Steelhead Drift Question

I am new to steelhead fishing.  FishUsa set me up with a spinning rod setup and using some clear floats that I have been using.  I have some blackbirds 2.0g, 3.0g, 4.0g. and 7.0.   I use the 2.0 for slower drifts, 3.0 for moderate drifts, and 4.0 (or  7.0) for faster drifts.  My question is how do I know when I have the right drift?  I have a hard time telling.  Any advice would be appreciated.  Thanks.

The 4 gram blackbirds are great floats.  You want to load the float til the top is just sticking above the water, stack small shot about every 6 inches from the float to about 12 inches above the hook.  I prefer smaller than BB or even b shot cause I can stack more on and get more precise placement of shot on the line.  I use different size floats in different flows and it does make a difference.  I'm not gonna throw a 7g float in crystal clear low water, nor am I gonna throw a 2g in higher turbid water conditions.

Yeah typically I do load the max onto the float and then take one small shot off.  Using heavier shot near the float and downsizing is a good way to go.  I generally just stick to the same shot the whole way down but its 6 and 1/2 dozen the other.

Thanks guys for the help.  Do you guys move your floats up and down a lot to see if the steelheads are striking in different areas?  I recently watched a video and they recommended keeping the bait 6 inches off the bottom.
 

Do you guys move your floats up and down a lot to see if the steelheads are striking in different areas? (Quote)
 
It depends where they are holding . Early in the day I've found ( winter pattern ) they tend to hold tight to the bottom . As the water warms they usually come up to about center of the water column. Its all variable to conditions . Myself if I quite getting bites I change the depth of my float accordingly . Occasionally I have my best days slightly dragging on the bottom in Jan-Feb. There's no wrong way to fish a float as long as you're in the strike zone .