I will let you in on a little secret: Most guides use the same three or four fly patterns 90% of the time, which means 90% of the fish they catch are all on these proven steelhead fly patterns. I will also tell you my most effective flies, which help my clients catch many steelhead while on guide trips with me. I would guess 75% of steelhead are caught on Egg patterns, nymphs, or streamers such as Woolly Buggers or Egg Sucking Leeches that are used as nymphs. The other 25% are caught on Spey flies, streamers, and maybe dry flies. The author’s steelhead fly box. I think that most anglers are l ..read more

This is me and the hosts from the New Fly Fisher Show fishing for spring steelhead. I’ll leave a link for that below. As a full-time steelhead guide for the last twenty years, I have figured out the steelhead runs and times from early fall to the middle of May. Timing the runs and knowing when and which river to fish can drastically improve your success on the river. I’m about to provide some of my secrets and my advice to help you catch more steelhead once they enter the rivers. When to fish for steelhead in Ontario? Author and guide Graham with a nice September steelhead. The steelhead ..read more

This is one of the author’s clients fighting another early spring steelhead. It is one of many he caught this day. Without question, spring steelhead fishing is starting earlier than it did when I started fishing steelhead over 37 years ago. For many anglers, spring is the best time to fish for steelhead. Many rivers will have summer and winter-run steelhead holding in the rivers throughout the winter and when the rivers start becoming ice-free, many of the late winter and spring-run steelhead start showing up. This is often when the most steelhead are in the river at one time. March has some ..read more

Ontario salmon fishing is popular in the fall but knowing where to go and what to use will greatly increase your chances of catching one of these massive salmon that can reach sizes of 40 pounds. I am the top river guide in Ontario and in this article, I will tell you where the salmon hot spots are and what methods I use to catch them. Chinook Salmon like the one in the above picture is the most common of the four salmon species available in Ontario rivers. I will discuss all the different salmon species below. For many anglers, a huge salmon like this one is what fishing for Ontario Salmon i ..read more

Float fishing is when you present your bait to trout, steelhead, or salmon below a float. The steelhead leader setup is an important part of this method, and I use and teach this setup to my clients. The steelhead leader setup will include: A river float two sizes of leader line swivels weights Hooks The proper float fishing leader setup will allow the angler to present the bait more effectively. Anglers that use the right float fishing leader setup will catch more trout, steelhead, and salmon. Float Fishing Steelhead Leader / Centerpin Steelhead Leader Float fishing with a spinning reel an ..read more

This is one of the rainbow trout my client caught while out fishing with me on a guided trip.Ontario Rainbow Trout Fishing: A Top River Guides Advice As a top Ontario river fishing guide, I teach the best methods for Ontario rainbow trout fishing. These methods include using the right equipment, the right baits, and knowing where to go to experience the best Ontario rainbow trout fishing. Ontario rainbow trout fishing is a little confusing for many anglers because we have two types of rainbow trout in Ontario. Ontario rainbow trout fishing could mean fishing for river rainbow trout which we al ..read more

One of my clients holding another nice silver steelhead he caught due to a good presentation. You may not have heard of it yet, but West Coast steelhead and salmon anglers are using a method called Bobber Doggin. When it comes to fishing-related things, I need to know everything! Not just because I’m a fishing guide, but because I’m always up for learning something new. I live and breathe fishing! So, I decided to learn this new method (which is easy) and then I analyzed its effectiveness in real fishing situations for steelhead, salmon, and trout. I even split-tested it with my clients and fr ..read more

I catch a lot of large trout like this 26-inch brown trout, and to do so, I need to use good fishing lines for trout. I’ll keep this short and sweet. You already know I am a trout fishing guide and use many fishing methods, but did you know that I use different fishing lines for some methods? I do this because some lines do not work well with some methods, and some lines have qualities that make certain methods better or easier. I’ve also tested many different brands of fishing lines. Companies would send me free lines because I owned a fishing store and I am a top fishing guide. I’ve also see ..read more

The author is all warm and dry while winter fishing in a snowstorm. As a professional fly fishing guide who guides twelve months of the year, there are some things about fly fishing in the winter every angler should know. 1. Adapt To The Conditions Southern Ontario river guide Jordan is properly dressed for winter river fishing. Proper winter gear starts with a warm hat. Fish will hold in different areas within the river throughout the year, and they feed a certain way based on water temperatures and their food sources. When water temperatures drop to around 40°F or when ice starts forming o ..read more

Steelhead love spawn bags. Use them! But be sure to change the size and colors based on the conditions and what the steelhead wants. I have been fishing for steelhead for over 38 years, and now I am one of the top steelhead guides in my area. I have tested out almost every bait there is on steelhead in all conditions. I’ll keep this simple and honest. First, let me just say that just because you or someone catches a steelhead on something like Powerbait, corn, or marshmallows, it doesn’t mean it’s a good bait. I’ve caught steelhead on bark, bubble gum, candy, and sponge from a sofa… What I’m s ..read more