Where to Target Early Hatchery Fish NOW!

Early Season Tactics

Welcome to Steelhead University! The sole purpose of this site is to help you catch more steelhead. Steelhead are, and always have been, the most elusive and sought after gamefish in the Pacific Northwest. In addition to their elusive nature, they are perhaps the hardest fighting freshwater gamefish in North America. Catching these prized fish, however, even for the most experienced fisherman, has always been a challenge.

This site will provide useful information for both novice and experienced steelheaders on how, when, and where to catch these prized fish.

We'll have tech tips, product reviews, destination articles, and in season updates related to steelhead and salmon fisheries throughout the Pacific Northwest. You'll also find useful links to weather forecasts, river levels, maps of major river systems, and other useful information to help you plan your next trip to the river.

Steelhead University will be brought to by some of the Northwest's top river anglers:

Terry Wiest who's been salmon and steelhead fishing for over 30 years and has fished with some of the best there is. Terry's also written articles in fishing publications and has been the featured speaker at many seminars and fishing clubs.

Full time guide Phil Stephens, who owns and operates Mystical Legends Guide Service is one the hardest working and most respected guides in the Northwest. In addition to showing his clients on the water how to fish, Phil has a great reputation for teaching others how to fish whether they're his clients or not. Phil has also spoke at many of the clubs and is very well received. Look for articles and reports from Phil... you'll learn a lot!

Jody Allison owns and personally hand ties all jigs sold at Anglers Advantage Tackle. Jody's been steelhead fishing for many years and takes advantage of the incredible fishing in the Willamette Valley area of Oregon. Well known on the Oregon rivers, Jody is a regular on the speaking circuit of many of Oregon's clubs and stores. Jody will bring expert information to the site from our brothers and sisters down south.

In addition to hosting this website, these guys will be conducting informative clinics with some of the Northwest's top names in sportfishing, all for the sake of making you a better angler! 

In addition to steelhead fishing, this site and our clinics will also be focused on how to catch salmon once they enter the freshwater environment.  Catching salmon after they enter freshwater is just as detail-oriented as any steelhead presentation and many of the techniques used to catch steelhead are adaptable to catching salmon.

What makes Steelhead University special is that the information you find here is accessible 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. We'll be adding articles, tech tips, maps, and other useful fishing knowledge on a regular basis.