Plenty of hatchery Independence Day Steelhead to be had from Barton up all the way to upper McIver.?? The bite has been good in the wee hours between 5:30 am and 9:00 am and again right at dusk.?? As soon as the rubber boat hatch starts late morning, the fishing slows! The water is bony (11.99 Estacada Gauge) which makes a tough day on the oars if you are in a drift boat. Use caution.

Before the sun hits the water, we like dry lines with sparsely tied leeches such as the Loop Leech in Purple or Black/Blue. Switch to traditional patterns such as Kaufmann's Signal Light and Kaufmann's Freight Trains at the first sign of light. Should you come across nervous fish in tailouts or shallow water, switch to a Red BH Copper john, BH Mirage in Copper or Gold Lightning Bug in size 12-16 (yep.. 16's!) fished under a small white indicator and a split shot to match, or stalk them with an clear intermediate tip. . ..Make no mistake!??