Ice Out Trout!
by Steve Robowtham
Owner/Operator of Sir
Catch-A-Lot Pro Guiding
http://sircatchalot.piczo.com
You’re
in your own little world, your eyes are focused. You
wait patiently, yet posed to strike. As that little
clear float drifts down the river, it rockets under and
you set the hook. This is when you feel those head
shakes that you have waited all winter for. It’s time
for “ice out trout.”
All winter long, hardcore steelheaders will be checking
flow charts, and making marathon drives to find rivers
that are open for a drift. They brave arctic
temperatures and the frustration of freezing guides for
the chance of landing a single fish. This isn’t for me.
Don’t get me wrong, I love steelheading, but my
favourite time of year is March. The creeks are starting
to thaw, and the majority of the spawners will begin to
enter their home tributaries to begin their journey. The
first day of a thaw can be one of the best days you will
ever experience, and here’s why:
Most rivers are frozen up until late march, and when you
get a few days with above zero temps, the thaw will be
well on its way. My best days on the rivers have been
the day of the thaw. Case in point, last year I had been
following the weather patterns and found a day at the
end of March when I thought the rivers would have thawed
out. I drove over an hour to my favourite creek only to
find it locked up still. Overnight, the temperatures
never dipped below freezing, and I decided to make the
drive the next morning again. When I got there, most of
the ice was gone, and the water was that green colour
that we all dream of.
Two nights prior, I had spent hours tying up my bait of
choice, a simple roe bag. My two favourite baits for
spring steelhead are worms and roe. It seems so basic,
but there is good reasoning behind it. In the fall, I
will often use roe or flies such as wooly buggers. Its
all about food availability. When the ground thaws in
the spring, the worms come out to play, especially
during a rain, so worms become an obvious choice. The
latter of my two favourites also has a very basic
principle; the trout are in the rivers to spawn.
The best part of the first thaw is that the river still
has some ice on it, it doesn’t just blast away all at
once. This remaining ice forms cover for the steelhead
to hide under, and feel comfortable. It also provides a
guide for your float, and keeps you in the strike zone
all the time. On this particular day, I brought a 13
foot 3-piece Rainshadow blank with a Mykiss centrepin
reel. The reel was spooled with 8-pound Ande
monofilament line, and I ran a 3 foot fluorocarbon
leader of 4 pounds Raven leader line. I used small peach
coloured roe bags with about 6-8 salmon eggs and a small
Blackbird glass float. I got to my favourite drift and
both sides of the river were frozen, but the middle was
wide open. I would cast upstream to the opposite side of
the river and watch the float drift along the ice until
it would go under. I don’t remember it ever making it to
the end of the drift. I caught well over 40 steelhead
that day, and I think any other angler there could have
done the same. I believe it’s all a game of timing, and
at the right time, anyone can capitalize and reap the
benefits. Do your research, be patient and your big day
isn’t too far away!
Steve Rowbotham
Owner/Operator of Sir Catch-A-Lot Pro Guiding
http://sircatchalot.piczo.com
