MJL

Hey CC Good on you for getting out there. Looking at the wind howling from my window this morning, I really didn’t have any major desire to hit up the rivers. I saw a squirrel get blown off my fence post by the wind and decided today might just not be the day . This fall has been a little strange. There’s a couple tribs I’ve been hitting up on a regular basis and even under ideal, prime conditions they failed to produce any real numbers of fish (at least compared to what I used to regularly experience in the past). Hopefully the rivers will cough up a few more gems before freeze up

Great report as usual Mike…Congrats to the both of you. Also great tips for sure. Your self cocking floats with the leadcore sounds very interesting. When I was a kid learning how to float fish for steelhead, I grew up fishing with a few ex-pat Brits who fished my home rivers – They were finesse freaks running #6 or #8 shot all the way down from the float to the hook (usually #16 - #20 spade end hooks) and they never used more than 4lb line (mainline). They used to make their own floats as well that were self-cocking out of goose or porcupine quills. One of them gave me a book they brought over from the UK for his own kids (Which I guess they didn’t have much interest in reading – It was still in its plastic wrap)…It sort of outlines the floats they used to use in the frogwater on my local rivers…Here’s a scan: I’ve always been interested in making these floats myself but never fancied grabbing onto an angry goose’s ass to try to harvest some quills …Might give the leadcore a try myself instead this winter

Not sure if they have XL sized Riverwood bunny jigs in stock but you can try calling - Tightlines - Angling Specialties (Scarborough store has Riverwood jigs in stock) Not overly familiar with the tackle shops in your neighbourhood.

The ideas behind backing: 1. Instead of filling an entire spool with mono, try to fill it up with something lighter (Dacron, level fly line, cork sheeting, etc)…This will improve start-up as it will take less effort to get the spool to start spinning. 2. If you’re side casting, you’d want to fill your spool up to approximately 1/8th of an inch to the edge (backplate side of course.LOL) - Some guys prefer to fill it up even more than 1/8 of an inch…Think about spinning reels – An improperly spooled reel will cut down on your casting distance. Backing helps fill the spool up so you don’t really need to fill it up with something expensive and stuff you’ll probably never use beyond just as backing. 3. Theoretically speaking, increasing the diameter of your spool will increase the amount of line you pick up on the retrieve. Backing helps to increase the internal diameter of the spool where the line will be (similar to the large arbor effect in fly reels) - Those who bought 5" reels for the retrieve rate might as well make the most out of them by filling them up. 4. Backing was used to cushion the effect of stretching/contracting mono when it got wet and cold. Stanton users often used Dacron as a backing for this. Apparently when mono gets wet and cold, it can shrink and bust or warp the spool of the reel (I’ve never personally seen this myself but I did use Dacron anyway with the black Stanton I owned for a short while). With Stantons, you pretty much spool your line onto small pins inside the spool drum (these pins are the things that can warp or break). I’ve heard that shrinking mono can put up a force equivalent to 400-2300lbs per square inch when it gets wet…I’ve always been pessimistic about those numbers but that’s what I’ve been told by anglers who were better mathematicians and physicists than I was .

I think the guys who wallis/pull cast like using the stiffer lines better VS the guys who side cast. For the side casters, the limper lines allow for better distance on the cast (pretty much what you'd expect from a spinning reel). I prefer stiffer lines myself as I find they are usually more abrasion resistant and they handle nicely when wallis/pull casting or when doing a spinning side cast (usually do this when my fingers go numb from the cold ). Different strokes for different folks.

In terms of making a brine, I’ve always been told to put enough salt into the water until you can’t see it dissolving anymore – My friends bring the water up to a boil and dissolve the salt into it to make sure it’s been saturated (They do let it cool down in the fridge though before dumping the eggs in) – Probably unnecessary to boil but that’s what they do. Everyone has their own way of curing eggs and their own preference to what the ideal cured egg should feel and look like. I met one guy this fall who only uses roe from fish caught in that particular river using one out of a dozen curing methods dependent on a water temperature range at which the river will be at the day he fishes it . I think 8-10hrs in a brine bath is probably the longest I’ve heard people soaking eggs for…I remember someone telling me they only do it for no more than 10mins. With my eggs, I’ve kept them in the fridge from April through to mid-October (forgot to freeze them) and they still smelled and looked like they did when I first got them.

