solopaddler

The pelvic fins on that fish are unreal, they look bigger than the guys hands.

I'll assume this was a charter on the Niagara river for steelhead that was cancelled because of poor conditions? If you really have your heart set on Steelhead a drift boat trip on either the Salmon River in Pulaski NY, or the Muskegon River in Michigan would be excellent alternatives, most likely even more fun imo. Drive time assuming no border delays are within your range. Can recommend guides at both rivers.

Awesome spoon Rob, it's my favourite jigging spoon hands down. I still have a handful left, all well used. That would be the Hawger spoon I believe. I have a bunch and still use them regularly and they catch fish too. Sorry I think you'll be fortunate to find a source for these spoons. Brian those banana shaped jigs are pretty common. I actually think I do have some made by jig a whopper and some other brands as well. Exactly what sizes do you want? I never use these anymore, whatever I've got you can have.

Lundboy would've loved this thread.

Glad to see my reply was even noticed. Thanks for the ego boost LOL!

Thanks for the laugh On the boat front unless something unforeseen happens I'll be going with the Smokercraft.

Awesome deal from Tom, can't beat that for 10 bucks!

I always get mine at Gramp's Place just south of town. Can't imagine they won't have minnows. Also, depending on what time you're passing through Orillia you can get them at Epp's right on the hwy too.

You got it man. We'll have to get Frank up there again too. I'd suggest Ferg as well, but, well, you know..

Nice job for your 2nd attempt Khalid! What did you use to turn the cork? Did you glue the cork onto the blank and turn the entire thing? (You forgot to put a winding check on )

So go to Sundowners and ask for either Aaron or Greg LOL! It's an incredibly small world.

Yep it includes a trailer, I know it's a good deal. Thing is the Smokercraft is a 2010 ,is virtually brand new and is a couple grand cheaper. What I found really surprising there were no real deals to be had Stateside for this class of boat. I figured for sure I'd find my boat in the U.S. but that hasn't been the case.

Thanks a bunch guys lots of good feedback! $13,500 includes all the extra charges minus the taxes. With the stand up cover included it's a really good deal. That said I'm leaning towards the Smokercraft. I'm going to make a decision before I leave for the land of rum and fine cigars on Saturday.

Thanks you've been a massive help HAHAHA!

To get you going and get a few fish under your belt nothing is more effective than high stick nymphing with a strike indicator. Once you've had some success doing that you can graduate to swinging flies for them. Basic set up is very simple. I'll attach anywhere from 5-8' of heavy mono, usually around 14lb test to the end of my line with a small loop to loop connection. The strike indicator or "bobber" is attached to this. You must have a length of tippet with no knots so you can smoothly and easily slide the strike indicator around depending on current depth and speed. I'll run my tippet off that usually 3-6' of Max Ultragreen in 5-8lb test, sometimes 5 or 6lb or fluoro if the water is clear. A tandem fly rig is particularly effective for steelhead. An absolute tried and true combination is to start with a small bead head nymph then run an egg pattern as the point or dropper fly. Gold bead head Prince nymphs in sizes 10-14 are good. Beadhead black stones in a similar size are good too. I'll run an 8-10" dropper below the nymph to a small egg pattern. 90% of the time it's a size 12-14 sucker spawn in either cream, pale pink or pale yellow. The popularity of the pink plastic worm with non fly anglers encouraged me to use a hot pink San Yuan worm as the point fly as well. (basically a chunk of pink pipe cleaner with a hook lashed to it). At times this has also proven to be quite effective. Don't be afraid to clamp 3-4 dust shot on your tippet within 3-4" of your first fly as well. Steelhead are basically stupid and the biggest mistake novice fly anglers make is simply not getting deep enough. Adjust your indiciator to match the depth and speed of the current. I'll rarely cast upstream with this rig, mostly it's straight across or if anything across and just slightly upstream. Your objective is a completely dead drift so you'll have to practice your mending. It's not as easy to accomplish without screwing up your drift with a bulky strike indicator... You can crefully extend your drift by stripping more line off your reel and shaking it out through guides...being careful not to disrupt your drift. Once you get good at detecting strikes you can ditch the strike indicator all together and use something much more subtle. A short section,say 6-8" of hi vis tippet (sunset amnesia is good) at the end of your fly line will act as a visible indicator and won't interfere with your casting. Good luck in your quest. At some point a switch will go off, everything will fall into place and you'll start catching them like crazy.

