneflies in various sizes and colors with and without rubber legs.

Small rabbit or marabou streamers in white and olive

Tube flies or streamers designed to be fished on the swing.

 

[Sylvaneous]

I'll mention one, that I never use but many people successfully do, it's the white zonker, about size 6 or 8. I caught a steelhead with one stuck in it's dorsal last year. But I don't use them. I'm not confident in them personally, and AM confident in sucker spawn. I like sucker spawn better than pure single egg flies. I Euro for them now. Got a rod just for Erie trib steelies. Sucker spawn is very floaty, so I dropshot nymph and put a small bead at the head. I guess sucker spawn is an 'egg' fly, but it's not STRICTLY, exactly an egg. If I ever swung flies for steelhead, it must be an EXCELLENT day of fishing!

 

[rustbeltwilds]

My easy tie marabou n crystal flash on a 1 32nd jighead 30 + years and still works. Ask my wife

 

[Dr.J 1952]

I caught my first Erie steelhead 25 years ago on the pictured fly but I can’t remember what it is called. I caught another one on it too another time. I’ve got them on muddled minnows, a copperhead wooly bugger and steelhead streamer flies. I did catch a nice one on a #14 Red Dart a couple years ago. The overwhelming majority I’ve caught on sucker spawn and egg flies, especially a blood dot white egg.

 

[td566]

I’m pretty new to steelhead fishing, but sucker spawn is the only confidence fly I have so far, with single eggs in second place.
Other flies are only a last resort. Are there certain situations where you reach for a squirmie or a streamer?

 

[tomgamber]

Buggers, bright variegated colors.
Clousers, blue, red, chartreuse, dark green
Leeches, Marabou, Yarn, Zonker

 

[Dr.J 1952]

Personally, I look at steelhead fishing like trout fishing. It depends on the conditions so low clear water small flies and fresh fish are easier to catch. I’ve had days where they only took something chartreuse or olive/ dark green other time yellow/ orange. Change colors. If you use streamers and there is a pod of fish, aim to the outside so you don’t spook the whole pod. Keep changing flies till something works. I’ve had flies in my boxes that I tied twenty years ago and never used. One day fish were taking only pink flies and those were the flies I used. We also do a lot of sight fishing so we find the fish as best we can before casting. You have to entice the fish to strike as they are not naturally feeding. We fish the smaller streams so my streamers are usually a size 12. My fishing buddy has been going up to Erie for over thirty years so we have a pretty good idea of where to fish and where not to fish.

 

[CRB]

Parachute Adams
White death
Polish Special
Any emerald shiner streamer
golden stone
estaz stone
Pheasant Tail
various streamer patterns
Colors from white through chartreuse to black to silver
Weather, Light, seasons water levels all play a part in what the fish will strike act.
weather today is miserable from cloudy to sun to rain rain snow mix to just snow; I've been home since noon.
Have been a resident of Erie County all my life.
Been fishing for lake runs since 1975. With a fly rod 1990.

 

[Dr.J 1952]

My fly is called a Frammus

 

[JG63]

+1 on the Emerald Shiner - here’s one pattern I tie:

 

[JG63]

Other two would be synthetic Conehead Triple Threat (photo shows an Emerald Shiner pattern), and a small #16 generic Black Stonefly - first fish pic is on the Triple Threat, second fish on the stone

 

[nymphingmaniac]

white zonker (Blood's white death), black stone flys and buggers (black or purple)
they are rainbow trout so anything with peacock, like a prince nymph

 

[JeffK]

My hot fly last year was a simple worm fly: 3" of pink chenille tied at the head with assorted beads with weight for conditions. In some heavy runs I go to double beaded flies rather than add weight to the tippet.

Stoneflies and Prince nymphs do well for me. Generally a size 10, but go down to as low as 14 in winter when they get less hungry. I find they take as small a fly as trout, but I can't reliably hook into them with hooks smaller than 14. Had years when I mostly fished various size 10 stoneflies.

Have white streamer days as well. Fish them under an indicator through rapids or toss them up against cut banks.

I have seen many, many flies take steelhead - any ones that would take a rainbow. However, confidence is a big thing and I have had years when I only fished a fly or two since I had confidence in them. That said, I have had all manner of confidence flies over the years and my fishing buddies have had others that I haven't succeeded with.

 

[shakey]

I don’t have a name for it ,but, bright chenille wrapped on a hook with mallard flank or pheasant rump as hackle. Yellow,green,fuchsia,white,etc.
sizes 8,10,&12.
Also doc sprately,pass lakes etc

 

[bingsbaits]

Conehead Triple Threat/Lake Erie Shiner
Black #16 Senyo Wiggle Stone
Jeff's White Death

 

[TheDuke44]

1. White Death / Yellow Zonker size 8
2. Kaufmann Stones size 10-12
3. Walt's Worm w. Polar Chenille collar size 14-16

Some days they'll only take eggs and nymphs, but nothing beats the thump when swinging streamers!

 

[CRB]

Other two would be synthetic Conehead Triple Threat (photo shows an Emerald Shiner pattern), and a small #16 generic Black Stonefly - first fish pic is on the Triple Threat, second fish on the stone

I forgot what my emerald shiner was called. lol
TY.

 

[shakey]

A really fast and easy emerald shiner fly is a streamer hook wrapped with crystal braid or pearl tinsel, white marabou, a strand or two of flashabou or crystal flash ,and then olive marabou on top

 

[jrcll]

a squirmy wormy with a estez body red or pink......an olive wooly bugger when water temps are in mid forties or higher... white death/ zonker, remember this streamer is to replicate a dead emerald shiner , so just dead drift it ...... crystal meth sucker spawn in various colors