The roe I bum off my friends is cured pretty much the same way except they use sea salt instead of table salt – Soaked in salt brine for about 8-10hrs. They turn quite rubbery and will bounce if you drop them on the floor.LOL Takes a lot of pressure to break one by squeezing but there is still gooey goodness within. I rarely use fresh roe myself as whatever I get from my friends or from the tackle shop is cured that way. To put things into perspective with that particular cure, in terms of roe bag milking, I probably can get an hour worth of fishing the same bag before the eggs actually start to change colour (pretty insane eh compared to most other cures or fresh eggs). Is it still effective? You bet…I still do quite well in froggy water with my indestructible roe bags …I often forget my roe container in my wading jacket pocket for 1-2 weeks without refrigeration and just use them as is...The roe doesn’t really go bad and the stinky roe is what I use at night (it’s not stinky as in bad smelling…Just slightly more fishy smelling).

I absolutely love the whirlpool. The scenery there is magnificent. Really tempted to get down there myself this winter for the steelhead. It’s great you could hook up with Vinnimon. A few years ago, CharlieD took my dad and I down to the pool for our first trip there for steelhead...I will forever appreciate that gesture and he’s probably the reason I have yet to blank down there for the bows. I still remember my first trip down there for carp like it was yesterday as well as my first trip there for steelhead…It really pays to chat with the locals who fish down there for the steelhead…They’ve shown nothing but kindness and hospitality to me each trip I’ve gone down during steelhead season and gave me great tips. They put me onto some minnow patterns that worked great (like Gulp and some local streamer ties). The walk down and then up again is always worth it in my books The whirlpool has quickly become one of my new happy places

Now I just gotta convince you to make unnecessary gear acquisitions for 1% of the conditions you might ever face on the river - Victor and Kelfun know I can be very persuasive

Been using Raven mono since 2002 and I’ve been loving it. Raven 10lb in green or smoke is my line of choice to spool the pin with. I find 6-8lb Raven stretches too much and digs in after a battle with a big fish or a log). Around $12 for 1000 yards and I normally only spool up once in the spring and once in the fall – I get out 3-6 times a week (spring/winter/fall) depending on my schedule so I go through a fair bit of line snipping off to re-rig for different pools, etc. Never had a problem with abrasion or breakages. Tried Siglon V and Siglon F (I think…The hi-vis one) a number of times and I just kept losing floats to snags and breaking off on fish (even small shakers) even with a 4lb leader. Prior to switching over to Raven, I used Maxima Ultragreen in 8lb and it was a great line – No complaints.

Awesome report Ant…Great to finally meet you in person after so long. Was a tiring weekend for sure…Feeling pretty shattered with 2-3hrs of sleep the last few days (Cause was entirely fishing related ). Still thinking about losing that monster hen this morning Thanks for waiting a few extra minutes while I slept in on Saturday …Also many thanks for driving me around all weekend too…Really appreciate it – Rarely get the car on weekends now. Was a pleasure watching you beat your PB 3 times back-to-back-to-back as well as getting EC1 into his first steelhead as well. Mad fun this weekend!

I want Mariko Izumi for Christmas...Unwrapped is fine Also 1 - 13' 8wt spey conversion float rod 1 - John Milner Kingfisher centerpin reel (Bushings) 1 - 9wt Sage z-axis spey rod 1 - Tibor spey series fly reel + line 2 - Plane tickets to the Skeena River (I'm sure my dad wants to go too ) Here's hoping Santa will be generous this year...I've been a good boy this year

Nice chrome bullet Stonefly. I've been in a few situations where I've had to fight fish from the seat of my pants and on a couple occasions, from my belly...Earlier this spring, while fighting a fish, I slid into the river and fell onto my butt...Only thing was water began pouring into the top of my waders

Great report Laz...Well done to the both of you. Beauty fish all-around. Battling the wind and cold definitely paid off

Other things I've also pondered...Really If quizzes are quizzical then what are tests? How fast do hotcakes sell? Why do doctors leave the room while you change? They're going to see you naked anyway. Are eyebrows considered facial hair? If 4 out of 5 people suffer from diarrhea does that mean the fifth one enjoys it?

Is it easier to get a good drift with a centrepin VS spinning reel?…Sure Is a centerpin more EFFECTIVE at catching fish than a spinning reel?…No…I believe the effectiveness related to any piece of fishing equipment revolves around the abilities of the angler to use it to its greatest potential. In the hands of a skilled angler either reel will perform similarly to one another. You can go from free spool to total lock down with either reel too while fighting a fish. It’s up to the angler to be resourceful and find a way to use either type of reel to the best of their abilities – Practice makes perfect. Earlier this year, I had the pleasure of fishing with BBNotty and his son Brendan (who is an amazing angler and does use a spinning reel for his float fishing). Brendan’s ability to control his float down a long pool with his spinning reel rivaled that of most highly experienced centrepin anglers. By opening and closing his bail multiple times throughout the drift, he was able to create seamless, mind-blowlingly-orgasmic drifts (especially to the steelhead) and out fished pretty much every other angler on the river that day (I did give him a good run for his money though )…There are different ways to create a good drift with a spinning reel…Try a few, choose one (or a few) you’re most comfortable doing and like anything, practice.

