solopaddler

No...don't lie, but be a little more upfront with what you're trying to do. I personally love all of your products and use them regularly and from what I've been told you're a decent guy as well... it's just that your posts are bordering on spam. (In a subtle way )

Nice brown! I've always found that the products I make and market work best as well.

Thanks for the heads up on the sale, just ordered 2 myself . (Merry Christmas to me!)

Indeed. Fabulous reel, BUT it has a tendency to freeze up. Don't think I'll be using it in sub zero temps anymore..

Estuary water close to the lake is always a good bet, but especially so at this time of year. The fish tend to stack up in water like that, both fresh and holdover fish. There's always some flow so your float does move, albeit slowly. And yes, my bait of choice is fresh skein tied in mesh. Gooey, soft and lots of scent oozing out of it for fish to key on.

I decided at virtually the last minute to fish on Thursday and happily BillM on the board was keen to acompany me. Bill was another guy who had expressed an interest in fishing with me in the past and yesterday was finally the day we hooked up. Everyone I've met through this board has been a first class individual and Bill was no exception. Trust me, if any of you guys ever have the opportunity to fish with Bill, do it. He's a great guy! Now, onto the good stuff . As per my previous post it's very hard to predict where and when to go this time of year, especially when there's looong drives involved to get where you're going. Many times it's very much a gamble. Last Sunday I figured it would be good, but it wasn't. It seemed as though Thursday would provide prime conditions, but who knows for sure? All I did know for sure was the temps would be bearable, the winds would be low (that's key), and the water level and colour would be prime. That was good enough for me. Would there be fish? Well, we found out rather quickly. After suiting up Bill caught his first fish on his very first drift just steps from the truck. He was giggling like a schoolgirl! It was pretty much game on right from the onset. We caught amazing numbers of fish for this late in December: This particular fish was missing an eye yet still seemed healthy and fat. Nature's amazing eh? Notice what's sitting on the ground beside this fish? Many of the fish in this particular river are fall spawners and it's always a bonus when you can get some of this: This was the biggest of the day, very fat and thick across the back. Here's a couple different views: Finished up right at the lake and Bill capped his day off with a couple of freshies: What an AMAZING day! Thanks again for the company Bill, 'till next time! Cheers, Mike

That's a big pike anywhere, but from a pond? Wow

Dude, except for the odd trip to the Niagara steelhead season is just about over LOL! Things usually start to pick up again mid to late Feb... If you must punish yourself buy a pair of 80 dollar neoprenes from Cabelas for winter fishing and in the meantime send in your Simms.

LOL! Drew said that tongue in cheek. I honestly wouldn't know how many, I don't count 'em.

Call Simms and get a warranty claim started, then mail them the waders. They'll fix them for you.

Well you know what they say, 3 times a charm! Honestly it's amazing you hit that peninsula and at such high speed. It's so close to shore! (You guys were very lucky) I was involved in something similar years back. I'm sure many of you guys are familiar with the prop eating sunken railbed on Rice lake? My bud and I were blasting across the lake in his Triton, I just said "hey aren't we near that railbed?" when we hit it full speed and ripped the lower end off the motor. It was......ugly.

Sweet! We fished the lower end of that stream late in the day and nada. (Figured there had to be some upstream )

They're made to be fished, not babied LOL!

The Niagara aside, this time of year it's tough to predict where and when to catch steelhead. Sunday saw seemingly perfect conditions: a dropping and clearing river after a huge blowout combined with warmer temps and light rain for most of the day. These conditions a month ago would have seen huge numbers of fish caught. Sunday I worked hard for just a handful of fish... That's the way it goes and frankly I wouldn't want it any other way. After doing this for 30 years I still havn't figured these fish out but that's what makes the sport interesting and the great days all the more treasured. It's always a bonus when you can get out this time of year, not freeze your digits off and catch a few fish! There were fish being caught somewhat consistently though...and for those that're interested the top bait seemed to be.....live minnows. Looks like there might be some decent conditions to be had on Thursday this week... Cheers, Mike

Awesome fish, well done!

Great stuff Ben, can't wait to get out myself!

Obviously a larger first guide would help casting extreme distances. The answer is NOT to put one on backwards though LOL! Start with a #30 instead of a 20 or 25, problem solved.

Sounds like a perfect trip Lew, glad to hear you guys had a good time. (Would love to see pic's of the big fish!)

I always have a bag of salties in my pack. Many times live minnows work better.

Can't even begin to imagine... Stay strong, the ones closest to you will need you to be. My thoughts and prayers are with you and your family.

Personally I don't enjoy lugging around a bucket when I'm steelhead fishing. You just sling this thing around your neck, works great! (Don't worry Dave (JDMLS), I highly doubt there's going to be a rush of guys using minnows on the trib's because of this thread )

There's no doubt that some people have an innate natural ability that can't be taught, a "touch" if you will. Nothing learned, it's just in them. However, preparation and attention to detail are a big part of success as well. I'm always prepared to the nth degree for every single outing. Each and every steelhead trip for example takes anywhere from 1-4 hours to prep for.

I know man, the Niagara and Port are like the only two places where they're commonly used. How often do you see a floatfisherman using live minnows on the Bighead, Beaver, Notty, Saugeen, etc, etc?.... Pretty much never .

Not true at all. Guys in PA have been using these things (or ones very similar) for years on the rivers. They work fabulously and coincidentally I finally broke down and bought one last week. They serve 1 purpose: they allow you to carry around your minnows when you're on the stream without having to lug a bucket. For those that don't know, live emerald shiners are a deadly bait for steelhead in the rivers. Most guys Stateside use them especially in PA and OH. For whatever reason, as advanced as the ontario guys are in the steelhead game minnows are a mostly unknown and unused bait. I've been using them for almost 25 years and they've always been my ace in the hole.. (some of my bud's would flip if they saw this post ) For those that wade rivers for steelhead I'd highly recommend getting one of these things.

Maybe so guys but I'm not seeing any of that in this thread (thankfully). People may have differing opinions but that's as far as its gone. Thanks for all the input people, it's pretty much what I was hoping for.