MJL

Between Sinker and Solo, I wouldn’t be surprised if there was close to 60yrs worth of steelheading knowledge and experience pooled between the both of them – Not to forget the other guys who chimed in… As far as evolution goes, centrepins are the oldest reels in history developed by the Chinese a few thousand years ago (made of wood) and perfected by the English in the 1400’s…Surely spinning reels and baitcasters (with multiplier gearing and drags) would be the next step… If I had to choose only 1 reel to take with me on a trip, a 2000 or 2500 sized spinning reel would be my choice for sheer versatility. I almost always have my spinning reel with me in my bag as a backup as well as for bottom bouncing or tossing lures (often times I bring a dedicated spinning outfit along too). If I lost the center screw on my pin I could easily use my spinning reel to drift floats down river (Which I did 2wks ago - found the screw in the end though). From a use perspective, I use a pin for the sheer fun of fighting a fish with it. The only limitation a spinning reel has for presenting baits or fighting fish is the limitation in skill of the angler using it. Can you go from total free spool to lock down while fighting a fish with a spinning reel? Definitely: Just finger the spool with your index finger (not too different from using a pinky as a drag with the pin)…With the right technique you can make the same long, drag-free drifts as well as trot the float back. Is it easier to drift a float with a centrepin? Sure, it’s more efficient to use one…Is a centrepin more effective at drifting? No I don’t believe that anyone here is arguing that spinning reels are more efficient or effective than a centrepin at drifting…They are arguing that spinning reels can be AS effective at drifting given the skills of an angler to adapt and use them. By ‘effective’ I’m referring to the fact that you can make the same drag free drift as you can with a centrepin. With regards to bottom bouncing, understandably it’s a different culture on the rivers now (at least for Lake O tribs) – Most guys who are starting the float game now do so with a centrepin. They don’t think they can use a spinning reel to achieve the same quality of drifts as with a pin (or they get frustrated learning how to or see the growing population of pinners pounding fish – More pinners = more fish caught with pins). Lake O rivers nowadays are silt choked, slow moving ditches (not that they weren’t before but way more now) which makes bottom bouncing less desirable to do (though still very possible). If I was faced with a river full of pocket water or stretches of deep, fast flowing water, I wouldn’t hesitate to leave a $1400 float combo behind at home and use my 9ft med action spinning combo to bounce bottom. If I was going to purposely snag or line a fish, I wouldn’t use a float either…It would save me $2.50 in tackle in case I break off as well as give me a more direct point to snag a fish with. I see tons of float guys run ‘search’ leaders well overdepth attempting to line fish in shin deep water – It works both ways With all said and done, with the right guidance, a newbie can pick up a spinning reel + float rod and within a 5-10min lesson can pound fish…As EC1 can attest from last December. I must say, he did have a kick-ass guide…

Congrats on some nice fish...Awesome video Dave Do you use an auger like this?

I can come by with my DSLR and take some better pics for you...Mind you, the best light to use is natural sun-light...Especially outside...At the river...

HOLY BUCKETS! Those are nice fish! Well done Scenery is absolutely gorgeous...Road trip anyone?

Don't you mean Justin is a wizard? Witches are ladies...Not that there's anything wrong with the way Justin sets her hook...

Acentone can take finish off a messed up rod AND a kitchen table…Thank God for table coasters and vases Show us some custom rod porn already!

Great report as always Mike

Super cool pics! Totally neat the wildlife you can find around the city.

My 2 friends who guide up in Alaska buy their beads from regular craft stores in different colours and sizes. They have orange and pink ones but a good bulk of their collection are plain white or beige ones which they paint with nail polish (in various shades of red, orange, peach, etc) and a variety of other paints (like powdered dyes) to match the exact lifecycle of the eggs in the river (sometimes they paint each bead individually)…Sounds kinda insane that they go through all that work but having the wrong coloured bead might not get you any fish at all during prime time up there. Good luck in BC. Keep us posted on how you do...I've gotten a sudden urge to visit some family who I've never seen before who live minutes away from the Fraser Mike

I vividly remember walking around Ashbridges bay park a few years ago in mid April. There was an angler tossing a big buctail spinner (Mepps Musky Killer I believe), fixed to his wire leader with his Med-heavy action baitcasting outfit...Pretty sure he had the intent to fish for pike. As luck would have it, as I was walking by, he hooked and landed a huge chrome brown trout over 15lbs on his set up. As unethical as some anglers can be, as Solopaddler said, Lake O isn't a sanctuary for other species at this time. I've caught browns and salmon on Husky Jerks and jointed raps during pike season along with sheepshead and the odd carp (on Cleos of all things). There are also some steelheaders who target 'suckers' in areas closed for trout...If I remember correctly, a number of years ago, steelheaders could also target "Atlantic Salmon" in Bronte when they had a year round season for them.

