Selecting Flies for Pacific Steelhead Popular flies for Steelhead vary greatly whether you are fishing in the Pacific region or in the Great Lakes. The fisheries have developed separately and so have the preferences anglers have for flies cast to their intended prey. We will primarily concentrate on Steelhead flies on the West Coast in this article and concentrate on flies of the Great Lakes region in a future article. There are some common patterns used in both regions as well, and we will point those out as we go along. Fly fishing for Steelhead can be traced back to the Eel River, in Northern California, during the late 1800's.. And many of the first Steelhead pattern's roots can be traced back to the same era as well. There were a few problems during this time, and none more crucial than lack of material with which to tie flies. Standard featherwing trout patterns became the foundation of many steelhead patterns. Other patterns were adopted from English trout patterns and Atlantic Salmon patterns. Many of today's most popular Steelhead patterns can be traced back to these beginnings. Green Butt Skunk, Skykomish Sunrise, Purple Peril, to name just a few all hail back to these early beginnings.

Brook Trout and Brook trout Fishing Brook trout are one of the most popular game fish in Canada. These fish can be found in the northern most parts of North America. What is so great about these fish? Is there a great location to go brook trout fishing? And, what type of lure and equipment do you need for trout fishing then? To answer these questions, you can begin by knowing something about the brook trout itself. Then, you can decide if brook trout fishing is something for you. Brook trout, or Salvelinus Fontinalis, are also known by other names. You may have heard them called Speckled Trout, Aurora Trout, Sea Trout, Brookie or several other names. The fist itself ranges from 10-12 inches, but several larger fish have been caught as well. Their average weight tends to be about 5 pounds, again depending on the length. The largest brook trout caught came in at 21 inches long and 14.5 pounds. That fish, a very rare occurrence, was caught in Ontario on the Nipigon River.

Fly Line Weight 3 – 4 weight: Also for fishing small flies and making delicate presentations. These are very common for stream fishermen and also very effective. Not overkill for small stream trout, able to handle larger trout and ideal for some of the smaller warm-water species. Casting range = 30 – 60 feet. 5 – 6 weight: The most common and practical weight. Will easily handle most trout and pan fish flies up to size 6. This is the rod most popular with Western fly fishermen and can be used in just about any trout fishing situation. Considered by many to be the one rod weight to have if you were to only have one rod. Casting range = 50 – 80 feet.

Alexander Carlton with His 25 Inch Albino Catfish
Alexander Carlton entered a fishing derby and won it with most fish and biggest fish, too. This 25 inch albino catfish won it for him. Alexander Carlton with His....