MJL

I appreciate that. Can't muster the mettle to go downtown and catch decently sized fish becasue its not remote enough....he eats waa burgers and cries for dinner Ive heard.

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

I guess I'm pinching my shots way too tight. Once I pinched them there was no way they would move.

I was also looking at the shot patterns Bill linked on here earlier and it seems I was using a pattern for slower moving water

in 9 feet of insane rapids.

 

Looking forward to another attempt and hoping this info hooks me my first fish.

 

Stay tuned...

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.

Where is Dr Salvenius? what kindof doctor is he anyways? Foot? nose and throat? CMON,..you post here daily,..say smthn....or Im gonna start making fun of your little trout pics when you live in the God Given haven of trooooot and should have much better catches lol...seriously Doc, chime in here,...these guys arent alone....

You do realize that "Salvelinus" = Char (as in brook trout and lakers)

When I first got sick, they asked for a 'sample' as they handed me a sample vial. I asked if it came with a funnel..lol.

Didn't they at least supply you with the popsicle sticks to start you off on your gold digging adventures?

22years old ...young Buck...yoyo weight....women noticing.......Id say you are RUTTING

Too funny!

Mike I just realized I was supposed to message you last week as I read your reply.

 

Very sorry!

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

I'm glad you guys brought this up.

 

I've been using the Raven pack of multi size split shots. I realize once they're pinched you can't remove them.

 

Scenario:

 

Fishing 9 feet of fast moving water and bulk shotting my rig. Then I decide to move slightly down river where the water

changes to 5 feet and slowing down a bit.

 

Question:

 

Do I have to re-rig everything for the change in conditions???

 

 

Thanks

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.

Weird for this time of year, although I know there was a late run with all the rain a couple weeks ago,..those guys musta been locked from moving up. anyways,..no matter what anyone says,..I love playin with chnnies too and it goes without saying that any self respecting steelheader is gonna break off a snagged fish at the fist sign. but still even a 30lb Chinnie chin chin (unless it is Chrome fresh) is no match for a 10lb wild fresh Steelhead, IMHO anyways, especially considering where you need to pull them from.

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.

Hope you got your waders fixed dude. Doesn't Simms have a warranty on the seams??

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.

Actually, Highland Creek is one of the stocking sites for Chinook salmon. I believe their allotment is 17,000 per year.

 

I checked the regs. It is open all for rainbow, brown, and pacific salmon from the south side of Kingston Rd. to the lake. This is new; there never used to be an extended season on the creek.

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

This fall is the first time I've attempted targetting Steelhead. Starting off with little knowledge has had many factors

working against me. This has led to 3 outings that have produced ZERO fish.

 

Gear:

 

6 foot Medium Action Spinning Rod.

10 lb Mono Line

Big Float

Big Hook

 

What more could I be doing wrong???

 

In the next week I plan on buying a 13' Float Rod and will be using my spinning reel for now and purchasing

a Center Pin next Spring.

 

Got some small trout hooks.

 

I re-spooled my reel with 8 lb 100% Flourocarbon.

 

Plan on buying some smaller slip floats.

 

Now I just need to get out to understand reading the water to determine where fish are holding.

Regardless of success, I'll be reporting back after every outing.

Let's hope this leads to posts with lots of pics.

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.

I've caught a few steelhead with jointed rapalas (about 4-5 inches long I think - not sure the exact model) and various other crank baits in the past in the rivers. There's one guy I run into on a couple of my local rivers who only uses minnow baits and spinners all season and catches lots of fish. There's one guy named Henry who fishes the Ganny a lot and makes his own beautiful wooden minnow baits and catches tons of fish with those (I lost the only one he gave me to a big chinny ). I'm still learning more about how to effectively fish hard minnow baits (I'm more of a spinner guy when it comes to lure fishing) but I think the key is finding the right lure for the depth you are fishing. A lot of the time I'm casting upstream (often almost straight upstream) and retrieving with the current to get the lure down to depth. Bring lots of lure with you as most will end up in log jams and snags.

You don't need roe to catch steelhead

Hope this helps.

Beauty buck Jim. I was out today for a couple hours this morning and it seemed pink was definitely the colour of choice. Pink roe bags, pink worms, pink marabou jigs…Got a few hits on a purple & black jig but everything else was ignored (including my magic spinners ).

Mike

PS

Shouldn't you be in class?

Beauty fish Will

Well done

On the opener Victor caught the same fish twice within half an hour on the same pink worm

That's awesome!!! Nicely done

Mariko is a better looking teacher though - I find it helps me concentrate better

I've fished the Don a couple times with my friend a few years ago. Caught a sucker and some chubs near one of the bike paths in late spring. I'm tempted to try fishing it again as I've seen dead chinnies below the subway tracks (I got stuck there for an hour). Not sure when I can make it out to the Don but I'll give you a shout the next time I check it out.

I'm really tempted to scout out the headwaters to see if I can get a few browns or brookies when the season opens up again.

Awesome report Dave. Amazing photos and amazing fish

Great talking to you on the chat last night.