It depends on your rod’s action and what technique you are using. 10-12 is a great weight for drifting and under floats. If you’re trolling below a dam or plunking then 15 lb is more appropriate.

The Toucannon is out my back door. I drift fish it with a Loomis GLX STR 1141. The Ultra fast tip and slow action, coupled with it’s 12′ length allows me to easily tame 20 lb steelies with 4 lb leader.
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10lb leader is a good weight. I wouldn’t bother going any higher. 12lb mainline is enough from the bank, but beware – many of the bank access points have rapids below them, and fish will make runs downstream. It can take a bit of finesse and experience to get them to come back up river.

Go a little larger on the bait if you’re drifting roe, prawns, etc. The fish the are actively competing for food, and respond better to bigger clumps/presentations. The river typically sees a big return of steelies, so food can become a bit of a problem for fish – hence the bigger portions being better.

Longer, fast, sensitive rods a good on that river. The length helps with casting, bait presentation, and fish control.

As for the weights you’re going to want – I honestly don’t remember. I’m going to assume, with a 10-12lb setup, you’ll need a little heavier given the line/water friction. Weights ranging from 3/8oz all the way through 1 1/2oz should be good. Pencil lead or slinkys are preferred. If you want to float it, I’d invest in a sliding float, NOT some crappy Eagle Claw one though….the line will cut through the plastic "straw" through the middle. It’s just not as hard as other manufacturer’s products.

BAIT: crawlers, roe, prawns, etc. SPOONS, SPINNERS (most of the river is too fast fo spinners though) HOOKS: sized from 6 – 1 is good to start. The bigger bait chunks hide the larger hooks well enough. Also, invest in some "magic" thread (stretchy thread) for holding on that bait. You might want to learn how to tie an egg-loop knot too. They’re pretty helpful.

Well, that’s probably enough to get you started……

ANSWER RESPONSE: (IF you think you need a steel leader for steelhead, then maybe you need to take up a different hobby!!)
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I steehead fish….a lot.

No fun at all it was pretty much cast fish on, cast fish on, cast, cast, cast, cast fish on. These fish had been so acustomed to being fed at certain times of day that if you could figure out what that time of day was and throw a lure out fish would take it almost as soon as it hit the surface of the water.

Trout are all I fish for. I fish rivers and lakes with stocked trout. But the inner city ponds that they stock for some reason just dont seem to be the same fish. Maybe i was just lucky that day but Ill stick to my alpine lake and spring creek trout fishing.
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Take two poles if you can, cast one close and one far if no bites for 20 minutes reel them in and cast out in different directions again one far and one close and leave it for 30 minutes. If still no bites change your color lets say it it was a yellow switch to something completely different like purple or red and cast out again and follow the same ruitine if no bites.

And this is my experience tight lines.
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A.k