solopaddler

Ironically my better half is out right now getting her hair done then shopping. My 2 little ones are currently running amok and inconsolable. I'm thinking I need the number for nanny 911. During steelhead season I arrange to have 2 days free and clear each week (sometimes one). They tend to keep me sane and fortunately my wife agrees.

It an old school retro pub where crusty old farts go to get loaded.

Amazing, well done!

Alaskan steelhead on tap for April of 2011.

You and Fidel will have to join me for a day if the opportunity presents itself. I'd like to pick your brain about the area north of V-town anyway.

There tons of online sources for hard copy 1:50,000 topo maps. I'd post the links but a quick search on your part would serve you better.

No we stung every single fish. (It's childs play when you're fishing a stocked ditch while hurling out buckets of chum. Right? )

Some of trib's I fish are stocked, many are not. As far as chumming goes I've never chummed in my life for steelhead except for one time 22 years ago anchored in a boat off Meaford. (and ice fishing )

That rube comment was tongue in cheek and not directed at you. Give the frogwater a shot, you might be surprised.

The rube section? It depends on where the channel, trough, slot is. At one point I was fishing a seam 10' in front of me. In other spots I was casting to the middle and more towards the other side. If you live beside the Humber then you have a perfect opportunity to learn the topography of the riverbed. That's what you have to do to fish that type of water effectively. As an aside an experienced eye should be able to read water like that and know where to fish without any prior knowledge of the river. It's just something that comes with experience. (The rivers I fish aren't magic. )

Not sure what the fuss is about, they spawn at different times of the year. In addition here in Ontario they seem to be co-habitating quite nicely in the Soo rapids. Wild populations of each specie have been running the river up there for quite some time now. Interesting nontheless especially the fact that it's ganaraska strain rainbows that are infiltrating the salmon rivers. They're a very hardy robust strain of fish. My guess is eradicating them might prove difficult.

Ya better bring your arctic woolies my friend. Long range forecast looks cold. Not N.W.T. cold, but still. (And no worries there's plenty of fish left to be caught. ) Forgot about that. While I was embedding my fingers into the steering wheel trying to keep us both alive and get us home Billy was in a coma.

As long as steelhead are running, the lower end of the rivers, the estuaries, are always a good bet. Usually the water is slower and deeper near the lakes offering the fish more security. The closer to the lake you are the more apt you are to stumble upon fresh run fish as well. There's usually always a few freshies poking their nose in for a look to go along with the staler, darker fish that have been there for a while. Slower water means a refinement in tactics. Longer slender pencil floats are used, the dead slow water not conducive to a more buoyant oval or round style. In clear water many times self-cocking pencil floats are used. Leadcore trolling line is stripped of it's outer sheath and wrapped around the bottom stem of the float and epoxied. This allows you the ultimate in stealthy presentations: float, long fluoro tippet with no shot and your bait, jig or fly. When fish are wary this particular method of rigging will account for a few more fish. Speaking of jigs this type of water is tailor made for them. If there's enough wind kicking up a small chop to bob your float up and down all the better. With no wind a small twitch every now and again will make the jig pulsate under your float and incite strikes. In the ice cold water of early winter jigs will work 1000 times better if they're tipped with something. Usually that something being alive and wriggling and adding much needed scent. Maggots (yes maggots ) are the preferred choice. Many times one is all you'll need, although sometimes 2 or 3 work even better. They're small enough that they don't impede the action of the jig yet are still an amazing attractant. Beyond maggot tipped jigs the obvious choice is fresh skeined roe, the softer and gooier the better. In the dead slow water skein imparts an incredible amount of scent and tends to draw a lot of strikes. Recently Bill and myself fished a favoured estuary and hit a good number of steelhead on both skein and maggot tipped jigs. Many of the fish were virtual slabs of chrome, fresh run, thick of shoulder and deep of belly and an absolute blast to catch. Even with the water being so cold some of these fish surprised me with the speed of their runs, they were electric. In this type of water the hits themselves were breathtaking. While some were subtle pecks most were absolutely savage with the float literally being ripped under. Watching that happen in such slow water is more than half the fun for me! All in all it was a fantastic day of winter steelheading, the only downside being the drive home. In the late afternoon heavy lake effect snow began to fall covering everything including the highway. The drive home was a bit dicey, but ultimately we made it... I'll let the pictures tell the rest of the story. Cheers, Mike

