TUTORIAL: How to Float Fish for Steelhead and Salmon with BOBBERS!

[@m-rezaabazar-ghafari8757]

You are saying that you are not professional, but what you are demonstrating is way way better than those who claim otherwise. Great, awesome tutorial. Thank you.

[@chrismiller7854]

This is the best video I've seen so far for fishing spin gear for steelhead. Clear, concise, and easy to follow.

[@Ryan-zc1tz]

This is the best how to video I’ve seen for steelhead

[@luissalazar3867]

great video , my kid and I watched it and so we are more than ready to go fishing . Gracias.

[@anthonygregorio2208]

Your humble demeanor alone got you a sub from me. Super simple, clear and thorough instruction. Also have you ever considered using a reel with an AR overide? That way you can back pedal the reel to let line out instead of having to open the bail. I personally use a Pflueger President reel for float fishing. Would make for faster hook sets. Just a suggestion.

[@zeihseven2183]

Very nicely explained. Thanks dude! Tight lines🤙🏽

[@normlane1184]

Great video! Thank you for making it. This will help me as I’m going to be Steelhead and Salmon fishing for my first time :-)

[@FishandForage]

You're welcome! Hope it ends up helping you catch a nice one! Let me know how you do!

[@paulbeaulieu723]

Thanks I understand.Merry Xmas and good catching.

[@FishandForage]

You too!

[@avinashhasiru]

Thank you, it was informative and very helpful!

[@KZtheFisherOutdoors]

Awesome video!!! Great info buddy 💥👊😉🎣🎣🎣

[@FishandForage]

Thanks man! Glad it was helpful!

[@pnwdeerhunter1729]

You got me on the river. Thanks!

[@FishandForage]

Aw yeah! Good luck, man!

[@ericwakeman6665]

Good video thanks quite informative

[@Fresh_Popped_Corn]

fantastic video

[@hucknbarry3496]

I fushed bobbers maybe 3 times for summer runs and have a bunch of little lead head jigs somewhere. It's just waiders and rain coat needed but am getting stoked enough to fork the cash watching these vids. Major fishziety everytime I see these vids. Peace

[@FishandForage]

And warm clothes! But these winters are totally worth it...

[@hucknbarry3496]

No doubt and hand warmers, my fingers use to get so cold fishing for winter runs.

[@FishandForage]

@@hucknbarry3496 yup lol they make those reusable ones now that you can boil to "reset". I've been using them for a couple seasons and they work pretty good to thaw your hands out and get you back fishing for a while!

[@michaelwray1443]

Very good tutorial

[@FishandForage]

Glad you enjoyed! I hope it can help you get on some fish! 🔥🔥

[@Nicholasyeahbruh]

Man I’d like to go salmon fishing with you, would be awesome i travel to Oregon frequently for salmon and steelhead

[@davidyorks5272]

Oregon is so beautiful. So happy to live here!

[@e.a.r.9155]

Sitting on the bank tying jigs on a Freezing Oregon morning... NOT ADVISED..!😶

[@skogstokig128]

That just makes it more fun

[@stuartcrowley3463]

Great video 👍

[@FishandForage]

Thanks! Glad you enjoyed!

[@bretthumphries7911]

Good stuff, thanks. A couple observations. Once your setup passes you, your chances of hookups decrease. As you set the hook, you are pulling it out of their mouth. You're pulling upstream, fish is facing upstream. I like your setup. I'm a fan of ultralight fishing, and some of our ideas should work for heavier rigs. Instead of stopper knot, then bead and floatie, we make the hole in the bobber smaller. We use tubes of various diameters (wd 40 tube, ink tube from a pen) and glue a small piece inside the top of the bobber. We set it up as a full slip float, using lighter bobbers and weight closer to the bait. Tight lines

[@davidyorks5272]

You are a Saint Brett. I did this and I'll never fish a float anyway different. PRO TIP

[@bretthumphries7911]

@@davidyorks5272 that's very kind, thank you. I set up a light salmon/steelhead rig last week. 20# backing stopper knot, Thill float, and my jig. Casts great, sink like a stone, and no mods to the float. I'm going to start sharing on my IG. Tight lines

[@davidyorks5272]

@@bretthumphries7911 another cool tip. Thanks and I wish you all the best brother.

[@fishnrob3886]

no winged split shots ever lol wingless is the way to go no spin on your leader line .great job by the way ,great job getting there on your own but nice to have great brother inlaws that have your back .keep up the great work

[@FishandForage]

Hadn't heard that before. I'll have to switch out my split shots eventually! Happy holidays!

[@pnwdeerhunter1729]

New sub here! Thanks for your content

[@FishandForage]

Appreciate it! I hope it was helpful!

[@adamnoga-styron7882]

Can you give the link to we’re you bought those leader board?

[@FishandForage]

I bought mine at a local store(Sportsmans), but here's the amazon link for them: amzn.to/3J5cVf0 I just cut them in half to get more use out of em!

[@Ryan-zc1tz]

On Okumas website for the guide select pro rods, some have a rated line weight of 6-12 lbs and some are 40 lbs. for 30-40 lb braid, which “line weight” am I looking for? Thanks

[@FishandForage]

For steelhead I'd stick to closer to 6-12. 30-40 is pretty overkill!

[@Ryan-zc1tz]

@@FishandForage weren’t you using 30 or 40 lb braid in your video? I guess I’m trying to understand the difference between test lb of the line and the “line weight”

[@FishandForage]

@@Ryan-zc1tz ohh I was just talking about rod weight. Yeah, braid diameter is much smaller than mono, so you can run much heavier braid and still have thinner line. Then the leader can be lighter to keep your presentation stealthier.

