MJL

Congrats Goran! Best wishes for the both of you WTG

Nice fish dude...Great meeting you the other week on the river.

Beautiful fish Dave...Well done!

As Kemper mentioned, spool some fly line backing onto the spool and then spool mono over top of it. Dacron lines also work well as a backing - I've got 30lb Cortland Musky Master filled up on my Islander. Some reels have shallower spools (eg. Angspec, JW youngs') and backing isn't entirely necessary for those reels (if you plan on wallis casting most of the time you don't need much line on the spool anyway). I think I only ran about 50-60 yards of mono on a JW.Young (Bob James) when I owned one briefly.

Yes this is the way to do it Here’s what I’ve done in the past: Take a hair dryer or heat gun to remove the wood butt cap depending on what adhesive the builder used to stick it on – with enough heat, 5 min epoxy softens up (try not to cook the blank though). Alternatively, carefully cut it off with a dremel tool and scrap it. Carefully take a sharp razor to the cork on the butt grip and remove as much as you can – Clean residue with a combo of light heat from a hair dryer and methyl hydrate or acetone (AngSpec sells a solvent which cleans it up even better - Acetone has done some weird things to rod blanks in my experience...I don't recommend using it). A lot of the custom turned wooden reel seats I’ve used on float rods didn’t slide off the bottom section because the internal diameter was drilled out narrow so you didn’t have to shim it much with tape (or graphite shims) to get a snug fit – take a dremel cutting tool to that. Once you’ve got the cork and reel seat off and cleaned off most of the cork, tape and epoxy residue from the blank, you can start to rebuild the cork handle from the bottom end. As said a couple times before, the utmost care must be taken as to not damage the blank in the process. Also not one of the most enjoyable things to do when fresh steel is going up the rivers.LOL From what I’ve been told recently by a rep, with G. Loomis rods should you require warranty service, all you have to do is cut off the decal on butt section of the blank (just above the fore grip) and ship it in. Doesn’t matter if you’ve done custom stuff (like change the guides or add a reel seat). A lot of guys who run the newer GLX float rods, switch the recoil guides to SIC (or other ceramic rings) and put in a reel seat. The owners of the newer 13’ IMX float rods are switching up the guide spacing from the current 9 (I believe) to 14. Those running the older GL3 and IMX have the same deal (I think)…You just gotta ship in the decal + $75 and you get either the new GLX or the new IMX. That's what I've been told when I inquired about getting a new float rod for myself... It's best to call Shimano Canada's customer service hotline and confirm.

Stripping down a handle and rebuilding it can be pretty labour intensive at times (Especially if you can't remove the reel seat from the butt end). I'd rather watch epoxy dry and hand turn a rod than scrape cork residue and hardened epoxy off a blank There was one rod builder in the Niagara region who posted here (CCRods)...Think he might've gotten out of the business though...Worth shooting him a PM. Also - John Collina (JC tackle Calendonia) - Randy (Natural Sports in Kitchener) - Phil Ptak (Not sure if he's still building but he's not far from you in Buffalo...He fishes up in Hamilton for carp sometimes) Spiel might be able to do it for you too.

Too insane for words I recently just started fishing for small stream brook trout this spring (after a lifetime of wanting to) but I'll be working my way up to the steelhead-sized coaster ones hopefully soon - Already have a trip in mind to the Nipigon Great photos and editing. Love the colours especially on the last one. I remember listening to a podcast online of Brian O'Keefe giving some photography tips which I've used myself in my own nature photos. He does great work. Thanks for sharing...An inspiration of what I want to achieve in my fishing and photography career

I heard he can examine your lamprey and get it back to life should it go dead and limp

