16 mile steelhead

roger.ayers.5492
Anybody catching them at 16?  I've seen a TON of fish there, but nobody catching.  Just wondering if anybody has had any luck, and if so, what they were hitting?

Trout beads....
 

Fresh run steelhead will hit a hot dog if its presented right!  
Presentation and flow have much more to do with fish hitting imo.  IN low and clear conditions jigs work best for me.  
 

fishingood
Fished it a few weeks back and had some luck in the lower portions, was low and clear, but they were hitting minnow colored streamers for me (in fact that's all they'd look at), I don't know if you're planning to spin fish or fly fish, but in a lot of cases, minnows and streamers are almost all a fresh run steelhead will hit. The good thing about 16 is that many good pools are not within 50 feet of the parking lot, and it's not hard to find some fish if you're willing to walk and explore a bit.
 
 
 

Dude, didn't you catch like one fish?  I wouldnt exactly call that "luck"...  and no in alot of cases that's not all they will hit at all, lol. 
 
The entire stretch that holds fish is maybe 3/4 of a mile at best, there has been no escaping crowds on that stream for 10 years.

Okay fine I will tell him the exact distance to every single riffle and pool i could go to and find fish in. And then get whined at for "spot burning"

fishrmn

fishingoodFished it a few weeks back and had some luck in the lower portions, was low and clear, but they were hitting minnow colored streamers for me (in fact that's all they'd look at), I don't know if you're planning to spin fish or fly fish, but in a lot of cases, minnows and streamers are almost all a fresh run steelhead will hit. The good thing about 16 is that many good pools are not within 50 feet of the parking lot, and it's not hard to find some fish if you're willing to walk and explore a bit.   

Dude, didn't you catch like one fish?  I wouldnt exactly call that "luck"...  and no in alot of cases that's not all they will hit at all, lol.  The entire stretch that holds fish is maybe 3/4 of a mile at best, there has been no escaping crowds on that stream for 10 years.

I didnt say I had a lot of luck, I said "some." I caught 2 and had probably 4 or 5 other hook ups, which I was happy with considering it was very low and clear, and I was only there for about 40 minutes. But the large pod I was fishing had one other guy about 15 feet away. I couldve stayed there longer and caught many more if I wanted to.

Okay maybe the "all they will hit" was a bit of an exaggeration. But personally by far my most productive pattern on fresh run fish and those in the lower runs of streams are minnow streamers, and Ive legit had times when Ive thrown ever other fly in my box at them and had no takes or looks on anything else. Maybe its the fish maybe its me who knows but thats my take on it, and there is nothing wrong with going with the pattern that you think will be most successful and advising others to do the same.

Finally, there is very little escaping crowds on most steelhead streams in Erie county, it is not wilderness or solitary fishing, and other people are part of the game. But I am saying that, in my opinion, 16 mile is less crowded than Manchester Hole or Lower Elk, and it is easier to find some fish that havent been beaten to death. Park at the beach or near the Freeport, and walk up or down. I could easily identify about 15 locations you may find fish with some walking.

But this is simply my take on it. The guy asked a question and I simply answered with what has been my experience. As someone once said, "all this is just advice, do wwhatever you wanna do."

don't forget to use that tandum rig on flies

16 mile is the new Rick Rd.

roger.ayers.5492
Anybody catching them at 16?  I've seen a TON of fish there, but nobody catching.  Just wondering if anybody has had any luck, and if so, what they were hitting?

They were yesterday, at the faux falls. Well, at least they were landing them. One bozo walked through the drift I was fishing then proceeded to walk to the falls, casting as he went.  Unique method of flyfishing.  He whipped the line onto the water, then immediately started another cast, no drift or swing.  He snagged many, and somehow fair hooked three, kept them, then kept fishing.  I mentioned to the guy next to me what an idiot, not knowing that he was with the other guy.  :-)   Oh, he also told the other guys there that he was a guide.  :-)   Quite a crew there, better than the circus.

FiveMilePete

roger.ayers.5492Anybody catching them at 16?  I've seen a TON of fish there, but nobody catching.  Just wondering if anybody has had any luck, and if so, what they were hitting?

the line onto the water, then immediately started another cast, no drift or swing.
They were yesterday, at the faux falls. Well, at least they were landing them. One bozo walked through the drift I was fishing then proceeded to walk to the falls, casting as he went.  Unique method of flyfishing.  He whipped the line onto the water, then immediately started another cast, no drift or swing.  He snagged many, and somehow fair hooked three, kept them, then kept fishing.  I mentioned to the guy next to me what an idiot, not knowing that he was with the other guy.  :-)   Oh, he also told the other guys there that he was a guide.  :-)   Quite a crew there, better than the circus.

Was probably this wingnut and his social worker who took him for a field trip.

Doesn't that **** just make you want to kick a **** in the water?

I love observing them, but they're always there in the good holes ****ing up the atmosphere.

World Famous
I was never there until yesterday. Watched for a half an hour. WOW!!! Fishing at its finest!!....WF.....Steelhead alley.
 

Were the fly flicker and the loudmouth still there?