TOPIC:

I am new to steelhead fishing and have yet to hook one. The past few weeks I have tried Salt Creek twice and The Port with not as much as a bite. In the creek I have been drifting yarn eggs, beads, marabou jigs, and jigs tipped with waxies and at the port I tried floating spawn sacs and jigs with waxies. I grew up mainly perch, walleye, bass, and panfish fishing so this is all new to me but I am completely hooked. Bought a boat set up for trolling the big lake last September and am anxious to get out there this year but really want to hook into some steelies this winter and any help or tips would be greatly appreciated. Really could use some help with some better spots to fish as opposed to the public access for salt creek or some info on if I’m using the right presentation for this time of year. Thanks!

Welcome to the board, and hopefully welcome to the addiction that is steelhead fishing!

This is a tough time of year to start. The tribs are low and clear, the water cold, and most of the fish have been in the creeks for awhile. The cold water makes them lethargic and you have to be right on their nose with a good presentation to get bit.

I would suggest trying the lower part of the Little Calumet, down by where the confluence with Salt Creek is, near Bass Pro Shops. There's some warm water from industrial effluent discharge that attracts fish and the slightly warmer water leads to more aggressive fish this time of year. Sounds like your bait choices are good. Make sure you are near the bottom with your presentation, and that it is drifting naturally with the current.


As we get into late February and early March, there will be more fish running as the tribs get precip or snow melt, and warm up.

Thanks for the info and yes I can tell already the addiction is strong even without catching one yet, I can’t imagine what it’s going to be like after I start catching them. Is the area by Bass Pro public or is there a particular place everyone parks? I’ve only fished the Salt Creek access by the Salt Creek subdivision there in Valparaiso/South Haven and have walked all that I could there and it just seems so shallow and there are so many log jams that it seems almost impossible to land a fish. Looking on google maps it looks like it would be much better the closer I get to the lake so was wondering if anyone fishes at the Friendship Botanical Gardens. Looks much wider there so I’m assuming deeper and it states on their website that if you’re a member you have access to fish their property. Seems like it would be worth it for the $45 annual fee. Once again thanks for your help, I’m really looking forward to being a part of this group.

Friendship Gardens has some good water - although I haven't been back there in the last couple years with the super high lake levels. Many of the formerly good areas in the creeks were totally altered by the high lake levels, as there's no longer any gradient to create current flow in the lower creek reaches



Low and logjams is pretty much the name of the game on NWI creeks. You could drive to South Bend and fish the St. Joe in the spring if you want big river fishing

By Bass Pro, most people fish the public Deer Trail Park. There's a lot of National Park Sevice land there too.

Steelies in the creeks are almost always aggressive. The keys are #1 find them, and #2 show them a bait or lure without spooking them first.

If you pay attention to the gauges you can time them up pretty easy. Try to get out and fish when the water is dropping after rain or snow melt. There will be fresh fish in those lower sections. If it’s been dry for a while concentrate upstream and fish right in the logjams. Fresh run fish will be moving and more out in the open. Those fish that have been in the creek a while are dug in and find the best cover, current, and depth they can. They use basically the same spots year after year.

Remember the fish is ALWAYS going to be looking up stream. You want to show them the lure or bait from upstream to down. If you pull a lure up their back side, they will spook.

My favorite way to fish them is with plugs or spinners. I spend 90% of my time looking for fish and getting into position and only about 10% actually fishing.

Hike the creek, find a couple of good logjams with decent current running through them. Get some 20lb braid and a pocket full of flatfish plugs. Stand upstream of the logjams and slowly drop a plug back into the logjam. Try to keep the plug right where the water is flowing the strongest through the logjam. If there isn’t enough current to work the plug in place there probably won’t be a fish. When there is a fish, get ready for some smashing hits and intense tug of war.

Thanks for the info! I just figured the plugs were more for bigger water and rivers but I’ll definitely give it a try. I have a box full of flatfish, kwikfish, and maglips. What do you think about the smaller wee warts, steelie warts, Brads wee and Lil wigglers, and hot shots? I have a ton of them

The older kwikfish are by far my favorite plugs. They have the best action and get the deepest with the least amount of current. You really have to pay attention to the tuning though. If they’re just a hair off, the run like garbage. You want a plug that digs in and works side to side while being held still in the current. I just inch them back into the holding water. Flatfish look so similar, but the don’t seem to dive as deep or wiggle as hard. I’ve had some luck with maglips, I’d like to try the newer smaller sizes. Wiggle warts and wee warts are great plugs, but they like faster water or retrieves. I like casting them in the harbors. The new xstream kwikfish look great, but don’t run right in our slow water.

Beautiful steelie pic John.