The father-son team of Glenn (right) and Terry Jarmain are happy with the results of a February trip on a balmy day. Photo by Terry Rudnick

Steelhead fishing in winter is never easy, not even during the good times. But when the mid-season doldrums set in around February, things can get downright tough. The big runs of hatchery steelhead that provided such good fishing in December and January have tapered off to a trickle in most rivers. And the large wild fish that will cause so much excitement at the end of the season haven't yet arrived. On a coast-wide average, there simply aren't nearly as many steelhead in our rivers and creeks during February as during the rest of the season.

The fish may be fewer and farther between, but not the fishermen. A steady stream of boat anglers casts to every inch of likely looking holding water, and the shores of popular rivers are crisscrossed by the muddy trails of bank anglers. The fish available in most streams get pounded hard on a daily basis. And it doesn't help when prolonged cold weather results in cool, clear water and spooky, sluggish steelhead.

Those are just a few of the reasons why many steelhead anglers refer to February as the "mid-season break" in fishing, and others call it the "dog days of winter."

February fishing may be difficult, but not impossible. Wherever there lurk a few steelhead to be caught, there's hope. Anglers willing to do their homework, explore a little and adjust their fishing tactics can go right on hooking fish through mid-winter.

The first prerequisite to catching steelhead? Fish places where there are steelhead to catch. Yes, that sounds obvious, but thousands of anglers stubbornly visit one or two favorite streams all winter, ignoring the fact that most West Coast steelhead rivers and creeks produce best during only a few weeks of the season. Some rivers are full of steelhead in December, for example, and receive virtually no new fish the rest of the winter. Others remain fishless until March or even April. While there's some year-to-year fluctuation, the timing for runs on most coastal steelhead streams is quite consistent over the long haul. So a river or creek that provides good February fishing one year is likely to be a good February bet, year-in and year-out.

How to find the streams with the strongest February steelhead runs? Your state fish and wildlife agency has already done the homework for you; all you need do is get your hands on it. For decades, state fishery managers have been collecting, compiling and publishing annual steelhead-catch statistics. They make this information available as hard copy and, in most cases, online. Calling the agency headquarters or logging on to its Web site should put you on the right track.

I've been collecting this steelhead- catch information from my state for nearly 40 years, and use it to determine steelhead trends for my favorite local streams, as well as for researching trips to other rivers and creeks. Compare the catch information for three or four years in a row, and you'll quickly discover where your best odds lie throughout the season. This information, compiled from the catch-report cards that steelhead anglers are required to fill out and return each year, provides very useful information on the steelhead catches, river-by-river and month-by-month.

Study the steelhead-catch information for your state, and it won't take long to find several rivers and creeks that provide their best steelhead fishing during the month of February.

Once you compile a list of likely prospects, consider fishing those that might be lesser known and a little farther off the beaten path. I like avoiding the worst of the crowds by fishing smaller creeks and upriver forks off the main rivers in February. Fewer anglers means lighter competition, so I can take more time and fish the good waters more thoroughly without worrying about who's around the next bend. Waters bordered by footpaths, rather than major highways, always offer more elbow room, and may just hold as many steelhead as the more popular, more heavily fished streams.