CrowMan

After retiring back in November, this was the first week that I really got a feel for what the non-working life is like. I spent a total of 42 days this winter traveling in other countries and continents, and the ice fishing season wasn't very long or good to me. So the kick-off of Trout opener was something I finally wanted to take full advantage of.. Spent the first 5 days of the week chasing Steelhead...same river I've fished for over 40 years. Saturday was a blow out with all the rain, but after that the river settled down and the water turned that perfect colour. Although a few less fish than previous seasons, I still brought lots of fresh run Steel to the bank all week long. More importantly, it was a good few days to re-connect with buddies that I've shared that water with over the years. A shout out to Misfish...one his creations was killer slowly drifted in the deeper pools. After 5 days of getting up at 6am and bush whacking up and down the river all day long, these old legs had enough, and I headed to my cottage for some R&R. Well, I guess I haven't been retired long enough, because I still haven't learned to just sit and relax. I always feel that I'm still in weekend warrior mode and need to squeeze in everything all at once. Yesterday was a beautiful spring day, so I decided to go for an ATV ride up into the high country north of my place. I strapped on my 5 wt and a couple of empty fruit baskets and headed to one of my favourite spring-fed Trout lakes back in the bush, with dinner in mind (I don't keep or eat Lake O run Steelhead). I was lucky enough to get a couple of Rainbows to bite my Wooly Bugger, and even more lucky to find the Holy Trinity of early spring foraging at a few different spots along the way...Fiddleheads, Morels, and Wild Onions. Headed back to the cottage to make a spring dinner. Here's all the ingredients prepped and ready to go. Everything except the lemons and soya sauce are from Frontenac County. Even the wine is from a local vineyard in Westport. You've heard of the 100 mile diet...well this is the 25 mile diet. Here's the final results on the plate. Rainbow Trout grilled over alder wood and finished with a maple syrup and soy glaze...a ragout of Fiddleheads, Morels and Wild Onions sautéed in a white wine and butter reduction...and steamed Red Potatoes sprinkled with freshly snipped Chives from the garden. Oh man, so good. My wife tells me I should open a restaurant, but that would mean I would have to work again. After dinner, sat on the deck with my 15 yr old friend "Glen" and watched the sun set. What a great day...nothing like spring in Frontenac. It would have been an absolutely perfect day, but unfortunately the results of the hockey game didn't go my way. Next week, it's off to the north shore of Lake Superior to re-visit some of the most beautiful Steelhead streams on the planet...I must say, I should've retired years ago.

Half the power consumption, quieter, infinite speed control and potentially a longer service life. They are also known as Electronically Commutated Motors (ECM). They use a microprocessor, as opposed to carbon brushes to phase the coils...they also use permanent magnets. In my business (HVAC), they have pretty well taken over as blower motors in forced air furnaces. In fact, the Ont gov't (IESO) used to cut you a cheque for $650 if you installed a new furnace with an ECM blower...to encourage you to use less electricity. Agree with Akrisoner, considering the Garmin Force TM (brushless) is in the $5k range, I think you're going to see a big increase in pricing from MinnKota.

With a mooching presentation, once the fish hit we just let them slide. Considering these were Chinooks that were 25lb + it really didn't interfere with the fight. The ones we used at lodges on the west coast were 4 to 6 oz...although they did have 16oz versions for bottom fishing Halibut and Lingcod. The problem with the Gibbs sliders (as pictured) is they are little fiddly to unclip...you certainly can't do it single-handed. That's why I prefer the snap weights for Trout and Walleyes...the clothespin style release is as quick and easy as can be to release. Also the rubber pads protect the line better....those Gibbs weights not so much, but out west we're using 20lb mono mainline so doesn't matter as much. Bottom line is...with " middleweight" fighters like Trout and Walleye, I want the weight off the line asap, so I can enjoy the battle to its full potential. For that reason, I'll stick with snap weights for freshwater fishing...I don't see any advantage to the Gibbs slider.

For Salmon trolling, I prefer Dipsy Divers...mainly because they're directional so I can use multiple rods in the spread. Wire line Dipsys with a tinsel fly behind a Spin Doctor...luv those rips ! The Jet Diver, as pictured, seems to have a following on Erie amongst the Walleye guys...often they're dragging a worm harnesses behind it. But to answer your question...neither of those for Lake Trout...I like to keep a minimum of terminal tackle between me and that kind of fish.

Yeah, mooching cut herring for Salmon in BC.

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I'm telling you... Zoe knows where to find them...and her intentions aren't completely selfless...she loves a little leftover Walleye mixed in with her kibble.. Before Zoe, I had Winston...same breed, Vizsla, but a boy. Sadly passed at 12 years old. He was the same...a real "nose" for finding fish. I call the breed a "Fins & Feathers Pointer". Both Winston and Zoe were/are unbelievable Grouse dogs too... Nothing like "Cast & Blast" with my furry best buddy..

My dog Zoe is an absolute photo bomb ham. She has a "thing" for one of my fishing buddies...and just him, no one else. Whenever he catches a fish, and he asks me to snap a photo, she has to jump in and make sure she's included in the shot. To be fair to Zoe, she does feel that she's partly responsible for the catch. When my buddy sits up on the front deck of my boat, she has to be right there watching every cast...and will even growl disapprovingly if she feels it wasn't in the right spot. In her mind, it's like she's teaching him to fish. He's fairly new to fishing, so she's sees me helping him out, and feels that she has to do the same. Mind you, she has lots of experience...she's been my fishing companion for 8 years now.

