Steelhead Fishing Tips for Rogue River, Mich.

Finding Steelheads

When fishing for steelhead on the Rogue River, it is important to know that they are migratory. They do spend a good portion of their life in Lake Michigan as well. They are very productive in the late winter and early summer months in the Rogue River. Production will decline as the summer goes on and they will be very difficult to find in the fall and early winter.

Areas of the river

The Rogue River is split up into two sections by a dam near the town of Rockford, Michigan. The fishing is slightly different depending on if the area is before or after the dam. The part before the dam is known as the upper river and it has a restrictive trout fishing season that starts at the end of April and ends at the end of September. The lower river after the dam is actually more productive for steelhead trout anyway and is open year round.

Bait

If you're going to buy bait, keep this in mind.

Many Rogue River anglers swear by one of two methods for catching the steelheads. The first method is to use black stoneflies, especially in March. The stoneflies naturally spawn on the Rogue River at this time of year and this attract the steelheads so using them as bait just makes sense. The second method that is often used is using either maggots or waxworms. Put two or three on a hook to really attract the steelheads.

Rainbow vs. Steelhead Trout

Many people do not realize that steelhead are just a variant of rainbow trout. Rainbow trout spend their entire lives in streams where steelhead migrate to larger waters but return to streams and rivers to spawn. rnAny tips or tricks that are successful with rainbow trout will also likely be successful with steelheads on the Rogue River provided they are in the river spawning at the time.