MJL

Thanks again guys

Mike you should come follow me around for a week this fall!

 

Killer stuff bud! Love it and miss it.

I hope bull trout are easier to catch than lake trout

Absolutely outstanding photography Mike, I can't even begin to imagine the stealth needed to sneak up on them feeding Browns.

Those shots of the fish feeding mostly involved me sitting in the stream with my finger on the shutter button for 45 minutes (after 45 minutes they came back out to feed). I guess they used me as a current break afterwards. Water was pretty damn cold though - I forgot the camera remote at home.LOL

Great report Stephen

It's been a few years since I took the fly rod out for giant goldfish...Definitely gotta get back into it...Is that a Sage XI2 you're chucking flies with?

...some of my carp buddies have had multiple days...like fifteen or twenty...(Sigh*)

 

Will keep you posted...and will try to remember camera...

Numbers cease to matter when you're in the company of good friends...Hope to see you out sometime this season

Great reports BTW

Nice one Lorne

HUGE!

Thanks guys. Glad you liked the pics

I sense a career for you in photography! Unbelievable pictures Mike!

Cliff I did have a career in photography...I took pictures of models...You know...Whirlpool & Maytag washers and dryers

Now you know how I feel.

 

While going through your pics, I was looking out for the big buck brown that violated me last year.

Soooo glad you didn't get him

Did you try for him in that wood?!

 

Fantastic photos. The fact that you're out there by yourself taking these shots is awesome.

One of these days we'll get some half and half shots with the angler in the background

I did catch the fish that violated you...He was 26 inches long but terribly unphotogenic. I opted not to take pics of him

Incredible shots! Given the rain we had last Thursday, I'm surprised you were able to find water that clear. I'm shopping around for an underwater camera and was wondering what you are using.

 

Thanks in advance,

 

Jon

Jon, for the underwater shots, I used my Canon 40D with an 11-16mm lens. I have the setup inside an underwater housing. It's definitely not easy to use (especially shooting with 1 hand while fighting a fish with the other but at 1/3 the cost of the next cheapest professional housing, I can't complain. Pain in the ass when you have to bushwhack though. The above water shot of the brown was taken with a Canon T3i.

Some of the shots of the brookies were taken during a thunderstorm on Wednesday evening. 5 minutes later, the river was a silty grey and mostly un-fishable.

Since trout opener, I’ve made a few forays to the streams in search of brookies & resident browns. By far they are the prettiest fish we have in Ontario and definitely some of my favourite fish to catch. It’s certainly a change from steelheading though. Pin-point accurate casting, hero drifts underneath log jams and ghost-like stealth are required. Study to be silent and disappear. With gin clear water and high sun, it was a challenge. Aside from my fishing gear, I also brought along my camera gear in the hopes of taking some nifty shots.

Brookies

Browns

Yesterday I hit 7 different streams over the course of 14hrs for wild browns. In 2 of the streams the browns were just insanely coloured up. Vibrant yellows, reds and many with big leopard spots. They fought with reckless abandon and many tail-walked and jumped like a steelhead. Lost 1 biggun around 6-7lbs to the wood

Smashed a panther Martin

Camouflage

21 inch warrior that lost a bit of its tail

I also managed to sneak up to 1 shallow riffle and take a few shots of browns holding in the current and feeding.

Yesterday I also discovered 1 stream just loaded with brookies. Ironically it was some of the toughest fishing I’ve ever experienced for them. They were just too smart.

I did land a small handful though on extremely tiny nymphs my friend tied up for me (I borrowed his 0wt fly rod for the day which made even tiny fish feel big.LOL)

I felt like a kid again exploring new waters and hunting down fish yesterday. The blood sucking bugs were also totally absent which made the trip even more awesome. I walked the distances through thick forests and muddy bogs to find some amazing spots – It was therapy for the soul.

Awesome report Paulus...Just loving the pictures

Awesome Brian

What a story!

That's awesome Mike & Fidel...Hard work, persistance and a bit of luck always pays off

The colour of that meat is just insane!

Next year I definitely gotta get up there for some action...Definitely with a roll of duct tape in my pack.LOL

Do you have any more info on them? I found what appears to be a web site, but it's rather generic, with lots of different suppliers on it.

The reels are machined in Toronto. There's a few different models but the 2 main types are the regular drag model & the Anti-reverse model. They are not cheap (and they're a little heavier than other reels) but they're one of the very few reels that just feel right in my hands.

A pair that I use

Still think you should've gone with pink guide wraps...Pink always attracts steelhead!

