Steelhead/Salmon Set-ups

I'm just getting all my gear together to start fly fishing for steelhead and salmon and I would like to know what you use for these big boys/girls.

Here is what I have so far....

Elkhorn T Series Reel - 9wt (with 2 extra spools)
Elkhorn Big Game Series Rod - 9wt
Teeny Mini Tip Line - 9wt
Teeny T200 - 9wt
Teeny WF-F - 9wt
Misc. Knotless Leader - 0x and 1x
A bunch of glo bugs in all different colors
Misc. Flies - all wet for now
1000 yards 30lb hivis dacron backing

Yes, a 9wt is a little large for most steelhead fishing but I need one set-up that can fish for salmon as well.

I bought the mini tip line because there will be many situations when I will only have 10-20 feet of line out and I didn't want it all to be sinking. I do need to get a full sinking line for lake and ocean fishing but for now I'm good to go. I will be doing 99.999% of my fishing while wading various rivers. I should have it all together and ready by the 30th of this month. If anybody wants to go with me I would enojoy the company. My car is a POS so I wont be driving to the coast every day, most of my fishing will be on the Santiam below Detroit unless I can hitch a ride with somebody else.

So what's in your arsenal?

I've seen green butt skunks do well for winter steelies, and and variations of purple & blue articulated flies with barbell heads do well for silver salmon.

I have a whole box of salmon flies I scored at an estate sale that have never seen the water. I'm interested to see what works for chinook.

I've had luck for steelhead with globugs, but haven't tried them for salmon yet....unless their was a big blob of roe below it.

Yeah, I need to get myself some green butt skunks for sure. I wish I had a ton more money to spend so I could start tying flies. Flies like an egg sucking leach and the glo bug are very easy to tie ,even for the beginner. I just can't wait to get on the water!

How do you fish the Green Butt Skunk? Just dead drift under an indicator, wet fly swing or either way works?

I'm by no means a fly expert. I used to see lots of guys fishing them with a sinking tip drifting it basically, but I'm new to fly fishing, haven't done steelies yet. on the articulated the head is weighted.

looked to me the same presentation as drift fishing eggs with a slinky weight.

I have only a little experience fly fishing for steelhead.
I think you would swing the Green Butt Skunk. I have only hooked up one steelhead (summer run) while swinging, and quickly lost it (using an ESL).
 I like Egg Sucking Leeches (ESLs) in black/purple, with an orange or pink "egg"... these work for Steelhead(once, for me) and Kings(only King I ever hooked on a fly). Also for Chums in smaller sizes (8 and 6).
Flash flies in green or chartreuse with silver and/or gold flashabou and different colors of crystal flash have been effective for Coho and Chum for me.

For steelhead, Glo-bugging can be more effective than swinging, but I'd rather swing thru a larger run or tailout than hassle with casting an indicator setup.

Glo bugs fished under an indicator. I have had reasonable luck hooking up with these fishing the smaller, brushier coastal streams where it isn't easy to swing a streamer.
I fish these upstream, usually along a seam between fast and slow water in some good looking pool or run, thru a "rock garden," along a cut bank, or thru the middle of a slot or pool. In other words, some appropriate looking "nymphing" or "glo-bugging" water.

Fishing a seam, I determine the depth at where I want my glo-bug to travel, and then position my indicator. Then I cast upstream and attempt to drift the indicator/glo-bug along the seam, being careful to retrieve line at exactly the right rate to keep "almost a bit of tension" on my line, so that I can feel the take as well as see my indicator go down.
Then I seem to lose 'em, either to a straightened out hook or just plain ineptitude. Once, I even experienced the startling event of having a big Coho buck come out of nowhere and charge my steelhead just after hookup. The steelhead freaked and busted me off as he left the pool. Hey man...three's a crowd!

I'm not the best steelheader around, though,and definitely not among the accomplished steelhead fly angler set. In fact I haven't fished for steel lately as much as I used to. So take my offerings with a grain of salt. This is just what I do, not necessarily the best. I'm an all-round fisherman, not a dedicated steelhead junkie nor a "fly only" purist. For example I doubt I'll ever want to own, or even deal with learning how to cast with a Spey rod.  (BIG bucks and LOTS of instruction/practice needed for that. You'd have to be a hopelessly lost   steelhead junkie to even consider it).

CHM, thanks for the information. I'll definitely be dead drifting a lot of glo bugs as it's a proven tactic. In the coastal streams I'm going to try throwing some shrimp imitations as well as the other go-to flies. I think the reason you're losing your fish is because when your swinging the flies you leave no slack in the line for when the fish bites. You have to have a little bit of a "buffer" because you're either gonna break off or pull the fly out of the fish's mouth. You can achieve this by keeping the rod tip high and keep an arc in the line. That will create that little buffer that you need. Oliver Edwards has a line of videos out called "Essential Skills". In the 5th or 6th one he explains all of this and it would be worth watching it.

I don't think I'll ever want to learn spey casting either. A switch rod might be considered but not a spey rod. It does look really cool but you can put a little of that into practice with a one handed rod. I've watched a few videos on youtube, particularly Joan Wulff casting weighted nymphs in a spey like cast.

Tight lines!
Chris

Hey guys you should really try a two handed spey rod.  On rivers like the Deschutes it can make your fishing experience.
Not having to worry about a back cast will open a lot of water you normally couldn't fish effectively.  I use a Skagit line.  Not the best at it yet but if I can do it anybody can. If you catch sales at sites like Albright, you can get the gear at a reasonable price.  Unfortunately they don't sell the line.  Had to go to my local shop for the line which is ok since I do like to support the local guys whenever I can.  Line cost was more than the Rod and reel combined.
Elliot

Or we could just do one-handed spey casting, right?   I do a lot of trout fishing where I can't do a back cast and the one-handed spey works fine.

9/10 wt. 11ft Beulah surf rod (doubles as my ocean rod) 575gr. skagit line with T-11 10t.  Heavy MOW floating tip . Flies -Alley's Shrimp, Weighted egg flies and bunny flash strip flies.