Spring 2020 issue Backcountry Journal

INSTRUCTIONAL
Photo by Craig Watson
Spring Steelheading
in the Great Lakes
BY BRANDYN THORSEN
The rivers of the Great Lakes region offer an incredible opportunity to fish for large spring steelhead – a pinnacle gamefish – on
public water. Warming temperatures slowly thaw winter’s hold of ice and snow, bringing barren trees to bud and rousting fauna
from their winter sleep. During this wonderful transition from frozen to flourish, when we can experience spring steelheading at its
finest, we often encounter a wide variety of weather. Thus was born the phrase, “If you don’t like the weather, just wait 10 minutes.”
Understanding these inconsistencies and adjusting to their effects is the key to successful spring steelheading.
1UNDERSTANDING THE WEATHER
Water temperature is the key to fish migration from the Great Lakes and into the rivers. When water temperatures climb
toward the upper 30s, it triggers fish to enter from the lakes. As temps rise above 40 degrees, steelhead will begin to spawn in
shallow gravel areas, with increasing spawning activity as water temperatures continue to climb. In general, spring-fed streams will
warm more quickly than larger tailwaters. Watersheds that maintain a large snowpack will be slower to warm, as snowmelt leaks into
these systems, keeping them cooler. Lastly, water that is more stained, as we often get with rain and runoff in the spring, will warm
faster than gin-clear water, as it absorbs more heat. The USGS Waterdata website or one of a host of smartphone apps are great tools
for monitoring both water temperature as well as flow levels. All of these factors drive when river systems receive fish, how quickly they
navigate upriver to spawn and their behavior.
2
LOCATION
Water temperatures and timing of the run also dictate where in the system fish are most likely to be concentrated and the
type of water anglers should target when fishing for spring steelhead. Early in the season, when temperatures are lowest, seek
out deeper, slow moving runs often found in the lower to middle sections of the river. These four to 10 feet deep runs provide safe areas
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