MJL

Awesome job! I only started fishing the Niagara for steelhead last year and was amazed at how hard those fish pull. Certainly different than what I'm used to fishing. Have the minnows started coming in yet? I was awestruck at how black the water was with them. Never seen anything like it except on the Discovery Channel with sardines and anchovies.

Here's the full conversation Mike: “Silvio what’s that smell?....Nooooooooo!….” “Can’t breath……Must….Open up….Window…” Silvio: “I think you’ll find opening up the window to be quite impossible” Mike: “Noooooo!…Damn you Silvio and your power windows!...[gag] I can taste it now”

Great orgy of Chrome! Great fishing with you this season. With that said, I'm asking for a formal apology for what you did in the car the other day...You know what I'm talking about. The rainshadow is mine till I get one

Seriously though...I didn't think humans could make that smell... Next time, can we find a place to park for the night without drug dealers or peeping-toms

Steelheading for the most part has always been part of my life in some form or another. I started bottom bouncing and spinner fishing for them at a young age. Moved onto float fishing for them a few years after and then picked up fly fishing when I was able to save enough Birthday and Christmas money to buy my first combo. I remember being a quiet, anti-social hermit when it came to my fishing – Polite and courteous nonetheless to other anglers. I fished mostly by myself away from the crowds and always had an ultra-competitive drive to catch fish regardless of the time or conditions – This could explain my on-going fascination with Gore-tex and polar fleece. This is my first real steelheading season in about 4yrs. I’ve mellowed out a bit since then. I find myself waking up later, leaving the river earlier and spending more time chatting with other anglers while eating almonds or a granola bar. I’m actually enjoying my fishing more because of it...And yes I do still catch some fish in the process. Pre-opener I almost forgot how much I love fishing in February through to April. No exams, assignments or homework to worry about this season First steelhead of the year Biggest steelhead of the season Some other pics I also had the pleasure of meeting Kemper and JDMLS on the river. JDMLS and I got into a double header one morning The last few months, I managed to run into fellow OFNer’s, Efka, Okuma Sheffield, Joeytier and Kelfun on a couple of the rivers and I got to see Anton land his first ever steelhead. I also fished with Victor, Silvio and BBnotty quite a bit this season and had a blast. Opener 2009 It’s a yearly tradition for my dad and I. We’ve hit the same river and fished for steelhead for as long as I can remember fishing the opener. This year Victor tagged along with us hoping to get his first steelhead on the pin’. Victor managed to catch this fish twice on the same bait within the same hour.LOL My biggest fish of the trip I managed to go 4/10 - 2 small bucks and 2 hens. Unfortunately my dad blanked. A few people we talked to did a bit better but the majority of anglers left the river a little disappointed. Certainly far less fish around than what we’re used to seeing on the opener. For me, it was more satisfying watching Victor land his first fish on the pin than actually catching loads of fish myself. Quite funny to hear him say “my arm is sore” after only 2 fish Despite the crowds and the lack of fish, I fell in love with the river almost 20yrs ago and still love the scenery and atmosphere when I’m fishing it. Post Opener Road tripping with Silvio (Apr 27-28) Spent a couple days fishing with Silvio. The plan was to hit up a few rivers and camp out in his truck. BBNotty and his son Brendan joined us the first day. The fishing was slow to say the least. The rivers we fished got pounded all weekend and the low clear waters didn’t help. We put in lots of footwork during the trip and re-tied a heck of lot after getting either snagged up or broken off in the wood. The fish we did end up landing made us appreciate them a little bit extra. Here are some pics I took during the trip – Silvio has the others on his camera (not to mention the beauty hen that Brendan landed). A welcomed surprise - It couldn't resist a cobra-sized dewie. A dropback hen that stayed out of the wood Sausage-fest Centrepin in stealth fighter black – The fish can’t detect it on their radar.LOL Other memories from the trip: - Cooking chicken burgers in the middle of a plaza parking lot in the middle of the night. - Mike: “I think the GPS wants us to drive across that lake over there” - Mike: “Silvio, if you cast behind that rock and keep that drift, you should be able to get one”... “FISH ON!” (His first drift of the trip too) - Silvio: “Berge [bBNotty], you should’ve seen Mike go all ninja turtle on that steelies @$$” - Silvio: “Are you really that scared to camp out here for the night?” (crazy redneck guy screams out in the bushes)…”Ok let’s go somewhere else” - Mike: “Silvio, what’s that smell?...Nooooooooo!” It was an awesome and very memorable trip which won’t be forgotten anytime soon. I plan to do a few more trips for steel in the coming weeks before totally switching over to carp for good - I guess you could say I’m making up for some lost time. I enjoyed the fishing and the time spent fishing with others whom I met this season. It’s also my first steelheading season in a long (very long) time where I didn’t destroy a camera [knock on wood] – hence the reason why you folks can see pics today. Hope you enjoyed the journey through my 2009 spring steelheading season. Cheers

There should be a disclaimer for the diabetics on the board...That brownie is super sweet The markings on that fish are gorgeous. Congrats!

