Someone recently asked me about that unicorn of sports fishing - the steelhead. I know people who've fly and gear fished their entire lives from the Nicola Valley to the Skeena to Squamish to the entire length and breadth of VI and come up "bupkis". Nada. Zip. Zero. Hasn't happened. I've hooked precisely two steelies and managed to land one which is not a bad record considering. Took several years just to find a steelhead and finally hook the first one. In our group of five the total steelhead count is four fish hooked three landed (and ALL released naturally!), spread out over about 60 years of mostly fly fishing.
We primarily fish DFO Region 1 (Vancouver Island) and Region 2 (Lower Mainland) but it was actually Region 3 Thompson-Nicola Valley where I bagged and landed my one and only steelhead on a tributary off the Lillooet River. That's it. In large part the difficulty in catching these fish is the fact much of their traditional fishing habitat has been impacted and degraded by everything from over-fishing, to crap forest and other industral i.e. agriculture practices, warming waters due to a shifting climate - name the usual suspects and they are all certain to have played a role in the decline of these beautiful fish.
So a few hints and tips....and remember this information is based on personal experience, the experiences of others I've fished with or talked to on a multitiude of river systems combined with *opinion* - and therefore based not on science but strictly on what I've heard and observed and experienced first hand.
First the great debate on "when" is best to go for steelhead. Of my two steelies one was hooked an hour after first light, the other in late morning. Based on my observations IMO 90% of steelhead seem to be hooked/caught between ~ 8am and noon. The thought that you must be on the water at first light or at least in the first hour after sunrise does not correlate to my experiences seen, heard and also read on many online fishing forums.
A few things to consider beyond the timing - above all you MUST fish close to the river-bottom, no ifs, ands or buts. You're wasting your time otherwise. Personally I do my first drift/cast where I confirm the water depth and move the fly/lure/bait up a few inches from there. Ideally you want the fly/lure/bait within ten inches or so of the bottom. Fish will hold in all types of water, but generally it is the deeper sections of any river that hold the most fish. Any drastic changes in the bottom, i.e "holes", are also hot spots for steelhead.
In general and this may seem obvious but you'd be surprised how many people overlook what seems to be too obvious: fish areas often where you've seen fish caught! The Campbell River is a great example of this, as is the Vedder in the Fraser Valley. That's why when the fishing is hot both rivers are jam packed with anglers. Note the Vedder to this day is so bad we gave up on it as fishing there is literally shoulder to shoulder and where actual fights can and do break out. In spite of attracting anglers from all over the world the Campbell River thankfully remains gernaerlly very civil and a pleasant place to fish.
Steelhead tend to hold in the water table in the same locations depending on water depth. I love to find (3 to 5 feet) semi-deep tail out sections of the river/bottom while actively walking along the river. Even better if they have large boulders as fish coming upstream in fast flowing rivers like the Campbell love to hang out in the slack water behind those big rocks before tackling the fast moving current. Have confidence in what your using to catch these fish; again purely IMO ghost shrimp is one of the best baits for steelhead; I think my second choice would be plastic worms - steelhead love worms. And especially spring steelhead.
My favourite here is a 4" bubble gum and hot pink worm, with chartreuse tail rigged backwards (tail up). Imitation prawns, beads and various yarn setups - hard to go wrong with pink or white yarn - are also provden very effective. Make sure your're checking the tip of your hook for sharpness! Carry a hook sharpener with you, something I can't stress enough.
Over time I find myself fishing less in the early months of the season. Probably something to do with getting older and feeling the cold more than I used to 
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Mid February until the end of March is when our group starts fishing hard which is indeed the case now. Later when the weather warms a bit we venture to Region 2 (the Cheakamus and Squamish systems especially) and region 3 (Lillooet) rivers. As mnetioned the Lillooet is the site of the only steelie I managed to actually land which didn't surprise me as the nearby Thompson River historically had one of the greatest steelhead runs in BC. Sadly its been virtually decimated for all the reasons I mentioned earlier, in spite of repeated attempts to regenerate it.
Similarly here on VI/Region 1 there were historically some tremendous steelhead runs which have likewise declined. They are still here in smaller numbers of course, but you need to do your research and find out for yourself where the best locations are. I will say this: if you are willing to work for them Harris Creek has a local steelhead population but that requires some physical work to gain access to that part of the system. You definitely won't just park the car hop out and drop a line .
On one trip in 2022 we went to the Conuma River - most islanders have to look it up having never even heard of it never mind actually seeing that grogeous river in person - specifically to fly fish for big chinook. We found them easily enoough and easily limited out. We also found lots of bears too, including one memorable up close and personal encounter for me with an enormous male. What we didn't expect one day exploring a small tributary off the Conuma were......steelhead. A bunch of them just sitting in the still current behind a large rock on a very remote section of river hardly anyone fishes. We decided to leave them alone hoping they were a sign of a healthy population not well known by many. "Hopefully".
Above all don't get discourtaged: remember you cant catch what's not there. Nine times out of ten whatever run you fish will have no steelhead in it. That's just reality hence the requirment for you to read up on the latest reports and really do your homework in advance of getting out onto the river(s). Its tough but don't get discouraged, your efforts will eventually be rewarded. Once that first steelhead comes your way - and you experience the thrill of one of the great fighting fish out there - you will experience a lifelong passion that never goes away.
Edited by AllseeingEye, 25 March 2024 - 09:11 PM.
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