[@Nicholasyeahbruh]

Thank you for the info

[@FishandForage]

I hope it helps catch you a nice fish, man!

[@Nicholasyeahbruh]

@@FishandForage I hope so as well thank you again love the videos man keep’m coming

[@connerallred7829]

How long do you usually fish a part of river before trying somewhere else? Awesome video one of the best on steelhead, love it man!

[@FishandForage]

Glad it was helpful! And it depends - If there's only one slot to fish I'll try a couple baits/lures a few times through. Maybe change the depth a couple times. If I know it's a busy day and the river is packed, I may stay longer at one spot. If the water is higher, there's a higher chance the fish are moving through and you may catch one on the way up. That's in comparison to a lower water day where fish are hunkered down and not moving up the river as much. In general, if there is a steelhead in the hole and you put your bait in front of it, it SHOULD bite soon. Switching up baits may help, but if you've worked a spot for 20-30 minutes without any action, there's a good chance there's no fish there.

[@connerallred7829]

@@FishandForage thanks for the in depth response, I subbed

[@Nobodybaby78]

So when would I want to switch from vertical floating like your video here, to “bobber-dogging” the float? I’m trying to figure this out as I’m fairly new to steelhead fishing and have been using a pencil weight like bobber dogging technique, but my float stays vertical which that’s what I thought I wanted, but dogging I realize my float should be getting dragged, when do I switch ?

[@FishandForage]

There's some nuance, but my understanding is that with bobber doggin, you generally want the bait to be dragging or bouncing off the bottom the whole time, where with standard drift fishing, you are setting the bait to drift through the run at a specific depth, not necessarily always along the bottom. I think a lot of folks will interchange the terms, so you may hear different opinions :)

[@tannerhuss13]

What is that piece of foam called with your pre-tied leaders?

[@FishandForage]

Leader boards! amzn.to/3RI13Vi They come in a bunch of sizes. I think I bought some wide ones and just cut them in half.

[@speedbird1598]

What exactly is mending the line? How do you know when to mend if you cannot see your line?

[@FishandForage]

I use hi-vis yellow line to help this issue in particular. But you can usually tell if you need to mend if the line is being pulled downriver faster than the bobber is floating. When actually mending, lift UP high before moving the line upriver. Better to get the line off the water before moving it up.

[@speedbird1598]

@@FishandForage Awesome! I assume the longest rod that can fit in your spot is the best way to go?

[@FishandForage]

@@speedbird1598 yup! I use a 10"6' okuma gsp for drifting. I have an sst of the same length that works well, too

[@speedbird1598]

@@FishandForage i got a 9'6 SST but im thinking about making it my spare/drift/spoon rod and getting a dedicated float rod

[@FishandForage]

@@speedbird1598 Honestly 9'6 is pretty standard for float rods. I chose the 10'6 because I'm always on the bank and I can slap on a bigger reel and use it in the surf as well!

[@adamnoga-styron7882]

What size jig do you like? 1/8 or 1/4?

[@FishandForage]

1/4 in bigger rivers or faster current, 1/8 in smaller, slower holes!

[@SteveB357]

Is the bait in front of or behind the bobber in the drift?

[@FishandForage]

Depends - If the current on the top of the water is slower than the undercurrent, the bobber will trail behind the bait. Just depends on the run you're fishing! Either way, as long as the bait is floating naturally through the water column at the right depth, it shouldn't matter much if the bobber is ahead or behind it.

[@hertim94]

How long is your leader?

[@FishandForage]

Depends on the river and the flow, but generally I'd aim for about 3 to 5 feet!

[@outdooradventuresumanrana2249]

Thank you your video help me to catch steal

[@FishandForage]

Awesome to hear!

[@crimsonsapper9837]

Have you used pautzke trout eggs for spawn sacs?

[@FishandForage]

No, but that'd probably work well enough!

[@imagingconcepts]

Excellent Job, really enjoy your content. Do you primarily fish out of Oregon or?

[@FishandForage]

Thanks, man! I am in SW, WA, so I hit Oregon and WA regularly.

[@imagingconcepts]

@@FishandForage Nice.. I am across the water from Seattle so I spend most of my time on the Olympic Penninsula. Looks like you have some great areas as well!!

[@FishandForage]

@@imagingconcepts I really want to trek up there to some of those rivers. They are amazing looking steelhead rivers...

[@imagingconcepts]

@@FishandForage It really is a great place to explore, I do a lot of fishing and photographing there and so many rivers to choose from, if one is blown out, there are 3 or 4 more to choose from, unless it's raining like right now and they are all blown out..lol

[@FishandForage]

@@imagingconcepts our rivers are about to be blown out, too.. But it'll end up better for fishing afterwards!

[@Tailchaser73]

How else would you float fish?

[@paulbeaulieu723]

Get a centerpin and learn how to use it.You will enjoy it more.Just saying.Tight lines.

[@FishandForage]

It's on my list! I need to put my switch rod through its paces before I can swing another nice setup or else the wife may have some words with me :o

[@avisaiarevalo502]

Braid Line ?

[@FishandForage]

Yup, I use hi-vis 30lb braid for my main line

[@avisaiarevalo502]

@@FishandForage thanks you are the best

[@joe18750]

Thanks for the tutorial. @0:40 "....any size three to four thousand...." Question, 3 to 4 thousand, what? What unit. You give a number but not what the unit of measure is.

[@FishandForage]

Depends on the brand, reels will say 2500, 3000, 4000 or something like 25, 30, 40, ect. the bigger the number, the larger the reel, it's not really a specific size of anything, just a number manufacturers use to let you know how big or small the reel is :)

[@edwinro77]

very helpful!