Olympic Peninsula Skagit Tactics: Winter Rigging

Winter is here, and that means winter steelhead season is just around the corner. In today's tips and tricks, Mike McGovney takes us through setting up a winter kit and goes over sink tip selection as well. Get geared up and rigged up before heading out!

[@AdrianStruwig]

That bigger loop on your leader!!! My mind is blown!!! 🤯

[@bradcastaneda]

That tip about the skagit leaders and larger loop so you can just leave the fly on that specific leader, and easily swap flies/tip without cutting and retying is awesome! Thank you!

[@OPSkagit]

We think so too!

[@TutorialTim]

The best double surgeons knot tutorial I didn’t know I needed!

[@oak8728]

Take the perfection loop and throw it in the trash for your big game setups.

[@jimjobes5187]

How do you know when are fishing the correct tip for water your in no one seems to give up that info , what should I be feeling if anything?

[@coasterbrookie]

I will start deep and then back off when you’re too deep you’re even hanging up on everything. Then he should come up in depth. There will be no hangups. It’s just something you have to continue to experiment with and you’ll eventually get a good feel for it.

[@user-vc6]

i think you mean to ask '' how can i tell how deep is the fly is getting'' or 'how can i tell where my fly is in water colum right?.. ( there is no correct tip as they all catch fish but steelhead in cold weather often move to the surface less so if your preference to catch more fish vs catching a surface eat. you'll choose a deeper tip and its now back to the question-' how do you tell how deep the fly is getting'??? ill answer the best i can)
normally you observe water speed and depth. Then you factor the sink tip speed, not just the 6 inches per second but draw from your experience. by now you've been fishing the sink tip in numerous pools and will start to gain understanding by what water speeds,depths and circumstances you bottomed out in. next from experience you'll start to be able to tell when the fly is gonna bottom out once it reaches shallow water/wade line seem. all these things are indicators of where your fly is . to collect more data keep your finger on the running line throughout your swing. you'll often get little vibrations as the fly hits rocks in such. and this will help paint a sonar like picture......... my last tip - once a very, very famous guide said ''by putting your rod up stream and laying the head out so the fly is beside you in current. gives you a great indicator where your fly is while swinging''.