I am looking into fishing for steelhead within the next couple weeks around mid to late October. I will be fishing in some tribs out of Erie. If anyone has advice on fishing for steelhead with spinning gear or tribs to fish either shoot me a PM or reply. It will most likely just be me, and it will be my first time!

Makes sure you are using at least 7lbs tippet or smaller, I'm guessing you have a steel head rod? If not get your self one that's at least 10ft long. This allows you to use such light tippet. Make sure your drag is set right too, these fish can take 100 feet of line really fast! As for bait, use single eggs, black, olive, or brown stonefly nymphs, hares ear nymphs, prince nymphs, for when the water is clear. When the water is stained use woolly buggers, egg sucking leaches, woolly worms, and other big flies like that. Also roe bags are a popular all around choice too, but I don't use them because I fly fish for them. As for presentation, put all these flies/baits under a float. For clear water you want the flies to bounce on the bottom, so put enough line between your float and fly so it'll allow for that. The reasoning for this is because you want the most natural presentation you can possibly get because steelhead can get spooked very easily. When fishing stained water you will want the fly to be right in there faces. With the water being stained it will be harder for the fish to see the fly so you want to make it as visible as possible. So put about the the same length of line between the fly and float as the depth they are sitting at.

Good luck and Take some pictures for us  

So I should use flies with a spinning rod?

yep.... just put them under a float and that will work just as good as a fly rod