Tsiu River, Alaska Steelhead Fishing
Steelhead are known as some of the most powerful and strong fish found in freshwater and the Steelhead of the Tsiu River are no exception. Because we are located a mile from the river mouth, the Steelhead you encounter are chrome bright and fresh.
The Steelhead start showing up in the middle of the Silver Salmon run and the run continues to pick up until the end of our season. During this time of the year you can catch steelhead and Silver Salmon in the same day. In the spring as the snow begins to melt another push of steelhead enters the river and you can fish for these chrome bright fish in that "early season". Unlike Silver Salmon, the steelhead don't typically school up and are more spread out. They also tend to like moving water that is a moderate speed. The guides at Tsiu River lodge know where they hang out and can help you tie into these chromers.
Alaska Silver Salmon Flies
The flies we use for the steelhead of the Tsiu River are very similar and many times exactly the same ones that we use for the Silver Salmon. Some of our favorite productive flies for Alaska Steelhead are:
- checkmark Starlight leeches (green head best but red and orange too)
- checkmark Articulated leech (black is best, but purple, pink and other colors as well)
- checkmark Marabou patterns
- checkmark Various traditional steelhead wet flies
Alaska Silver Salmon Equipment
We can provide all of the necessary fly fishing equipment for you. Of course if you have your own fly fishing gear, but all means you are welcome to bring it. If you do choose to bring your own equipment, we recommend using 8 weight rods with mostly floating lines and reels with a good disc drag. Sinking tip lines can be useful in some pools, but are typically not necessary. The Silver Salmon are aggressive and not leader shy so light tippets are unnecessary and typically 12-15# test works very well.
