I'm not taking chances. A peek into my tackle box will reveal a selection of marabou and deer hair jigs in sizes ranging from 1/16- to 3/8-ounce. The weight range is determined by the current and just how subtle the angler wants to be.

CASTING THE JIG
When you cast, the jig will hit the water first and begin to sink. The line then slips through the bobber, and the knot pushes the bead to the bobber. When the bead hits the straw at the top of the bobber, the bobber sits upright. You can typically hear a "click" as the bead hits the bobber.

Now you're fishing. Or are you? Let's be sure.

If the bobber doesn't sit straight up, a couple of things may be going on. One is that the jig isn't heavy enough to keep it upright. You can test this next to the boat or close to shore. You want the bobber upright. The bobber is your beacon to what's going on below. Make sure the jig is of the right weight. The other thing that may be happening is that your jig is sitting on the bottom. That's the beauty of the slip-bobber rig. All you need to do is slide the knot on your line so that the jig stops sooner. You want your jig close to the bottom but not grazing it. When your bobber goes down, you want it in the jaws of a steelhead, not the rocks or weeds! With a rod rigged this way, an angler can fish shallow water or as deep as 30 feet.

Casting is a breeze as the whole setup reels right up to the rod tip. Some anglers (like my friend Vern Westerdahl) will run their line through the bobber and then through a small egg sinker and then attach a swivel and a leader of a lighter test than their main line to tie onto their jig. The main line may be 10- or 12-pound-test, but the leader may be 6-pound. The sinker helps get the jig down to the zone and helps keep it drifting properly.

Wow, I almost forgot bait! What most anglers put on the jig hook is the tail section of canal shrimp. You can find it at most tackle stores and even at gas stations in the area. It may be dyed or natural in color. The main thing is that you remove the head from the shrimp and thread it on the hook so a hungry steelie can get it in his mouth.

Now that you know how to rig your slip-bobber and jig, let's talk about where to toss it.

THE RIVER
Some of the places anglers will want to toss their jigs will be pretty obvious when arriving in Pateros. Steelheaders can be spotted along the shoreline and on the docks along the waterfront. There will be boats just off the shore here, too, with many of those anglers fishing under and around the bridge where the Methow meets the Columbia.

Many anglers will "stake a claim" to one of the several docks along the shoreline, and plenty of steelhead are landed from them. There is plenty of open shoreline between them, though, so there's lots of elbowroom for a fair number of anglers here.

The Columbia River here is sort of a cross between a river and a lake. This stretch is referred to as "Lake Pateros," and as an impoundment behind Wells Dam, there often is little or no current. When bobber fishing this area, don't be reluctant to try water that you would never consider on other rivers.