Very few steelhead at Tippy Dam, we may see a couple lean years due to Covid reducing hatchery production. Natural Reroduction Rivers may be better than normal if there is less competition from hatchery fish out in the great lakes.
I got one brown Trout pretty quick on a Nuke Minnow Jig. I got a small skipper steelhead on an 8mm UV Big Hole Orange bead. He seemed to hit after I had retrieved it several feet. I stuck with that a wile longer before trying 3 other bead colors and 3 other jig colors, nothing. First cast with a tiny Ice Marabou Jig hooked a brown quickly followed by three others. I left early with 4 out of 5 for browns and the skipper steelhead.
I have used this pattern for early spring stocked trout. It has the Pearl, White, Silver colors that are in my favorite bait fish patterns for Bass, Pike, Trout, Musky, Lake Trout and assorted South Florida natives and exotics.
- Ice Marabou Minnow Jig
- Hook: #10 Straight shank 60 Jig KoreaSun 5220BN Barbless or similar
- Bead Silver 3.5mm Slotted Tungsten
- Body Thread: UV Chartreuse Yellow
- Tail: Fluffy White Marabou fibers 1.5 X shank length
- Body Pearly White HareLine Ice Dub, or White Cactus Flash Chenille
- Hot Spot Narrow Band of Fire Orange 140 denier thread behind the bead.
- 12 Other Effective Pearl White Silver patterns I tie:
- Clouser Minnows
- Opal Minnow Bead Head Jiggys
- Bob's Banger Poppers and Dive Bangers
- Great Lakes Bead Head Jiggys
- White Alaska Smolt
- Nuke Minnow Jigs
- White Foam Diver
- Banjo Minnow
- Bead Head White Wooly Buggers
- White Mop Worm Jigs
Most of these patterns are tied with white Marabou, The Salt Water and Larger versions use Bucktail. The Banjo Minnow and White Mop Worm only have 2 of the 3 White Pearl & Silver elements.