Good to know Craig One question that comes to mind for the registered property lines is, does the property include the water (liquid or frozen) directly above the stream or lake bed? Not that I personally have any desire to float down private stretches of the Willy or S.V creek. There are a few rivers and streams I know of with privately owned stream beds (Some parts of the upper Saugeen for example) that are part of major canoe and kayak routes – I’ve done trips through a few stretches myself without actually fishing. Once was I told I couldn’t be there till I showed the lady a map of the route going through her property (she did give me a lecture on how she had to pay for property taxes though). For carp fishermen, having a lead sinker on bottom is inevitable – however for tournament bass guys who cast towards docks and shorelines with suspending swim baits or jerk baits (or any bait that doesn’t reach bottom), would they still be considered tresspassing on the property of the land owner even if they never set foot or anchor on it? EDIT It appears that water can be included as part of the property according to the Trespass to Property Act 1990 - Though not in any great detail in what capacity it means “premises” means lands and structures, or either of them, and includes, a. water, b. ships and vessels, c. trailers and portable structures designed or used for residence, business or shelter, d. trains, railway cars, vehicles and aircraft, except while in operation. (“lieux”) R.S.O. 1990, c. T.21, s. 1 (1). A couple responses from the MNR. From the Ask a CO web-site: http://www.outdoorontario.net/AskMNR/mnrfaqfish.html Question 20: Regarding property and ownership, if I am in a boat does a landowner have the right to refuse access to waters around their property? At what point does the landowners property begin? Asked on October1/99 Answer from the MNR: There is no one simple answer to this question. In some cases, yes the landowner does indeed have the right to refuse access to waters around his/her property. For instance, you may not access public waterways via private property. In many of the rivers and streams which are not normally used for navigation purposes, the owners of the property surrounding the stream can prohibit access. In a lake, there are cases where the property owner does have legal rights (for a specified distance which varies from one lake to the next) extending out from his/her shoreline. In other lakes, the landowners property extends to the shoreline and no further. My advice is that when you are fishing around someones dock for instance from a boat, and you see the owner along shore, you kindly ask permission to fish around the dock. Most cottage owners will respect your courtesy and allow you fish there. One related question to property access Question 170: On a navigable river, i.e. Nottawasaga or such like, is it permmisable to walk on the river bank up to the high water mark, even though it is posted as No Trespassing? Asked May 13, 2002 Answer from the MNR This is a little tricky. If the river is navigable and the bed of the river or stream is Crown land, then you are not tresspassing if you are in the water. But there are some landowners that legally own the river bottom. If the river is non-navigable then the river bottom is private land and you would be tresspassing if there was appropriate signage as set out in the Tresspass to Property Act posted along the river. I would stongly suggest you contact the landowner in question in order to avoid any problems.

Welcome to the board Nick If you’re wading in the water or floating a canoe and anchoring up in the water anywhere around cooks bay, you are fishing on crown land (despite what landowners tell you). Cooks bay is a navigable waterway and the water and bottom of the lake is owned by the crown. This web-page may be helpful in understanding navigable waterways. http://www.greybruceoutdoors.com/guestwriters/ChrisHutton-navigablewaters.shtml Obviously try to be polite when mentioning to irate landowners that they can be charged for interfering with your fishing under the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Act 1997. Should higher authorities such as the police or conservation officers get involved, they would be violating your right to fish under the Heritage Hunting and Fishing Act 2002 by asking you to leave. If you see carp in the shallows, fish away…But don’t step onto dry land till you reach a public area.

Well done Aaron...Beauty fish all around

Yes it can. Surf fishermen and carp anglers casting at long range often use shock leaders to minimize the probability of cracking off. It’s not about fatiguing the line with repeated casts that causes the line to break (though theoretically it can), it’s the single sudden shock experienced on the line at that one single moment during the cast. Shock leaders are a length of heavy mono or super strong braid spliced onto the end of the mainline to take the force of the cast (often 30-45lb for 3-4oz weights). I use them for my long range carp fishing at 100+ yards - I use the specialty tapered shock leaders though which taper from 45lb to 10lb (when using 30lb PowerPro or 10lb mono for a mainline). I find punching too early during the cast or not smoothly accelerating during the casting stroke can cause crack offs no matter the line you're using.

Big water, chrome fish, nice weather, sharing some drifts with friends...Can't think of a better way to spend a day. Simply beautiful Mike. Thanks for sharing your adventure with us. Now if only the Frogwaters came in 4.5 inches and in jet black...

I use 65lb PowerPro for my ‘extreme’ carp fishing when zebra mussels are involved. I do find lighter breaking strains just don’t have the same abrasion resistance for zebra mussels. Everywhere else, I found PowerPro (15-20lb) very reliable and handled snags great (often times I pull snags to shore with it) – Still have PowerPro spooled on my reels since 2001. It sounds like you may have a cracked guide or simply a bad batch of line – Possibly a counterfit spool from China which made their rounds a couple years ago?

