Niagara River Steelhead

Ever hook onto the back of small car with your flyrod? That's about equal to steelhead from the mighty Niagara. Big minnow/smelt imitations and egg patterns work well off the shore, as well as oddly enough, Caddis nymphs. A 7 weight is rod is a little arrogant, while an 8 to 9 is more adept at casting big weighted flys and heavy split shot. You have to get down to the fish and weighting your flies or your line or both is a must. A 15 foot leader with shot about 16 inches from the fly is a good start, while the new skagit heads and sinking leaders are even better in some cases. I use an 8-10 foot lead core section/ skagit head to get the floating line down and then a couple shot as well. It's heavy, but the 10' 8wt will get it out there. You don't have to cast far since the ledge drops off out about 5-8 feet to 12-15 feet deep. The fish hang right against the rocks down about 8 feet so depth is your biggest concern. Fish the eddies and inlets along the shoreline for controlled drifts. Roll casting is the norm, with little room behind for a back cast and either dead drifting with the current, or adding some strips for action gets the fish's attention. It's BIG water, so utmost care is needed when walking the very slippery rocks. Do NOT wade in the Niagara River. You are just asking for trouble. The Power Authority releases water every day in the early morning that can raise the water 6-8 feet very quickly. I have been caught out on the rocks at Devil's Hole and had to wet wade back to shore, fighting a heavy current. I thought that was it...no kidding. Anyway, you don't usually get a second chance to screw up on safety down there, so be careful. The best access points are Artpark in Lewiston, NY and the Devil's Hole and Whirlool Park access points in Niagara Falls, NY. It's rugged, but worth the walk. Big, Strong, Nasty fish that head for Canada when you hook them.