When Roy asked his question I expected and was hoping smalliefisher would chime in. It's pretty obvious he knows what he's talking about when it comes to shimano. I for one thank you for the input. That said I'm most likely going to try the new CI4's myself for one reason and one reason only. The weight. If I'm spending megabucks to get uber light custom walleye jigging rods made it goes without saying that I'm going to want the lightest reel on them. Light is good. So I'll buy one and hope it stands up to my abuse. (Unless of course an equally light reel in the same size range as a 2500 shimano can be recommended)

John being a real estate guy are you worried about the housing market, especially for first time buyers? Won't closing costs be escalated now?

It's an option trust me, except the part about being the first person. I have a couple lakes that fit the bill and as far as I know I'm the only one who's fished 'em in the last 30 odd years.

Dude I'll guarantee you 8lb U.G. is stronger than the 12lb raven mainline. When I fished "Forest Gumps Girlfriend" several times recently I was running 8lb U.G. for tippet. On several occasions when snagged on the many miles of dead line my main line broke before the tippet did.... I love U.G., but man it's breaking strength is underrated.

No feedback on the CI4, but I'll say I'm a huge fan of the MGFB's, just picked up 2 more myself last week. Wiser posted this recently, it's a really good price on 2500 MGFB's: http://www.ofncommunity.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=38357 Roy if this is a possible option for you and if Gander still has them in stock I can grab them for you. I'm going to be at the Buffalo Gander later this week or on the weekend.

Watching your line in crowded areas is the only advantage imo. But then I'm constantly watching my float...intently so that advantage is moot for me. I personally wouldn't run it under my float and many guys won't either. For those that do use hi vis but not beneath their float, that rigging requires an additional shotting leader which equates into 2 more knots and possible weak points. I've always been a fan of the K.I.S.S. theory myself so I shun the hi vis lines.

Yep. It's specially designed by a bunch of rubes who know nothing about float fishing. Not unlike the new GLX float rods.

I've never been spooled down to the backing either. Many reels have ridiculously deep spools and half filling them with dacron adds a lot of unnecessary weight. An excellent alternative is to buy a cheap 4wt level fly line and load it on the reel first. It weighs nothing and acts as an arbor. Put your mono on top and away you go.

I'm in a quandary. Can't decide whether to throw my gear in the truck enroute to work today. Normally I leave straight from the office Wed mornings to go fishing...

But...they have the same diameter and likely the same breaking strength LOL! I'm a big fan of 12lb Raven in the green colour myself. Different strokes. I stopped using it because of countless breakage issues. It's very soft and supple as well. Personally I prefer a bit coarser line on the pin, I find it handles easier, is less prone to tangling and is more resistant to the constant sliding around of split shot as I'm adjusting my rig. Supple line tends to bruise more easily.

My username is an allusion to my (slightly) younger days. Most of my adult life (early 20's to mid 30's anyway) I spent travelling the north alone in my canoe in pursuit of brook trout, sometimes for months at a time. I'd work one crappy job after another earning just enough cash to finance my next expedition. Brook trout are an easy choice for me. Boy do I miss those days.

If you're doing a lot of hiking then yeah, the stockingfoot breathables are fine in cold weather. If you're standing in ice water for an extended period your feet will go numb. Neoprenes have a place. Also neos are waaaaay easier to repair than breathables. Breathables usually require a patch. A tiny hole in neos is repaired instantly with aqua seal. Even large rips are handled easier and the repair is stronger. If you rip neos simply sew the rip shut with a needle and thread and dab on aquaseal.