Steelhead

Are you thinking about getting into Steelhead fishing and you don’t know where to start? We can help get you started on the basics to extra tips.

The Pennsylvania Boat and Fish Commission does a wonderful job sharing steelhead information that can lead you specifically to where steelhead can be found in season.

Let’s start with the basics and explain what a Steelhead is:

• A Steelhead is a Rainbow trout.
• They are a freshwater species.
• Steelheads are native to cold-water tributaries of the Pacific basin in Northeast Asia and North America.
• The body of the steelhead trout is silver in color and streamlined with a rounder head. There are black dots and a red or pink stripe running horizontally down the sides of the fish. This silver color and the round head are what give the steelhead its name.^[5]
• Steelhead will change color based on how “fresh” the steelhead is in the stream.   Once the males hit the gravel in the stream, they have a tendency to turn dark. Once they’re back in the lake, they’ll turn chrome again. Most hens tend to stay silver during the spawning runs.
• Steelhead in Erie is stocked. On the Pennsylvania side, not much reproduction is done except for interference.  Natural steelhead on the PA side is limited due to how the watersheds are. The creeks are mostly made of shale bottom which can make it hard for the reproduction of fish.

Gear approach to catching Steelhead in the streams:

Spinning Gear: Noodle Rod (9ft to 12ft) with light handle.  6lb to 8lb test line – Use a tippet to offset the water conditions because they can see very well.

Fly Rod: 6 to 7-weight rod and fly line – 9ft to 12ft lengthy rod – Use a light line leader such as a 4x or 5x – Use a tippet to offset the water conditions because they can see very well.

Center Pinn Fishing: 

Bait and Tackle approach to catching Steelhead in the streams:

• Spin Gear: Eggs, Worms, Minnows, Maggots, and Meal Worms in the colder months. Spinners and plastics do well when the water temperature is warmer.
• Fly Fishing: Egg Patterns, Streamers, and other exotic trout flies are successful.

Bait and Tackle shops local:

• Poor Richards Bait & Tackle
• East End Angler
• Elk Creek Sports

Float fishing for Steelhead is key to success.

Understanding how to float fish will help you with more hookups and chances to land a fish.  Float fishing consists of your fishing line, bait/hook, split shot, and a fishing float (bobber or strike indicator). Having an appropriate amount of split shots on the line will help the bait get down into the strike zone.

Steelhead Location Maps in Erie, PA

Cascade Creek Conneaut Creek Crooked Creek Eight Mile Creek Elk Creek Four Mile Creek Godfrey & Trout Runs

​Raccoon Creek Seven Mile Creek Six Mile Creek Sixteen Mile Creek Twelve Mile Creek Twenty Mile Creek Walnut Creek