Buy a size way smaller and keep the receipt...Kept me out of the doghouse and off the leash so many times As for over estimating something else TO your girlfriend... "I WAS IN THE POOL! I WAS IN THE POOL!"

Angling Specialties has a good selection of stuff and they do mail order I believe. You can get blanks from Lamiglas, St. Croix, Sage and Raven from them. The also have a few Hardy fly rod blanks left I believe. You can also get stuff from John Collina out of Caledonia (JC Tackle) One mail order company out west in BC is http://www.rodbuildersupplies.com/ I’ve ordered from - Mudhole in Florida (www.mudhole.com) - Munich Rod Man (Mark Crouse – website is gone) Shipping rod blanks over 36” long (multi pieced) is very expensive – USPS cannot handle them so you’re pretty much stuck with using UPS or FedEx. You can expect to pay 50%-70% of the cost of the blank just in shipping, customs and brokerage. Buy in Canada if you can. My $205 carp blank I ordered from West Virginia ended up being $26 worth in shipping + $94 in brokerage and over sized shipping fees. It was 6ft long broken down. In the past, the G. Loomis plant used to be a good source of stuff. I used to buy components from the trunk of one of the reps who fished the Ganny – Loomis Canada is gone. Same with D&M when they went bust and had a fire sale on stuff.

Nicely done Dan...Great to hear the kids got excited too. Very tempted to break out the carp gear soon.

But Mike, everyone knows you need a 13' rod to catch steel My dad can't work the pin either...2000 Daiwa Emblem Z for him

Congrats on a beauty buck! Pretty neat thread. The physiological/biological side of thing is pretty interesting (at least for me)…I’ve been interested in studying all the various strains of steelhead for quite some time. There are a number of ways of calculating fish weight. I’ve been doing some of my own research over the years on fish weight and have come up with the realization that the formulas used can be varied depending on the actual genetic strain of the steelhead measured. For example: The classic formula: LxGxG/800 formula I’ve seen used with salmon and steelhead as well as tuna, mackerel and barracuda. From what I’ve read, the 800 number was applied to take into account the length and girth associated with dead fish due to shrinkage. Tom Keelin (An engineer and fly fisherman from BC) came up with the formula specifically for the steelhead of the Babine river in BC (which apparently are even built differently than those from neighbouring rivers like the Kispiox and Bulkley). His formula is: LxGxG/690 with 80% accuracy. With that said, some of the fish from the Babine river are built more like chinnies I met one angler at the local fly shop who fished the Dean River in B.C (Near Bella Coola) and recommended that I use this chart for my planned trip there (which never did happen One formula I remember growing up with is to take the length in inches and subtract 20 from it to get how many pounds it was for steelhead. I found it was OK for fish 22 inches and above out of the the eastern tribs and the Credit (given a deviation of +/- 1-1.5lbs). With all said and done, you caught a fine specimen and nobody can take away the moment you had catching it. As blunt as some of the comments were, they were merely opinions and as such, arguing them (or going postal worker on them) is pointless. If you caught it out of the river I’m thinking of, I’m hoping to get one like that there later this week. Mike

In terms of actually working the free-spool...No Reels with drags or anti-reverse mechanisms usually are hand retrieve specific - even then they can be switched around at least for drag models...But if you don't use them or get a reel with those features, it doesn't matter. The clicker on my islander is a little quirky...Presumably because most people in BC where it was made retrieve with their right hand...The clicker tension lets line out way easier than it is to reel in. Tightening it only seems to make reeling in harder. The only times I use the clicker is when walking from spot to spot or when I'm in the process of unhooking fish.

Can't say I've ever used or thought about using powerpro to wrap guides. I've also never heard of people using PowerPro to wrap guides on... I use rod tying thread made by Gudebrod - I get it from Angling Specialties (I live down the street from it)...It's pretty similar to sewing thread (which I've also used a few times in the past)but thicker and a little more round in diameter. Key is to get a thread that isn't covered or sprayed in silicone or oil (some are for some reason)...You'll end up with a screwed up finish if there's even a bit of silicone on it...Silicone and epoxy do not mix. If you're using a thread covered in silicone, the only way I know of to get around it is to use colour preserver over top of the thread...Let dry...Apply your epoxy.

Islander gets my vote...Bullet proof reels that run smooth, don't wobble and can be used pretty much in every flow imaginable. Only gripes I have are the line capacity is insanely huge...Also seems the clicker on mine was designed for right hand retrieve so the line comes out a little too easy when walking from spot to spot - Islander might've changed this though as my friend doesn't have the problem with his...I bought mine a while back when they phased out the Pacific Steelheader. Had mine for years and keeps on trucking. For a value reel, I was pretty impressed with the Okuma Aventa my friend has - Knock off of the old Raven SST if you think about it...It runs surprisingly smooth for the price. As others have mentioned, I'd worry more about the rod than the reel. I'd jump on it like a fat kid on chocolate Great deal

Done!