wallacio

Yep, EGB's and smallest Little Cleos. I like the Cleos with the hammered finish...1/2 Silver and 1/2 Green or Blue.

Do you have a portable unit which currently runs on 2 lantern batteries? If so, hobby stores sell the right type of gel cell (you'll need two) and I have conversion instructions along with pics if you are interested.

Bill, That was good fun. I was impressed at how quickly you were able to get the casting stroke down after only minimal instruction. What a night for an introduction to dry fly fishing - just remember it's not always that easy...usually the fish are far less willing!!!

Your inbox is full dood - time for spring cleaning!

Come again? Not sure why you are dragging me into your little argument as I don't recall "crying" about my reel not working. These are likely wasted keystrokes but by your own admission you don't know the difference between a fly reel and a float reel. IF you did you would know that the reel in my picture is a small fly reel and since fly fishing doesn't involve playing out line smoothly which is the purpose of float reel, I have no problems with placing it in the water etc. Perhaps you can look elsewhere to prove your point....

My in-laws have a cottage in Dorset and I'll echo most of what's been said here....you'll pick up the odd laker if you fish deeper shoals/humps for Smallies. If you want to target Lakers specifically you can flat-line right after ice out, otherwise downrigging is the most common method of getting them during the summer months when they are deep.

Huh??? It's pretty safe to say that no secrets were divulged in this post and any specifics were discussed via PM. BTW most headwater areas of Great Lakes tributaries contain Trout...oops there goes those fisheries.

PM sent

LMAO - too true...those are just the ways that we attempt to justify those bad days on the water. Still, being in Algonquin is never a bad thing. Looking forward to being on board for next year when we really find them!

Yep, Trout can be found anywhere north of Bolton. The river doesn't have enough flow and depth to be a really great Trout stream but they are present and there's even the odd monster Brown to be had but they don't get big by being easy to catch!

Nice one bud - that last fish is a great fish, pretty big for a specimen from Superior!

Sorry - I didn't notice that those results were from last year. For what it's worth, here's a photo borrowed from "Spoonpullers"...not sure if it's the final standings though. http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y40/nflboy07/top.jpg

http://www.thekingofthelake.com/tournaments.php?subID=1

Nice Bill - glad to hear that the Notty skunk isn't following you around anymore!!!

Thx Mike!

Agreed, it's humbling but very rewarding once you started getting "dialed-in". The hatch late in the season that you are referring to is Tricorythodes AKA "Tricos". It's actually one of my favourite hatches, and as you found out the Brookies REALLY take notice of them. Your pattern has to be dead-on and TINY ie #18-24!!! I have to admit that it's pretty frustrating when even the "tidlers" ie 6-8" fish are refusing your offering. Here's a picture of one - it's actually sitting on the cork of my 4wt which really shows how small they actually are!

As Bill M mentioned, please note the special regulations which apply to all water upstream of Olde Baseline Road in Caledon. In addition to no bait and single barbless hooks, all Trout are Catch & Release only. This does not preclude fishing with spinning gear as long as you follow the regs and as Bill mentioned, small spinners can be quite effective. I'm a dyed in the wool Steelheader but I spend a considerable amount of time in my favourite haunts during the late spring and early summer months on the Upper Credit with my 4wt. Generally speaking, the upper river can be divided into two sections - below the escarpment ie "The Cataract" (which is a waterfall where the river spills over the escarpment) and above the Cataract. You'll primarily find Browns below and Brookies above. A map with access points and landmarks ie the Cataract: http://www.creditvalleycons.com/recandleis...aplargeview.htm Here's a few of the incredible (wild) specimens that lurk up there!

Hey, I know that spot Nice one bud!

The Manistee fish are definitely a superior strain of fish...their origin spans back over 100 years to the original stocking that was done in the Great Lakes. The Big Manistee sees a combination of wild fish (which spawn in tributary rivers such as Bear Creek) as well as hatchery fish which are reared directly from wild fish, captured each year from the Little Manistee River. These fish are used to stock not only Michigan's southern rivers but are also stocked in Ohio as well as other states. These fish are definitely not the PA cookie cutters that most people think of when mentioning Lake Erie Steelhead. Some reading on the Little Manistee program: http://www.michigan.gov/dnr/0,1607,7-153-1...51534--,00.html

Great report as usual bud - you know that I would have loved to have gone if I could. We'll hit the lower Man again this November for sure. That 34" hen is beyond words...nice job on that one man!!!

RR it should be noted that parr/smolt survival from Atlantic plants in the Credit has been quite encouraging over the years. Fish are planted high in the nursery headwater area ie Forks of the Credit and based on counts, they are doing just fine. As someone who fishes up there all summer, I can personally attest to this fact as we catch little Atlantics all of the time while targetting Browns. I'm glad to see some factual information posted by experts who have direct working knowledge with the program (ie John from CRAA) rather than just the typical bashing from the nay-sayers whose opinions are usually lacking in factual information. I'm cautiously optimistic about this program and hope that it is successful...if not, at the very least our local watersheds and naturalized salmonid populations will be better for it from all of the rehab work associated with the project.

This is probably the best advise offered so far in this thread. It's all about balancing hooking power vs a natural presentation as the conditions and bait dictate. S. Ontario steelheaders are notorious for "over-finessing" everything from leader strength to shot size to hook size. Guys in Michigan laugh at us when we use "tiny" size 8 and 10 hooks. In fact, when Solopaddler and I were fishing the lower Manistee last fall we were running size 2's or even larger as we were using big huge bags for incredibly hot, aggressive fish. Using anything less meant a lot of pulled hooks, or even straightened hooks when really trying to muscle a hot fish. On the otherhand, if you are targetting spooky fish in clear water with single eggs, 14's or 16's are the way to go. Personally I generally follow what Muddler has described with Daiichi 1150's in size 10 being my go-to hook when fishing with roe under ideal or "green" conditions.

I can understand why some may feel that the Notty has been "off" this year. Compared to the past few fall seasons, fish were definitely harder to come by during the fall/winter of '08. Before attributing this to a population collapse etc, you should consider the vast amounts of precipitation which we received. For most of the season, the river was high which allowed fish to push upriver at will and they generally were not holding in the usual areas. This was actually true for a number of the GB and Huron rivers which I frequent on a regular basis. The fish were still there, just not where you normally expect to find them, again due to the higher water conditions. As for spots Joeytier, there are a multitude of places to fish. Grab a map or look at Google Earth, find a road crossing and go from there. Generally speaking, if you don't encounter any "No parking" or "No tresspassing" you are good to go (though as Fisherman stated, be aware of the Essa permit requirement if you are fishing on public lands in that township).

Thanks guys. Yeah Mike, it was a short window and now she's done again for a while. Scotty, I didn't make it out that way much this year...will drop you a line next time.

Thanks Bill. Don't worry, that curse is bound to lift and you'll love her for life! Try to find those bend pools and current seams which set up behind blow-downs etc.