How to Steelhead Fish Great Lakes Rivers (GIANTS Caught!)

Very solid day of float fishing some huge Steelhead! Starting off in the Milwaukee River and finishing out at the Menominee River, I also run through the many techniques you can use to catch similar fish.
My Social Media:
Instagram: tinyurl.com/ericHaataja
Facebook: Eric Haataja
Thanks for watching!
#Steelhead #RiverFishing #EricHaataja

[@bigchaserfishingcompany5482]

Dude that intro is so hard, let’s gooooo !!!!

[@Katie-li6ps]

Every time you say, “Mama,” it cracks me up 😂😂 AWESOME video!!

[@apexoutdooradventuresa.o.a2574]

🔥Never disappointed with the Antics from Eric you sir are just an all around good dude 🤜

[@pywifishingandoutdoors]

Eric man, loving the new and highly improve content. Real BIG difference!!! Seems like someone has been putting tons of time into improving content and quality over the pandemic. Seems like I've been seeing a lot of younger folks doing this kind of style, good to see veterans doing the same!

[@Thomas-xj2yx]

Glad to see you're making videos again!

[@artuss1977]

One of best videos I have seen lately. Good job!

[@larryfishingwisco]

Hey Eric great video, learned a ton over the past couple years watching your videos. I have caught more fish this year in the tribs float fishin spawn than ever before. I even went 8-10 one day this spring! Even though Ive got a boat and fish the big water, its still fun to get on some big fish on the rivers with light tackle. I know the local fishing community appreciates these videos. Tight lines bro!

[@SmokeSHOFishing]

Loved the new intro! Can’t wait for more videos!

[@ChasingGiants23]

MEGA video. Always love your vids. Watching from South Australia. Huge fan G

[@gregsatina5853]

Awesome edit Eric, nice work! 👊👊

[@patsattler2644]

Love your videos. Keep up the great work

[@Gameness4life]

Shore fishing videos are the best! Great video!!👍👍😎

[@johnklim4295]

Awesome vid Eric 👍👍👍

[@johannatweer1957]

Eric that vid is a dream i have most every night. I am moving next year tp the UP and due to lack of funds will not be able to purchase a boat package. The shore steelie vids are awesome and wish for more. Thanks so much for all you do...luv your excitement because it is genuine.

[@jessecox5317]

Awesome Eric

[@Zewbacca]

Thanks for the pointers keep on the steel.

[@tntscrapers5259]

Absolutely awesome!!! I’ve fished right there!!! I want to see big buck browns out of the tribs!!

[@mwintomatic8112]

Thanks for another great video. I have learned a lot from watching you. Look who just hit 50K subscribers!!!!

[@johannatweer1957]

Hey Eric...just wondering how many times i have thanked you for supporting the shore anglers??? Another awesome vid!!! Thanks for your constant support for the steelie and brown folks at the DNR. Sure the charters guys want the kings to generate the rev. I get it. But you voicing your concerns as much as you do gives the trout folks a strong voice that we should not be left out. Kudos boss!!!

[@marciepiper6386]

Your a beast!! Haha as well as a blast to watch!! I need to see how to rig up a down rigger since ya asked.

[@matthewkobielus2656]

Man this guy catches all these fish in such a short amount of time and I can’t even catch one and I’ll be out for 8hrs

[@Dany-sj7jf]

Same here man

[@dylanmounsey7515]

Takes time and practise

[@wibigfishcom]

Just keep putting in your time, steelhead fishing is much more technical than most think. I’ve dedicated my life to fishing and still learning so much every year. Don’t give up 👊👌

[@matthunt7390]

I love any type of spinner with beads and just a lil patch of peach fuzz on the skirt!

[@kentmohr9890]

Dude thank you for showing me how to do it. I can walleye fish like no tomorrow but wow you showed me tricks for them browns and steels

[@scottolson9725]

Nice video man

[@Sethyfisher]

Ayeeee this is where it’s at

[@dylanmounsey7515]

Hitting some Huron tribs this weekend

[@zachratedrll1529]

I was just on the Milwaukee river near Glendale and those guys was catching nice steelheads

[@deliriuspixel8743]

Eric, love the video. Seems super fun. Do you like small mouth fishing? Would love to see some wading in creeks for smallies if ya did! .. Keep it up!

