With spring at our doorstep come some of the most exciting times to fish for steelhead on the great lakes. Steelhead are generally spawning and can be found in the upper sections of the streams and sitting in the tail outs of many holes or sitting in the gut of the primary holes if spooked. Some great ways to catch spring steelhead include egg patterns, streamers, and sacs. Generally in the spring males can be found in the very back of a tail out and the females will be in front of the males. If you can locate a fallen tree in a tail out which causes a break in the current hold on to your rod. Steelhead love to stack up in these locations in the spring months and the lies are easily drifted.

Now that you know the fundamentals of spring steelhead fishing lets talk about the not so well known excitement that begins after the fish are done spawning. The later months of spring bring some of the most exciting times to fish for steelhead on the large rivers of the great lakes. Steelhead follow shiners, minnows, and other baitfish up the large streams and feed upon them heavily in the later months such as April and May on Lake Erie. Not only do steelhead follow the baitfish other predator fish such as smallmouth bass follow these baitfish up the rivers as well. Generally the fish won?t run very far up stream so fishing by the mouths and in the lower sections seem to be the best. A lot of the fish that are caught in the late spring a very fresh silver steelhead and can hit a streamer with extreme force. This fish are actively feeding and charging baitfish so hang on to your rod. Baits that seem to work the best include: streamers, egg sucking leeches, spinners, and spoons. So before you put away your steelhead rod this spring make a trip to one of the large streams or rivers in late spring and hold on to your rod.

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