In fact diehard steelheaders can target bows all winter long. However there is a catch involved in this winter dream. In order to hook into winter steel you will need to target slower moving sections of your favorite streams. This is due to the very cold water which forces them rest.
As for baits roe will still work on the fresh moving fish while the drop backs tend to move for alternatives such as trout worms, tube jigs, flies such as Wooly Buggers, and a recent bait to our tributaries pink plastic worms. There's a time and a place for each one these and I'll leave it up to you to discover this aspect, hey my buddies would snag me if I gave all our secrets away.
If you find local tribs are frozen don't fret. there are actually a few places with year round open water that offer good winter steelhead. Some of these places include the Niagara River, the Lakeview Generating Station, the Pickering Nuke Plant, and even many of the piers along Lake Ontario offer great steelheading if you time it right.
Well I have to go now, some guys fishing my pool and I know there's some fish in it.
Keith Oliphant