[@wibigfishcom]

Smallies are my favorite fish you will see a bunch of smallie fishing vids very very soon

[@shanesommer]

After watching your videos im surprised we have never ran into each other we fish the same areas when I'm in milwaukee

[@monkeytreey]

Nice video. I'd like to see more shore/wade fishing, but that's just cause I don't gotta boat. Or maybe inland on a kayak or small boat?

[@sniperNOsniping26]

I love that reel i own 2 for walleye and 2 for steel

[@shorethingfishingshorethin6649]

How did you catch chrome on a float without a thousand dollar centerpin set up?

[@mattseefeld3115]

I have to get over there

[@luisolay4335]

God fish amigo👍

[@ryanh6081]

Nice

[@ericmiller6036]

Nice video. How about lake trout on a fly rod?

[@pacificdynamicbuilders4380]

Nice not having to worry about the sharks eating your fish!

[@kevinamack6]

Swing a spinner and boom 👊!!

[@WillieMakeit]

What spinners do you recommend? Will gold and silvers Spoons work?

[@kevinamack6]

@@WillieMakeit I’ve caught trout on spoons. Steelhead are just big trout so why not?? I would try them.

[@jjrilea84]

I wish more than anything to catch a big steelhead!

[@jaredb6934]

Me too, if I could cure cancer or catch a steelhead, I'd choose steelhead.

[@jjrilea84]

No…cancer is a killer.

[@jeremyforecki]

YOU are the man! The fish you catch are incredible! I live about 40 minutes west of Milwaukee and don’t know the city at all!! Could you PLEASE give me an idea of where this is?

[@wibigfishcom]

Milwaukee river and Menomonee river

[@chevyguy6510]

Hey Eric, I know this is a year old video but what size/color beads do you recommend for local rivers?

[@WillieMakeit]

You can fish for salmon in the winter? Beautiful fish.

[@mattseefeld3115]

What is the best rod to buy for a do all steal head rod

[@Charlie-yt1yq]

I hate that everytime I drive the 2 hrs and 30 mins from central wi I always get skunked been there 8 times and still have yet to hook into anything 💔

[@jeremyforecki]

How far up the menomonee river should I go? When I look at google maps it’s so long and I’m hoping you could steer me in the right direction. Are these fish miles up the river or do they stay closer to the lake? Again, thanks Eric and please keep this stuff coming! I’ve been watching and taking notes and have learned a ton from you already! It’s so awesome that you give out this information and not keep it all to yourself! Hopefully I’ll be putting the SMACKDOWN soon!!

[@wibigfishcom]

Just remember this the fish will go as far as they can until they hit a dam or obstruction. Not all the fish go all the way up so they a spread out. Out on the walking shoes bring extra water and out your time in learning the rivers

[@volkansahin.44]

Tebrikler👏👏👏

[@bobhunter1274]

Just curious as to why you don’t drop down your leader pound test by a couple pounds from your main line to the leader. I typically run 10/8, or 8/6 so I don’t lose my entire rig if I break off

[@wibigfishcom]

I have done that at times but I don’t seem to loose my entire rig rarely ... usually the hook breaks.

[@36DAC]

You should really give a float reel a try. A lot easier for drifting. They are called Center pin reels. Makes a hook set so much easier as your line will always be tight.

[@wibigfishcom]

No thanks I’ve tried them and for the rivers around here there’s really no advantage. Especially when your trying to skip a float under a tree or if I want to throw spinners. Pins have their advantages but trust me when I fish with my buddies for the past 10 years with pins they still don’t catch as many as me so I’ve never seen an advantage in our tribs. In Michigan or big tribs I can see the advantage when fishing out of a boat. But if your just getting into float fishing your much better off with a solid spinning rod set up. It’s pretty hard to fish a spinner on a center pin.....

