highdrifter

It begins........lol This business of catching salmon off the piers is pretty serious. For a lot of people, much like myself, the only opportunity to get at a good, legit salmon, is when they're staging at the rivermouths. The run is generaly quite short.. 3 weeks, 4 maybe. Even shorter is that window of opportunity when fish can be had by methods other than downrigging off of a boat. When it's shoulder to shoulder, I move on. When it's that tight, things can get pretty hairy. I've seen conflicts between spoon throwers and bottom bouncers and it's all because of close proximity. Regardless of methods used, lines are bound to get crossed, even with the most adept fisherman. Anglers fishing stationary who hesitate to reel in when someone has a fish on will often have that hooked fish swim into their lines, and that's when the words come out and fists get clenched. I prefer to toss cleos myself, but only in open water, where snags are less likely. However, in some areas, like in Ashbridges for example, the water is shallow and weedy. That's when we break out the raps... Rattling Raps, Jointed, HJs and countdowns will all produce fish. They cast well and you can work them at various depths. And they catch fish!! When they're stacked together, there will always be a few that hit out of aggression, so casting a firetiger jointed or shad rap over them is a great, legit way off hooking up. Skeening is another good technique that seems to really produce fish. I've seen people have field days on them. Cuts of skeen are bulked on a wide gap octopus hook, fished off a float or egg sinker. I don't know weither is hunger or agreession.. Hard to believe a fish will eat it's kind, so close to the spawn. But they certainly work. However, there is always going to be a salmon carcass nearby. The smell of rotting fish late in the fall bears a grim reminder of this carnage. How are you guys making out at Port Credit? Should we have a gander at her this weekend? cheers HD

WOW!! Luuuuvv it.. Keep em coming brotha! cheers HD

WUUUT??!! NO Gerrit?!! Gerrit.. what the heck?!

Doug.. Snag's sister called me the other night, she seemed real distressed.. Says you been signing her Sean Cullen tunes outside her bedroom in the wee hours.. She says that Pandas Must Die song is really starting to bug the shnikes outta her!! LOL How ya doing douggie? Been many moons since our last circuit.. Doncha love me no more?! Ric! Coming up to NY the weekend of the 12th... wondering if ya wanted to link for a yankee's game?! gimme yo numba! HD

Just spoke to Kevin yesterday... He kept a spot for us, no deposit required. At $10 a person, 4 nights aught not to dent our wallets too much. Mind you, the nights will be cool, but the bugs will be nill. When will you be arriving Glen? HD

What a shame.. He'll be sorely missed. My deepest sympathies to his family. God Speed. HD

Looks like dinner to me!! Talk about random. Good thing they can't survive our canadian winters... Pretty evil looking fish though.. yikes! HD

Glen, you gator ressling, possum eating, coonass somabeetch!! We are in like flynn. Got my buddy Drew, and Billy-Curtiss coming. Yeee BC, you can come too. We'll make it work. Just spoke to Kevin at Lakair and we've got a cedar strip and campsite reserved for the nights of the 17th to the 21st... Got a butt load of fishing info too. Thanks for that Kevin. But also, you mentioned the other night on the phone that you got the american plan for the cabin.. Could you work out how much that would cost us per head, cause if there's a couple spots available and the price is right, we'd rather not rough it and stay with you guys. Also looking for a guide to get us into some big eyes and maybe a lunge or two, but we'll work that out when the time comes. OH BOY OH BOY! Roy, on va se grayer de dore mon grand!! Y va en avoir pour les fins et les fous! Dang, I'm giggling like a school girl here, my boss is looking at me cross-eyed. Send Lester our regards brotha. cheers HD

Well done Sean. That heron in the lillies was well captured! You've got a steady hand and a good camera... I'm always reminded that I need an upgrade everytime I admire your shots. cheers! HD

LOL. Funny how people seem to jump on the Atlantic bandwagon everytime.. I believe the hopes of seeing a salmo salar are so great that it kinda creates a euphoria where anything remotely resembling this fish would be deemed an atlantic. Those are all really kewl catches. And Master of Bait, that's a great technique for early spring... I'd love to try it! But those are not Atlantics. First fish (might) be a coho, and that second fish, is a chrome brown trout. I won't post links, and am not interested in continuing on with this thread, but I'd be willing to bet that if these pictures were shown to a fisheries biologist, of even better, if you kept scale samples and sent them in, the id of the fish would be confirmed to be another species. Flame away, but before you do, I'm sure that there are others here who share my idea. People such as myself who have worked in fisheries and have knowledge of fish taxonomy. Nice thread! Let's keep it civil. cheers HD

You're absolutely right. That is a stupid question! HD

That's genious. I wanna t-shirt! pattent pending. PATTENT PENDING!! LOL HD

Very nice! Were you fishing the mouth of the creek or upstream? I've encountered the same problem fishing the eastern tribs, and found that it was because of zebra muscles. Our hook-up/fish netted ratio was way low, mostly because the fish would take us down and the slightest brush up would end up being a break off. If there's alot of fish in the tribs, maybe your getting salmon swimming into the line while you have a fish on, which would probably account for your line getting frayed.. Great news though! cheers HD

Right on brah! Some nice looking water you guys fished... Beautie bassies too! Me thinks that pike lost it's tail from the spawn.. She's prolly a female, and she prolly got around.. like a record!! Is that Jonny's set up or yours?! HD

OMG. Who's got a picture?! BUAHAAH. Decided to get jiggy with with the locals in the South Pacific did ya TJ?! LOL HD

You gonna jig squid with that bad boy?!! Kewl! HD

Ah thats totally wild! Awesome report and pics. What an excellent idea for a young couple.. I'm sure the missus would dig something like that! 'Gitty up!! cheers HD

Whoah check out the babe on the Cover!! LOL Nice work Bunk.. You're an inspiration to those who love to fish, and those who love to write about fishing. cheers HD

Some well fed troutsies! Thanks for posting. Nice little tidbit of info there. HD

Atta boy Ryan! You're the richest man I know.. You've got the pontoon, the girl, the truck and the pond... What more could a man want?!! You may need a bigger pond though! Has she got fish in er? cheers and all the best. HD

Right ON!! Pic number 3 looks like a smallie.. You can tell from the eyes.. Well done ol boy. Nice looking lunges there! cheers HD

A release shot would have given a better idea as to the size of the fish anyway.. This is a forum, everything posted here is subject to debate. The subject of diplomacy best be left to people who know better, but that was just plain un-called for. HD

I see he kicked the ref in the face with a broken toe.. Chuck Norris would be proud!! HAHAAH HD

Welcome home sir.. I have a Anglers Anonymous tatoo on my shoulder. It's the Ace up my sleeve!! Hope you get your fill here, and never, EVER wander far from the flock.. cheers! HD

Beauties!! Luv the smelt fry for the shore lunch... Uuhh, the on-ice lunch?! Such vivid colours on those wild trout.. thanx HD