ORIGINAL: papinner

ORIGINAL: Stillhead



I disagree that "holding" back on the float to slow it down produces more strikes, and I also believe if your bait is traveling ahead of your float, then your float is made less sensitive to strikes. Any fish that passively takes the bait without moving with it, will have to hold the bait until your float then drifts by it and the float pulls the slack out before dunking.

Just my 2 cents, works for me just fine.

If you float is weighted correctly you can detect the smallest take also when the fish are hot hold back on the float and its almost like casting spoons in the lake. What I'm saying is you can actually feel the fish hit I had one last year almost rip the rod right out of my hand. So maybe you should give that a try sometime it can be a lot of fun.

ORIGINAL: Carphead

ORIGINAL: Stillhead

ORIGINAL: papinner

ORIGINAL: Stillhead



I disagree that "holding" back on the float to slow it down produces more strikes, and I also believe if your bait is traveling ahead of your float, then your float is made less sensitive to strikes. Any fish that passively takes the bait without moving with it, will have to hold the bait until your float then drifts by it and the float pulls the slack out before dunking.

Just my 2 cents, works for me just fine.

If you float is weighted correctly you can detect the smallest take also when the fish are hot hold back on the float and its almost like casting spoons in the lake. What I'm saying is you can actually feel the fish hit I had one last year almost rip the rod right out of my hand. So maybe you should give that a try sometime it can be a lot of fun.

Yes, I've already tried it.  I didn't say it isn't fun, or that it doesn't work.  I just don't believe it's the MOST effective presentation and you can and will get strikes that won't be detected.  

No method is the most effective. Float fishing takes time, effort, and experience to get good at (just like anything). You can't expect to excel at it by just throwing some shot under anything that floats and letting it drift, its much more involved than that. And fishing in a bathtub 4months a year like that ain't gonna cut it. 

One also needs to learn how to detect strikes that don't just pull your float under. Obviously sometimes its just a very faint pause, or even the float rising slightly in the water.

ORIGINAL: Stillhead

ORIGINAL: Carphead


Back to the bathtubs............Now I disagree because to be honest there are lots of places in pennsylvania and surrounding states that change all year round. They are mock steelhead, just a fish a bit bigger than your run of the mill stockies. If you know how to catch pelletheads, or have ever fished in more than one area, or time of year, you should be able to adapt to the changes of the tribs. Before I get crucified, I have nothing against steelhead. I love to fish for em as much as the next guy, but these are just my thoughts. Come on man, they are steelhead, theres gotta be 30 fish I can name of the top of my head that are found in PA that are harder to figure out or pattern.
I know a place that holds a good bit of smallmouth buffalo and river carpsuckers......figure them out and catch them regardless of the conditions consistently, and I will bow to that person.

When I said "you'll probably fish a larger variety of different conditions than you will anywhere, and will have the oppurtunity to learn just about every possible way to catch these fish that exists. "

I was refering to every possible way to catch steelhead.  I wasn't comparing them to any other species of fish, or type of fishing.  What I meant was, in PA's bathtubs, at some point during the year there is oppurtunity to fish for them in the lowest,slowest stagnant water, to extremely high, rushing water. And in both these conditions at optimal water temperatures, and frigid temps. To even ice fishing.  I've seen days when fishing dry flies, either floating dry,skated, or twitched just under the surface was, ON THAT DAY, the BEST way to catch them. We've all seen lots of days when eggs under a bobber,float/strike indicator was the BEST way to catch them.There are days when stripping a streamer or swimming a jig (without a bobber) was the BEST way to catch them.  Our streams are too small for drift boats and back trolling, but I've had fairly good luck at times slowly dropping a hot shot or flat fish back through a hole much like you'd do from a drift boat.  On some days there are places where you can fish these techniques with great success all on the same day just by jumping from spot to spot.  There are a few places I can think of, under decent flow, where bottom bouncing without a float was the only way to reach a pod of fish  (sure there were hundreds just a few feet downstream to beat on, but I wanted those fish hiding under that ledge, just because).  What PA's bathtubs have that many of the big rivers don't, is the oppurtunity to sight fish and watch the fishes reaction, watch them chase something down and hammer it. I understand that's not everyone's idea of fishing (I have no idea why). I think it's awesome. I enjoy catching them any way, but I'd much rather watch them attack something, than watch a bobber dunk. 



I don't think there are lots of places around like PA's bathtubs, or at least not like Lake erie's bathtubs. They offer a very wide range of conditions from their lowest flow to their highest flow. The big rivers that some are so proud they caught a fish in, are pretty much always big, they just go from big to bigger.  Never offering you the oppurtunity to finesse fish.

SO, what my point was, that you can learn plenty by fishing in PA's bathtubs. Whether or not people choose to try  to learn is up to them.


"Before I get crucified, I have nothing against steelhead. I love to fish for em as much as the next guy, but these are just my thoughts. Come on man, they are steelhead, theres gotta be 30 fish I can name of the top of my head that are found in PA that are harder to figure out or pattern. "

I completely agree, that was pretty much what I said in my first post.    They are simple to catch, and most of the time, the fancy floats, and 20 different sized split, and holding back on the float and letting it drift for 20 miles down stream, that isn't needed.  

ORIGINAL: ShutUpNFish

I guess everyone has their own nitch which works for them and thats what its all about... As long as you're satisfied and comfortable with your methods and they work, I guess thats all that really matters.  I can't stand when folks come along with a method or style that they proclaim is gospel and the only way that will catch fish.  Sometimes I see people on the tribs fishing a certain way that confuses me, then I look over and they're landing a fish.  It just goes to show that we cannot be ignorant to only what goes on in our own little worlds, but to open our minds to what others find successful for them as well.  Thats how we learn, as long as we're willing.