[@J_Jim-mo3ub]

Was that spot on the Menominee in tosa?

[@tonytonesworld6537]

As far as eggs I collected eggs from a female chinook loose eggs she dropped I sacked them without curing them are doing anything to them would it be better if I cure them are do the brown sugar and salt thing and most importantly did you mention only using spawn from steelhead and browns is it better then salmon??? 🤷🏽‍♂️

[@tonytonesworld6537]

Also I know skein is always gonna be the best way to start.. bleeding the fish for clean skein collecting it when it’s still attached to the membrane and curing it but just had that specific question about the salmon loose eggs??

[@brooktrout1477]

How’d you do on the pike

[@matthewd.3276]

When do the steelhead go into river in fall? I want to come try, but don’t want to come until I know they are there. Thanks.

[@BeefSupreme-vk9sz]

They're here now !

[@Dragscreamer1]

What spinning reel do you recommend ?

[@wibigfishcom]

Shimano Stradic

[@rippinlips414]

I saw you out two days ago on the summer fest lagoon and wanted to know if you caught anything because I had two big browns almost smack my lure

[@wibigfishcom]

Yes sir and new video next week

[@aleczambrowicz5710]

How late in the spring will steelhead still be present in these tributaries?

[@wibigfishcom]

A few more weeks Further north even longer

[@darkhorse1628]

To be honest I love fishing salmon so much more but in my opinion I think steelhead taste better then cohos and kings idk if it’s just me or what?

[@chriseggs3447]

I’m quite surprised the rainbows haven’t naturalized in that system yet

[@dennisharder6365]

U are adorable and asome to watch man some day I will 🎏 with you keep doing it smack down

[@ChasingGiants23]

BROWNTOWN!

[@jjrilea84]

Do the beads you use float?

[@wibigfishcom]

No they do not

[@michaelchapman1258]

I call them lami-snaps.....brittle heavy blanks. Only rod I’ve ever broken was a lamiglass. Phoenix and loomis and it ain’t even close

[@wibigfishcom]

Well I’ve broken many different types from St.Croix, Loomis, Raven and many others shit happens what matters is how is the company’s warranty.

[@michaelchapman1258]

@@wibigfishcom exactly.... just like how lamigass wouldn’t refund me my money I spent on their defective rod. I had to buy another one and return the broken one.7’10 redline hover rod. It’s shit. My okuma is better for half the price. High quality price with low quality..... quality

[@wibigfishcom]

I’ve also broken Okuma’s they are heavier and I don’t care for the butt section. I would never ask for a refund only a replacement rod... that’s just me...I can see if it was within 30 days but after that get it replaced I’ve not heard of people having issues with their warranty. I never got a call or email back from Okuma on the numerous reels that have failed or rods broke ...🤷. So I’m up grading to Tekota’s and night and day difference...

[@michaelchapman1258]

@@wibigfishcom well I mean that wasn’t the whole story, i pulled it out of the package (butt first) put a reel on it, ran my line through the guides. Then I tied it to my table in my living room. Loaded the rod as if there was a 12 inch trout on and it exploded. Factory default. I tried to get a replacement, they wouldn’t do it. Then a refund, wouldn’t do it. It was really weird from a USA company like that... even tho a lot of their rods are made in China. (This was years ago Covid wasn’t the issue). Anyway the okuma 710 sst 10-25 IS better than the redline 711 10-25.

[@michaelchapman1258]

@@wibigfishcom any you’re right shimano and diawa reels are the only reels I buy anymore. Tranxs and tatulas

[@nolanvermeer4009]

What costas you got

[@wibigfishcom]

Not sure my wife bought them for my birthday they are solid I also love my Maui Jim’s

[@nolanvermeer4009]

@@wibigfishcom ok I had some left em on my dash of my truck this summer and when I went to put them on my face the frame snapped so I’m in the market

[@carterandreae3446]

Curios, why are you always wearing rubber gloves? Keep human scent off the bait?