ARTICLES

This winter, the steelhead season that normally shuts down by early January never shut down at all. Despite snow-covered riverbanks at times, and some cold snaps that left ice shelves along the stream edges, the rivers have, for the most part, remained wide-open, providing the novel opportunity to keep fishing from waders right through March so far. For those of us who have been out, it's been a real treat with plenty of action and entire rivers largely to ourselves.

It's a good bet that the winter of 2022-2023 will go down in history as The "Winter That Wasn't" thanks to its persistently above-average temperatures. The ice fishing gear I spent so much time preparing for action remains largely untouched, as our never-ending mild spell continues to provide other opportunities that just don't come our way too often. That includes some of the best steelhead fishing in years.

This winter, the steelhead season that normally shuts down by early January never shut down at all. Despite snow-covered riverbanks at times, and some cold snaps that left ice shelves along the stream edges, the rivers have, for the most part, remained wide-open, providing the novel opportunity to keep fishing from waders right through March so far. For those of us who have been out, it's been a real treat with plenty of action and entire rivers largely to ourselves.

At a boat show I couldn't help overhearing a couple of other anglers moaning about the lack of ice, one saying he hasn't fished since November. To me, this is a lost opportunity. Though it's true I won't put much wear and tear on my auger this winter, I'm not about to let this unique opportunity slip by, and neither should you.

Because steelhead aren't top-of-mind to most folks in February and March, this is your chance to fish all those easily accessible, popular spots that are normally so crowded you wouldn't go anywhere near them. I've had a blast fishing some old favorite streams that I haven't been to in years, and for once without the elbow-to-elbow crowds that long ago caused me to abandon these spots to begin with.

Given the colder season, I've also enjoyed not having to crawl out of bed long before dawn in order to enjoy the best action. In fact it's been quite the reverse, with the best fishing coming in the afternoons, after daytime temperatures have reached their peak - especially on those few days when the sun has made an appearance and given the fish a little more zip.

The fishing has been dead easy too, since apart from me and a couple of equally crazy friends, most of these streams haven't been touched in weeks. Simply drifting egg sacks on bottom through all the big obvious holes and runs has worked splendidly, with no need to use finesse tactics or fussy approaches.

It's also been mild enough that tapping bottom with smaller inline spinners like Worden Rooster Tails, Blue Fox Vibraxes and the venerable Mepps Aglia has been at its best. The water is still cold so stick with more compact sizes and more subdued colors for the best results.

In deeper runs and pools, slow-rolling banana baits like a Flatfish or Kwikfish has been working well for anglers adding supplemental weight to the line to get them down near bottom where the fish are. Also producing have been deeper-diving baits like Luhr Jensen Hot Shots. Simple toss them directly across the stream and retrieve as slowly as possible through the biggest, deepest pools and you should find some fish. This tactic has been particularly effective in the lower stretches of the tributary streams, and in harbor areas. Our "Winter That Wasn't" might have proven a big disappointment for serious ice anglers, but it's been a rare treat for those willing to instead focus on the opportunities that it has brought our way. Instead of bemoaning the lack of ice and waiting for colder weather, take advantage of what has so far been some of the best winter steelhead action in years.