Was the host named Zeb Hogan?...Sounds very similar to the show Mega-fish (or something along those lines). Here's Zeb with a 'baby' taimen Been compiling a list of monster freshwater fish I wanna catch at least once in my lifetime since I was a kid: Sturgeon, taimen, mahseer, arapaima, giant amazonian catfish, etc...I'm sure after I catch a Taimen, I probably wouldn't look at steelhead the same again

Holy mother of Gawd...Those are BEAUTIES!!! With monsters like those about, it kinda makes me wanna rethink the whole idea of skinny dipping

Great post Cliff. Good to see you getting into some fish. Gotta love the peace and quiet you get during those night time steelheading trips

Nicely done Tibbs...That sturgeon is super cool to the max! I've hooked only 1 baby one down in the Niagara about 24 inches long or so but it popped off close to shore...Tempted to try for some BC monsters hopefully soon. Great report and pics and congrats on some great marks...Keep at it.

Beauty fish Jim…Nicely done…Methinks I spied you on Friday working your spinner magic in a long, deep, quiet pool in the afternoon Spinners rock! Mike

Awesome job with the log jams. Basic routine: Lock the spool, bend the rod down to the cork and walk backwards

Too amazing for words Mike Congrats on a great day out

For my own spinner fishing, I prefer casting upstream (preferably straight upstream if possible) and retrieve with the current or just enough to feel the spinner blade working. With this method, you can control the depth at which you fish the lure much easier. When you take a standard weighted spinner (like a Mepps Aglia, Vibrax, Panther Martin, etc) and cast it downstream, the lure will tend to rise up in the water column as you retrieve it (It may rise out of the strike zone). Light spinners (like the Vibrax) will tend to rise up on their own if you just hold them in the current. I find the down and across method works best in shallower runs and riffles as opposed to long deep pools or runs. Considering the spinner blade shape is pretty important as well in deciding which spinner to use at what depth and in what current. In slow froggy water or in medium speed current with little depth, I probably would choose a spinner with a Colorado blade because it turns the easiest when you retrieve and you can slow roll them in close to the bottom (great for winter spinner fishing). For deep faster runs, I'd choose something with a willow type blade like a Mepps Aglia Long or a double loon. It takes more effort to crank them in and get the blades turning but they don't tend to rise up on the retrieve. For fishing water between super froggy and in super fast current, French blade spinners are the ones I use the most. Mepps Aglia and Vibrax use these type blades. I use Mepps quite a bit when fishing the classic long, smooth moderate flowing pools. I class panther martins by themselves because they have an elongated type blade like a willow leaf but turn quite easily on the retrieve. Pick a size suitable for the conditions and most likely you can find a way to fish them. I normally carry a bunch of each type of spinner and switch up to different styles during the day. If you're float fishing and want to try spinners, no problem...Pick up a few spinner blades, clevises and beads and thread them onto your line below the float. Fishing unweighted spinners can be deadly in winter. Rig up your float rod as you would for fishing roe, jigs, pink worms, etc except thread on the Spinner blade + clevice a bead and then tie on a hook at the end of your leader...I find bulk shotting works best in most cases. Cast across and downstream and swing the spinner across the river towards shore...If you're fishing in a spot with some current, you can just hold back on the float a little to get the blade to spin...If not you may need to raise the rod tip or crank the reel a little to get them to turn. Spinner fishing is highly addictive - you may never get used to the way steelhead smash them

Top water steelhead…Hell Yeah!!! For me it’s my holy grail of fishing. I’ve been blessed to have caught 1 3-4lb chrome steelhead on a dry fly (my only fish ever caught on a dry fly). I’ve also fished for them subsurface a foot or two with original rapalas as well as the jointed model in fast current - Watching them wake behind your lure as you retrieve it in is an insane rush. Like all things fishing, it’s dependant on weather and seasonal conditions (something I’m still learning myself after 7-8yrs of trying for topwater steelhead). I give surface fishing a try once or twice a year either with the fly rod or with lures…I don’t have the sheer dedication to pursue it all the time – It’s definitely not a numbers thing but it does happen to those who are persistent.