Beautiful piece of steel there. If you had to end a season on a fish, that would be a perfect fish to do it on - Love the rosy cheeks on it. Hopefully your son will get better soon.

Hey Cliff Awesome report! WTG Sydney on that monster crappie! On a side note, did Scugog always have crappies in it? I remember fishing it with my uncle often as a kid and never hooked or seen one caught there. Haven't fished that lake for quite some time now.

Great report Mike! Suckers can be lots of fun to fish for when nothing else is hitting in spring. I can't believe how skinny and cigar-like those suckers are. WTG

No words can describe the awesomeness of that speck I still have yet to catch my first one...Congrats!

Wicked report Gerrit! I'd love to do the deep sea thing one day. I love this pic

Great job dude. Love the vid.

Congrats Efka. Totally sweet fish. I hit up one of my local rivers on my way home after the opener and was really surprised to see none yet in the lower stretches that usually have some around this time of year. Good to see you got into some...Especially without the crowds

Great catches Doc. I've always wanted to fish the Salmon river but never had the wheels to make it down there. Sooo very tempting. How long was the pinky that the brownie took?

Fantastic report Dan! Looks like a great time out. Your son shouldn't feel bad about losing to a carp...When I was a kid, I had quite a few similar incidents which will remain untold

Well done and beautiful pics Paulus. I'm always impressed with the quality of your photos.

Great report Kemper. Beauty hen. Can't think of a better way to spend a few hours. Definitely a good warm-up for the opener - Only 24hrs 8 minutes to go

Baby fish? That fish is 15lbs...It just so happens Bill is 10ft tall and has hands bigger than a yeti's WTG Bill! The Notty is definitely one river I'd love to fish...I'm hoping to make it up there this summer for maybe carp and in the fall for some steel. I can't wait.

I've always fished below the CNR tracks in Durham region and below hwy 2 at the Rouge which are the year round sections for for steelhead and trout on those rivers. I've been getting into suckers on almost all the tribs I've fished since early April. Should be lots around on all the creeks and rivers.

Beauty brownie...Congrats!

Olive woolly buggers with bead chain eyes were my #1 producer for fly fishing around Toronto. Another fly that worked well was a 2-3 inch piece of black rabbit strip tied onto a streamer hook along with lead dumbbell eyes. A good set of polarized glasses is a necessity. Look around for mudding or tailing and cast to it. When the fly hits bottom, strip it in a bit. I haven’t fly fished for them for about 4yrs but usually the local flats were good from mid-May till the spawn (usually mid June/early July depending on the weather). If you're able to wade slowly, you can get surprisingly close to them when they're busy hoovering up the bottom.

Great report Ryan! Your daughter is a natural when it comes to fishing. I'm hoping my 1.5yr old nieces will be the same when I eventually take them out. Congrats on the one still baking away in the oven

Thanks for the headsup on the mags. You’re right about availability (or general lack thereof) of carp specific magazines. I used to occasionally get Carp World and Carpology at The World’s Biggest Bookstore in downtown Toronto if there was an article I was interested in. Now it seems they only carry Carp World…Quite pricey Mags too and many articles seem rehashed over and over from issue to issue. I’ve always enjoyed Lonnie King’s (OOD) articles on carping as well as the ones found in In-Fisherman. At the moment the only magazine I get is the one from CAG that comes once every few months. If you’ve never caught carp on the fly, it’s a total blast. I used to take my fly rod down to some of the local flats around Toronto and sight cast to them. You need lots and lots of backing. LOL

You can get a licence at Wilson's fly shop in Toronto near Queen st and Jarvis.

I'm not much a light-action fly guy but from what I've been told, a 5wt is a good all-rounder for some of the smaller species. 8wts are the lightest fly rods I use. In terms of what you should be looking for, I'd recommend a med-fast action fly rod. A med-fast action fly rod is forgiving enough for the newbie caster but will have power in reserve for casting big/heavier flies. When it comes to casting, the fly line AND the rod are important. For the size of fish you're after, the reel will be more of a storage device for the fly line. Any idea on how much you'd like to spend on the outfit?