Paul, they do not rise like trout as there really are no hatches once they enter the streams, but on rare occasions, you can find a fish that looks like it has taken something on the surface. More often than not the "rise" was merely a "porpoising" as a part of the mating or territorial behavior of the fish.
That said, a "bomber" is a traditional steelhead and salmon dry fly (its sorta like a stimulator) and I think it can be used to induce an aggression strike as it is not dead-drifted*, but rather slapped, popped, skated, etc.: http://mrffs.com/atlanticsalmondrypattern.html
Now all that said, I was fishing with TomGamber once and as dark was approaching, we noticed a steelhead trout rise a couple times in the same area. This made me think it was not mere mating ritual, but that it might actually have been feeding on the surface. seeing no bugs, but assuming that midges could be around, I searched my vest and found a small #20 loopwing BWO emerger. After just a cast or two to the general area of the rise, I had it take the fly (sipped) and hooked up legally and landed him with Tom and God as my witness.
I never tire of telling that story.
*Upon further review, apparently they can be dead-drifted.