Try Backtrolling For Steelhead

With the bow pointed upstream, a guide can use oars to slow the downstream float of a drift boat, or a small outboard throttled just enough so the current nudges the boat slowly downstream.

This is a deadly steelhead fishing technique called backtrolling.

The lines are stretched out downstream. The tips bounce rhythmically, indicating that the lures are working properly.

The boat is allowed to ease downstream in the current, slowly sweeping across pools and runs.

Simply put, backtrolling works because it allows anglers to cover a large area, which boosts the odds of hooking up with a hungry steelhead.

Another reason backtrolling is effective is that steelhead wind up “cornered” at the downstream end of pools. As lines and lures drift downstream from the head of a pool, they approach the fish well ahead of the boat.

Since the steelhead aren’t actively feeding, they often drift backward, downstream, toward the end of the pool. When the water gets too shallow and their backs, almost literally, are against the wall, they have two choices: bolt back upstream to safety or attack the annoying lure.

The best lures are those that vibrate steadily and can be maintained at a relatively constant depth. Hot Shots, Wiggle Warts and Flatfish have been effective backtrolling lures for years.

Line strength is a matter of personal preference. The need for strength must be balanced against flexibility to prevent the line from blurring the action of the lure.