Getting lures out and away from the boat is important when targeting summer steelheads in shallow water. The average depth where the steelies can be found is 15 to 30 feet. If the lake is exceedingly warm, the rainbows may retreat to water from 40 to 60 feet deep and will position near bottom in the cooler band of water. When that happens, downriggers are another option.

The theory is that summer steelheads move into the shallows and then cruise the shoreline searching out the river where they were originally stocked. The color line, created where the river spills into the big lake, contains the chemical signature of each river. The rainbows usually take up residence in the tainted water and it's important to stitch the color line to stay into the fish.

Most Skamania between 9 and 12 pounds are 4- or 5-year-old fish. Unlike Michigan-strain steelhead that mature at 2, 3 or 4 years old, Skamania steelheads mature at age 4 or 5. If a mature fish survives to age 6 or 7, you might get a steelhead that tops 20 pounds!

Skamania seem to have an affinity for crankbaits and body baits. The hands-down favorite for summer steelheads is a Rattlin' Thin Fin in hot orange or hot red with black squiggles on it. Originally manufactured by Storm Lures, the Thin Fin is now tough to find and anglers are using an alternative called a Thin Fish.

Other crankbaits like Wiggle Warts, Hot-N-Tots, and body baits like Long A Bombers, Rapalas and Rattlin' Rouges, again in hot colors, will draw strikes from summer steelies. Be sure to beef up the treble hooks and split rings on the lures. Many an angler has endured the disappointment of losing a big steelie only to find the fish ripped the hooks off the lure. Thin flutter spoons, like Fishlanders, Dreamweavers and Silver Streaks, fished off divers produce, too. You can use any color you want -- as long as it's orange!

In small streams and rivers, spinners are a viable option. Using hardware with heavier line gives you some advantages when battling a rampaging steelhead in close quarters. You can muscle them as much as they want to be muscled with heavier line and stand a fighting chance of steering them away from snags. You can also cover plenty of water with spinners.

Once in the river, summer steelheads are sometimes starved for oxygen and then can be found schooled where cooler streams and creeks enter the main river or where springs or seeps add to the flow. The fish are often packed by the dozens into a small area and are often indifferent to anything that passes in front of them if the water temperatures are high. Frustrated anglers often resort to lining and snagging the fish, which is a shame, illegal and a lack of respect for such a magnificent fish. The fish can be caught. It just requires a little patience and finesse.

As summer wears on and water temperatures rise, steelhead become more concentrated near creek mouths and springs. The key then is to try different baits and presentations. The fish know where they're comfortable, so they aren't going anywhere. Try rolling spawn bags or drifting skein spawn under a bobber through the school.

Fish that are hooked will go berserk and usually scatter the rest of the school for a short period of time. Give these fish a little time to regroup, calm down and then change tactics if they ignore your standard offerings. Instead of spawn, offer the rainbows a juicy crawler or run an in-line spinner by them. Quite often, you can convince another fish or two to bite. Sometimes you have to take summer steelhead anyway you can (legally) get them!