Great job Chris

It's hard to beat the feel of a steelhead pounding hardware. Nicely done

Great video Shawn. Brings back a lot of memories

The Islands used to be a regular haunting ground for me. I used to bus it to the subway station with all my gear, take the subway to Union, walk to the ferry docks and ferry over. My last stalking session there was in 2008 – I haven’t been back since. For a few seasons, I spent 4-5 days a week there in the summer trying to hunt down 1 massive fish that I saw during each trip – Never did catch it but I never went home empty handed. It's just a carp stalkers wonderland. I definitely gotta make a trip back there this season. It’s been too long.

Thanks for sharing

Nicely done guys

Great way to Christen the boat. Now when I see lakers and float suits in one picture, it's hard to imagine them coming from anywhere other than an 8 inch hole.LOL

Cheers and thanks again guys

Next we'll see a shot of you & Justin Beiber,on the front page of the Sun, with HIM holding your fish up! Where would a person pick up a copy of the book . . . . it looks VERY interesting!

Steve, I don't think there are any book stores or tackle shops in Canada that have a copy of it. One of the writers gave me this link where you can order the book online from the UK:

http://www.booksoncarp.co.uk/

Still waiting for my copy of the book to arrive (I'm guessing it should be in my hands in a couple weeks).

Mike

Just Amazing Richard

No doubt in my mind you could do it.

Happy B-day Brian...Looks like an awesome celebration you had today

I fished with the famous one today. I didnt get an autograph,I just got to fish with another great angler.

Brian, if you want an autograph, I can sign the new float stick that Spiel is building for you and he can epoxy right over it. It'll last forever that way

I'm getting a serious case of the munchies right now! I've only eaten smelt once but they were delicious...I'll definitely have to get in on some of that action one day

Thanks guys

I don't know why Mike but this is kind of what I was expecting to see. :rofl2:

Not quite Dave...But I do have to admit that the guy on that cover page is one handsome looking fellow

Mike, that's awesome!!!!!!

 

I've got a similar waterproof softcase for my 60D, haven't had the stones to put it in the water yet

Bill, Risk = Reward...Totally worth it! I've been watching various online vids on youtube for the Canon 1D X...That, along with perhaps the new 24-70mm f/2.8 II L would be the ULTIMATE combo to dunk

I generally fish for those suckers up at Beaverton . . . . . I didn't do too well this year . . . . only got one about 3 pounds. They're just in from Lake Simcoe and also average 3 - 4 pounds with some H U G E ones 2 - 3 pounds more. On a small panfish rod & 4 pound line, they can give you a helluva tussle! What large body of water do they come from out there, Lake Erie? Ya never see 'em anyplace in the summer & fall, or ice fishin?' They are also great to eat outta the cold water . . . . if ya can stand forever picking all the tiny bones out of 'em.

Steve, I've caught redhorses in Lake Ontario, Erie and G-bay tribs and my friend caught 1 weighing in at 9lbs from 1 Huron trib last spring. So long as they don't have to jump over any dams, they can swim pretty far up the river (Furthest up river I ever caught one was probably 70-80km from the lake). After they spawn they just migrate back to the lake like steelhead and chill out there for the rest of the year.

Managed to catch a couple today from 1 river. First redhorse for me in a couple years

And to compare, your average, every day white sucker

Last summer I posted a carp fishing report with a few underwater pics. Someone out there spotted them and contacted me asking to use a couple for a book he wanted to publish. I didn’t think much of it but after a couple e-mails, a deal was made. 9 months later, who would’ve thought?

The fish in the picture was landed by Frozen-Fire using his 13’6” Diamondback float rod and centrepin...The hair rig in the picture was tied by yours truly so technically, that makes it my fish too

Pretty cool to say the least. I don’t have the book in my hands yet but I’m definitely looking forward to reading it when it makes it over from the UK. Contributing writers to the book (like Ken Townley) have been instrumental to the way I fish for carp myself - I've been reading his articles since I was 6.

Unlike one former fishing magazine editor on this forum, I didn’t splurge and buy a car.

I did buy a new underwater housing though...Hoping to take some timelapse pics of salmon & steelhead migrating up rivers as well as carp feeding close to shore

Cheers

Mike

I guess tomorrow I'll have to catch all those 20lb steelhead you missed today

Just kidding...25lb steelhead

Brian, if you were so keen on getting Dave onto some fish, shouldn't you have left the rod at home?

Great report and pics

very nice

 

so you have to walk in the river

 

what do I need for that, hip waders or something

Waders are optional Terry...You could always walk in without a pair...Like at the beach

Awesome!

I've only managed to catch a few redhorses but they fight way better than white suckers. I definitely should make a trip soon to a couple rivers that I know get runs of them...Looks like great fun, especially with big ones like those.