Hey Smitty....are those ramps ? This year's crop ? Seems a little early...usually another week or two at my spots. I'm hoping to forage fiddleheads and morels this coming week. I have a couple of patches of each that I've found over the years while trout fishing. The ramps I find are a little closer to home. Looking forward to some wild spring eats !

Very nice...what part of the Province is your camera located ?

Yes it was discussed:

Cast and blast...a perfect autumn day !

Try the Oakville branch of Winmar.. I know that they're looking for people with your skill set for property restoration.

Actually I was fishing in FMZ 20...catch & release for Bass from Jan 1 to May 10. If it wasn't C&R only, I'd post some photos of some absolutely monster Smallies. 5 for 25 is a regular occurrence in the spring. This past weekend was off the charts.. The east end of FMZ 20 has a combination of probably one of the top 5 Smallmouth fisheries on the planet, along with the best Lake Trout fishing south of Nipigon. Oh...and I forgot, also one of the best trophy Walleye fisheries in the world...and while I'm thinking about it, one of the primo Steelhead rivers in the Great Lakes, just across the border..

Excuse me...what out of season fish ?

Beautiful animals. What part of the Province do you have your trail cam located ?

It's definitely a beautiful lake and a real feel of wilderness. Yeah, in 25 years I'm sure the fishing has changed...one way or another. Besides back then, we often didn't know what we were doing anyway...lol I do remember getting pan-size Walleye on the numerous sandbars in the lake...12 to 20 fow...standard jig with soft plastics . I don't believe they allowed live minnows.

Yep...find bait, and you'll find Trout. Early season Lakers can be all over the place in the water column. Last spring, on a particularly warm early May day, my buddy and I were targeting pre-spawn Bass. We marked and were catching some big Smallies that were corraling baitfish along rock ledges in 15 fow. I had on a Spybait that resembled the minnows the Bass were coughing up. I'm doing that slow and steady Spybait retrieve...when wham...something much bigger hits it. I felt a little under-gunned with a med-lite spinning rod and 6lb FC, but we got this Laker in the net. You just never know. As the old adage says..."find forage, find fish"

I was there about 25 years ago. It was getting a lot of press at the time as one of the best "drive to" Lake Trout lakes in Quebec. Frankly, we found the fishing average at best. We were there in June... we did get a few Lakers (nothing big), and the typical 30" Pike and eater Walleye that you would find anywhere in that part of Quebec...but nothing special. Even in June, the Trout were still relatively shallow...most of them we caught with Walleye jigs in about 30 fow on mid-lake humps. The Pike were really shallow in the back bays. We dealt with a cold front most of the week (so that didn'thelp the fishing), and I remember the bugs being particularly nasty. We may have just been there at the wrong time, and certainly the fishery could have changed (hopefully for the better). The lake and scenery were quite beautiful, and it was the only lodge on the lake...it was managed as a ZEC. It was a long drive in on washboard logging road, however one of the highlights was the several bears we saw crossing it. At the end of the day, the group I was with had no intentions of returning another year, and we moved on to different places. I don't mean to discourage you, it was a while back...lots of things can change. Let me know how you make out...I'd be interested to know.

The west pier is open to fishing. Frankly, it's been a few years since I've seen any Browns caught there with any regularity...may be one or two still around, but since the OMNR stopped stocking them, it's not like it used to be. More likely to catch an Atlantic there these days (not that they're common either). It's still pretty good for Steelhead, but most of the run passed through a couple of weeks ago...they're for the most part all up the creek spawning or getting ready to. With the new early season C&R season for Bass, they may be your best bet. They should start stacking up in the harbour soon. You have until May 10th. Always a few regulars there, regardless. Best of luck if you go.

Looks like a great trip. Congrats on the PB ! I assume thats the Chickahominy. A buddy I did business with down there lived in Jamestown. A few years back he took me out Striper fishing on the James...had an awesome day. Curious, what were the water temps ?

I saw this ad...not sure how up to date it is

BTW, if you really want to take your trolling presentation to the next level...run your deep diver cranks or leadcore (or snap weights) off in-line planer boards.

The issues with tying on in-line weights like you describe are two-fold...a. since you're limited to tying them on no more than 6 to 7 ft in front of the lure, it impedes the rise/fall action...b. it's not very stealthy. Get some snap weight clips/releases for those torpedo weights . You let out your lure with about 50 ft of line, then clip on the weight and let out another 100 to 200 ft. When you reel in, simply remove the weight once it's within arms reach, and continue reeling in (or fighting the fish). https://www.sail.ca/en/off-shore-snap-weight-clip-429894-2837000001 I like Seaguar or Sunline fluorocarbon....10 to 12lb for this application. "Purple Rain" is usually the first colour I tie on with the Hyper Rattle. Use a very small snap (but no swivel) for maximum action. "holy cow, is it expensive" Hmm...$12.99...I see you haven't purchased many Musky baits...Lol