Indoor storage in Cambridge, so yeah it'll be trailered back and forth in the spring and fall. It's only twice a year though so not a factor.

Won't be travelling with this boat, it'll be moored at the camp, so trailerability (is that a word?) is a non factor. The other boat I looked at and seriously considered was a 2010 Lund Rebel 1625 XL Sport with a 50 Merc 4 stroke. I really liked it a lot. It also had a full cover, trolling motor, electronics, and the flip up rear seats. The bottom line on that one was 17 g's all in. In actuality there is a bit of a price difference between the Smokercraft and the Princecraft. Princecraft (bear in mind this is brand new from a dealer) is $13,500 plus tax. Smokercraft I think I can get for $12500 all in.

That's awesome Dan, glad to hear you and your bro are going to make it. No need for dry ice. You can keep your perishables in a large cooler for the trip up, then before you fly in switch the stuff over to carboard boxes or throw away styrofoam coolers that weigh nothing. (assuming weight is an issue). There's at least two full sized fridges in camp plus a full sized chest freezer waiting for you when you arrive. A decent sized cooler is always handy for sandwiches and drinks in the boat. Lots to discuss regarding packing and food, but then planning and anticipating is half the fun. Cheers

Very sorry to hear this, I can't imagine what you're going through. Deepest condolences.

Thanks Cliff that helps.

It's a river and the conditions can vary dramatically depending on water levels. I firmly believe that if water levels stay consistent and don't drop like crazy July/Aug can be just as good as spring/fall at Eddies. Even in the heat of summer up there water temps remain cool and pike are active and aggressive. That said just like anywhere else late May to mid June is more or less money in the bank. September is also a safe second bet as the pike really put on the feedbag as water temps drop in the fall. Those are typical seasonal patterns that would never change no matter where you fish. Fortunately Eddie has implemented a zero kill policy on all pike. Take a picture and throw them back... Also the fact that it's a massive river system constantly being replenished is in his favour. I'd be curious to know how far some of these pike migrate. It wouldn't surprise me at all to find out it's quite far. There's no doubt that there will be a small percentage of delayed mortality due to mishandling and sheer accidents, but I'm as confident as can be that the fishery will remain good far into the future. As caretaker of the resource Eddie is doing his part to ensure it remains a quality fishery.

Thanks for the input guys. You're not making the decision any easier LOL! I don't know Roy, I was in both and the Smokercraft had way more room. I would need two more pedestals for the Princecraft and when they're all in place you don't have much room to manoever. Beyond the flip up seats at the back of the Smokercraft it also has the bow pedestal in a small indent surrounded by removable padded seating. The Princecraft just has a flush carpeted platform. That said I really like the idea of full warranty and a rig that's better on gas with the Princecraft.

Hey guys I've narrowed my boat search down to two. Bear in mind this boat will be used solely at our camp in QC so my needs may not be the same as most. First boat is a 2010 Smokercraft Ultima 162 with a 75 4 stroke Merc. It has the flip up seats in the back which imo is a better use of space in this class of boat. It doesn't come with a stand up cover which is needed. http://www.boattest.com/boats/boat_video.aspx?id=2016 Second is a brand new 2011 Princecraft Holiday DLX WS with a 60hp 4 stroke Merc and a matching Princecraft cover. http://www.princecraft.com/aluminum-boat/products/Fishing-Boats/2012/DLX-Series/Holiday-DLX-WS/specifications.aspx I believe the Smokercraft is a more functional design, however the Princecraft is a "slightly" smaller boat (same length, 4" narrower) and I think may be better on gas. The Smokercraft is a used package from a private individual and is more or less mint. The Princecraft is brand new from a dealer. I negotiated an amazing price on the Princecraft, it's not much more than the Smokercraft so that's not really a criteria. Thoughts?

Great new Chris.

If I'm not mistaken I've asked you twice already LOL! At some point it'll happen but we may have to plan a really long time in advance. The problem this year is the prime weeks are mostly booked solid. Great for Eddie, not so great for others who want to book a trip. Anyhow bud, as mentioned earlier today there's some interesting alternatives in that very same neck of the woods on the horizon.