You could always try bottom bouncing the fast water provided it isn't too snaggy – I like doing this. I do quite well fishing artificials like plastic minnows, plastic worms, plastic eggs, sponge eggs, yarn flies, bigger flies with stiff hackles, etc. You can also try what Bill mentioned…Big floats (11gr to ?) and use a ton of lead (split shots, slinkies, pencil lead, bass worm weights, etc) to get down to the bottom. When I fish the Niagara (fairly fast water and deep in a lot of places), I carry an assortment of floats (mostly slip floats) ranging in size from 11gr to 28gr (I think). This spring when I was down there, I set my float to 25-30ft and launched it in the middle of no where in the really fast stuff and got into a few fish – Really made me rethink about the way I cover water. Really liking the big blackbird balsa slip-floats and the Raven slip floats for big fast water - I destroyed way too many Drennans . For size reference, the 2 floats on the left are what I normally use for small/med sized Lake O tribs...The other floats with a stack of shots on them are for the Niagara and pier fishing

No clue if it's genetic WD...I guess it might be because I was asked if it ran in the family. You do realize that "Salvelinus" = Char (as in brook trout and lakers) Didn't they at least supply you with the popsicle sticks to start you off on your gold digging adventures? Too funny!

No worries Mike...I'll take a baggy of fresh brown roe as compensation (j/k)

I use the split shots called "Sure Shot" (Got them on sale in bulk for cheap)...I normally just slide the shots up and down the mainline to get whatever shotting pattern I need (I might switch floats and add more shots if need be). If my shots are rigged evenly spaced between the leader and the float and I need to get down fast to fish faster water, I just slide them down and clump a bunch together just above the leader (I do put a few small shots on my leader though which most people don't)...Not sure how hard the Raven shots are but some shots do fray and crimp the line as you slide them up and down (always check for line damage).

Beautiful pics and great report Louis. The 3rd steelie pic is my fav.

Great reportage Mike. Gnarly looking coho for sure. There's 2 rivers I regularly fish which are notorious for late running chinnies (fresh chrome ones mixed in too along with the zombies). One river there are literally loads of them from mid August through to mid November. The second river the main run starts much later on average compared to all the other ones around it (Usually mid/late October and ends in late November/December)...I've caught silvery (not entirely chrome) and lightly darkened chinnies in mid December. One fish I hooked into in mid-December, I thought I hooked a world record steelie till I brought it up to the surface Was a slightly darkened king...No complaints

Nice fish Stonefly. Both fish are browns. Like Dave524 mentioned, they look like different age classes. Earlier this spring I caught a bunch of juvenile brown trout smolts with the typical parr markings while fishing for the bigger resident trout. Here's one

Earlier this year (the month of June) I pretty much had what you’re going through except replace “every couple days” with “everyday, 20 times a day” for 3.5 weeks. I had no pain, no cramping, no nausea, no real fatigue – In my case it was damn inconvenient and my sleep patterns were a little screwed up...Missed out on a carp fishing tourney and bunch of other trips. My diet didn’t change. I lost 7lbs in 2 weeks which doesn’t sound like much but for those who’ve met me in person, they know I didn’t have much weight to lose to begin with – I’m already stick thin and underweight as is. My doctor thinks I might have had some sort of intestinal parasite (something like giardia or cryptosporidium – I doubt it though). By the time I finished a slough of blood tests, stool tests, abdominal and thyroid ultrasounds I no longer had the runs...My doc did say I might have other problems with my kidneys though. See your family doctor if you can ASAP. Could be a whole bunch of stuff which can be tested for like: Celiac disease (allergies to wheat), lactose intolerance (can’t drink milk or eat cheese), allergies to other certain foods, IBS (Irritable bowel syndrome), Intestinal parasites, mild case of bacteria poisoning, etc.

I've got a pair of Orvis breathables. Bought them 6 years ago and abused them in just about every imaginable way With steel going up the rivers in good numbers, I'd rather sit out a couple days than 4-8 weeks waiting for them to get fixed. In 2hrs I'll be doing another bath tub test

Loving the colour Bill. Nicely done

Awesome Fidel! Stunning fish to re-Christen the rod with. Really glad you enjoy the new stick...Bet the wifey also enjoys that you saved some $ to spend on her All hail the mighty cobra sized dewy! I spent most of this weekend gooping aquaseal on my waders...I've got pinholes, holes and seam leaks materializing out of control!

