From the benchWith water temps at 53°F, steelhead are active but not aggressive — slow your drift down and keep your fly in the strike zone as long as possible. Focus on the inside seams of deeper runs and the soft water behind large boulders where fish rest out of the main current. On a sunny day like today, steelhead will push into shaded lies by midmorning, so work the canyon walls and overhanging timber banks. If you're not getting takes on nymphs by 10 AM, switch to a swung sculpin or streamer through the tailouts — the cooler temps make fish willing to move for a well-presented fly.