One such fish, the steelhead, is a mysterious fish that appears from the sea strong, sleek and silver to ascend our rivers at varying times of the year on its spawning run. It is also a fish of great beauty and like many other objects of beauty that attract human beings, even if very briefly, it is something to be possessed. Furthermore, to the fly fisherman, the steelhead is a challenging fish to catch. A successful fisherman knows them all and is adept at recognizing conditions that require the fly to be presented a certain way. Fly fishers are best off concentrating on presentation methods that suit the coverage of large bobies of water.
Fish are slow to react in cooler waters and are reluctant to move far for the fly.
Light conditions - whether it is sunny, cloudy or the water is shaded. Water conditions - temperature, clearness, velocity and surface turbulence. To avoid wasting time trying different types of flies, concentrate more on matching technique with conditions and keep fly choices to a minimum. Some successful B.C. patterns are the Doc Spratley, both As Specifieds, the Black Spey, the Black General Practitioner and the Eastern Canadian Atlantic Salmon Bomber. Other fishermen will have their favorite and as long as the fly you choose complements the conditions and presentation method, it will suffice.