Surf Fishing for Steelhead - Detecting Bites

[mosquito]

Would a sinker like this be good for that?
https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/BeMAA...or/s-l1600.jpg


I picked up some 1 & 2oz sinkers like that in the UK and I have used flat or pyramid singers in a rig like this for catfish, whatcha think?
https://tailoredtackle.com/fish-find...-surf-fishing/

That might work, or drilling a hole through the sinker above? Just thinking of solutions.

[Fisherman]

Hahaha, that first one looks like you have to be an Igor to cast it. I use a 3 way swivel from the main line, then about an 18" leader to the roebag, on the other eye I use another low pound test to tie the sinker. If the sinker gets snagged, it will rip off, no loss to the hook. I have replacement sinker rigs made with the tiny fast attach snaps if I lose it,

[AdamG1]

Thanks for the replies, everyone. There is a lot of great info there.

I will make sure to hide the hook point better next time. I definitely was not doing that. I hope that way they will swallow the hook, reducing the need for super fast hook sets.

A flatter sinker makes sense, and so does the three way swivel rig. I'll explore both of those options.

Finally, in terms of access, I hope the spot I'm going to stays open. It's not really a park or anything, just a river mouth that is luckily public property all around it. The ice buildup gets significant on a cold winter, but I'll try and go until it gets too bad.

Thanks for all the help here. Hopefully, I'll return with some news of success in the next few weeks.

[fishhawk]

Well it’s been a while since I fished steelhead at river mouths but I use to do it all the time on Lake Huron. I found fish could be caught right into spring. The tip about using or modifying your weight flat is right on and keeping your line as tight as possible. Also I found the trout hit pretty hard and if in doubt carefully pick up your rod in hand and feel the bit if you know what I mean. Good luck.

[AdamG1]

Well it’s been a while since I fished steelhead at river mouths but I use to do it all the time on Lake Huron. I found fish could be caught right into spring. The tip about using or modifying your weight flat is right on and keeping your line as tight as possible. Also I found the trout hit pretty hard and if in doubt carefully pick up your rod in hand and feel the bit if you know what I mean. Good luck.

Thanks for the tips. I'll go out as much as I can and, hopefully, get one. It's seems like not a bad way to fish when the rivers themselves are closed. I'll report back here if I do end up getting one.

[fishhawk]

I’m sure you will get some fish. One more tip in case you are not already using them is floaters in your spawn sacs to keep them off bottom when still fishing.

[AdamG1]

I’m sure you will get some fish. One more tip in case you are not already using them is floaters in your spawn sacs to keep them off bottom when still fishing.

I've tied up a bunch of bags with floaters and it seems like they keep the bag up off the bottom nicely. Thanks for all the help and happy new year.