I've also been looking for a rod in the 11'-11'6" length mainly for some of the smaller rivers near my house. With Loomis Canada gone, there really isn't a whole lot of options available for rods in that length in a "great lakes style" of action. Some rods that I've found but haven't had the chance to have in my hand and are currently available on the market include (in no particular order): - 11'6" St. Croix Wild River (4-10) - 11'3" G. Loomis GLX (6-10) - 11'6" Raven IM6 (6-12) If you build your own rods or know someone local who does, you can also take a look at building a switch fly rod conversion - I might go this route myself with an 11ft 5/6wt for the rivers I fish. If you do decide to go the switch rod conversion route, take note that very few companies will warranty the blank if it breaks in that configuration...I think Sage might be the only one that does. The blanks are also generally more tip heavy and faster in action than most purpose built float rod blanks. I'm not really familiar with the rivers up Superior way so it's hard to recommend what rod action to look for to suit your fishing needs. Maybe some of the other anglers who fish up there can chime in.

I believe they changed the regs a year or two ago. Prior to the changes, the MNR told me it was open to steelhead, salmon and browns between the last Saturday in April to Sept 30 with no extended season. I've fished highland creek a couple times in spring after the trout opener and caught mostly suckers and chub. Did catch 1 bow after the opener but didn't see any other ones. According to a few of my friends who occasionally fish there and have the river going through their backyards, they say there really isn't a major run of steelhead - Just the odd pods of fish that come up (perhaps strays?).

Was it Boca Bearings? http://www.bocabearings.com/main1.aspx?p=s...g=5&mfr=753 Hope this helps

Hey Dan If you're looking for an Islander new, some stores you can check out not too far from Toronto include (But not limited to) - Natural Sports - Angling Specialties -Tightlines - BPS at one time had a few...Not sure if they do now Islanders are great reels...Had mine for ages and it has never let me down. My only gripe is I think the clicker was designed more for people who retrieve with their right hand (at least on mine) - Clicker lets line out much easier than it is to wind in.

Beautiful pictures Mike. Great report! That river looks absolutely stunning

Like ‘Musky or Specks’ mentioned, your set-up sounds just perfect for tossing spinners and lures to steelhead. My favourite set-up for spinner fishing small to medium sized tribs is a: - 7ft Shimano Convergence (3pc) rated (8-17lb) but has a soft tip with a very meaty butt section. Handles lines down to 4lb just fine - 2000 Shimano Stradic - 6-8lb mono (I hate fluorocarbon mainlines…They are a pain to use) When fishing bigger rivers with spinners or lures, I bump up to a 9’ medium light or medium action spinning rod (Rated 6-10 or 8-12lb). I find with shorter rods while fishing small to medium sized rivers, I can pitch the lures more accurately to spots than I can with a longer rod and I can actually feel the spinner blades ‘sing’ as I retrieve it. I don’t find that I’m seriously hindered by the shorter length of the rod…If anything, it makes tailing fish a heck of a lot easier as well as bushwacking. I often carry both my float rod and my 7’ spinning rod when I fish. My spinner selection is pretty basic. Mepps, Vibrax, Olympique and ones I made myself in Size 1-4 A 6-7’ medium action spinning rod handles fresh steel just fine My 5’6” ultra-lite handled this one pretty well too Steelheading isn’t just a pastime, it’s an addiction. Instead of buying a pack of smokes like some people, I just buy a pack of pink worms or hooks instead . Like others have mentioned already, go out to one of your local rivers and chat with some of the other anglers. Most steelheaders I meet on the rivers are for the most part polite and willing to give tips to others who ask. 95% of the time when I ask another angler how it's going, I get a straight up answer with a list of things that worked or didn't. Pick their brains every opportunity you can and learn.