solopaddler

As a lot of you guys know I just moved to Grimsby last summer. I think I'm starting to like it even more than I already do It sure is nice to have a spot to fish close to home. Anyhow, I headed out again this morning and managed a bunch more fish. Surprisingly all the browns were males (at least the ones that I caught). Bottom bouncing in the heavy current takes a bit of feel, and you've got to get the amount of lead just right. Too little and you're not reaching the fish. Too much and you're constantly getting hung up. When you've got it just right you can feel your pencil lead ticking bottom lightly... Sometimes the hits are very light, this morning most of the hits were savage...lots-o-fun! Here's the pic's I did manage to get. Admitedly the shots of the fish laying on the pier aren't exactly aesthetically pleasing, but whatya you gonna do? The steelhead was mint, very chromy and quite acrobatic. Now it's off to work. On tap for today: tying a bunch of roe bags for Friday . Cheers, Mike

Wow, impressive! Walleyes that size from shore? You're really onto something there!

That's great!

Nope, that's the ice fishing version. These spoons have just the one large treble.

Now that's thinking outside the box man. . I run tandem rigs like that all the time especially fly fishing. One of my favourite rigs is a small egg fly with about a 6" trailer and a small streamer. In theory it's supposed to look like a fry chasing an egg. Regardless it works. Sometimes they'll hit the egg, sometimes the streamer.. Also have run jigs under topwater baits, also very deadly .

Don't know if they still make them, but if you can find one try trolling a 10" silver Williams Whitefish with the white tag on the tail. I've got 6 of them left from an original 20 that I bought over 20 years ago. They're deadly .

Oh yeah, catch 'em like crazy! On my lake in QC I've located one shoal in particular where the whitefish spawn. They move up onto it at dusk and spawn at night. We've caught tons on a 3" white grub tipped with a dead minnow. Hits are incredibly light and you miss a lot. A small stinger helps a lot. Also if you find a spawning shoal it's a fabulous pattern to use for other large predators. My spawning shoal sees large smallmouth move in behind the whities to feed on the roe, and large esox prowling the fringes feeding on the whitefish .

My personal rule of thumb has always been they start around the full moon in October regardless of water temps. Anytime I've targeted them at that time they were always in thick...

Yep, looked just like that one. Can't imagine what weekends are like...it was shoulder to shoulder down there today!

Nice fish Steve, glad to see you got out and caught one. (A float reel is of little advantage in those types of waters. Careful manipulation of a spinning reel will reap the same results. If we ever get the chance to fish together I'll show you what I mean )

Yes the tackle is a fly rod/reel, and frankly not worth spending your money in IMO. The reel is kind of interesting. The small lever sticking out in front leads me to believe it's an automatic reel. If so there'd be a knob on the backplate that you wind up and then pull the lever up to retrieve line. They were a true oddity back in the day, never really catching on with anglers...

Went out locally this morning for a couple of hours of bottom bouncing before work. Managed 2 steelhead and 2 browns, one of which was an absolute slab of a male brown in the 15lb range. Landed the beast and another angler took a photo which mysteriously didn't appear on my camera . I'm guessing he inadvertantly turned the camera off . Also missed a nice shot of a 7lb bow when it slipped out of my hands and back in the water.. I did get shots of the other two Not bad for a morning of hacking around!

A special place is an understatement bud, I feel fortunate for the invite! Next 2-3 weeks are going to be fun indeed.

Nice! Gotta love those golden fall days when the fish are in.

Good stuff Bill. We contemplated the Saugeen for Sunday, wish we would have tried it. You're bang on about the Notty!

Cliff, you never cease to amaze me LOL! Congrat's bud those are some nice fish.

I received an invite from my buddy Dave who's family owns an amazing waterfront cottage right in the heart of steelhead country up north to come up fish for a couple days. Joining us was our mutual friend Joe, one of my companions on the Alaskan trip. Saturday far exceeded my expectations. The conditions were perfect: high, but very clear water. Normally on this river you're restricted to fishing the deeper holes as most of the river is just too skinny, but we hit fish everywhere on Saturday. The added water depth allowed the fish some measure of security and we found them in fast water pockets behind boulders, riffles, and tailouts that are normally rock gardens. The uber clear water called for fluorocarbon tippets, but we had to run at least 6lb test or run the risk of losing fish. Small micro roe bags tied in white were the ticket, although Dave shocked at least one fish into smashing his pink plastic worm . There's definitely something to be said for wild steelhead, their power is just unreal. So hard and muscular they're incredibly hard to hold with every muscle twitching and quivering. They just never give up! These fish were all pure chrome and absolutely electric. If they had hair it would've been standing on end . Saturday evening we enjoyed our apres fish at Dave's place right on the water. What an incredible spot! The money shot Couldn't have been a more perfect day! Sunday we fished a different river for just the morning. I hit one brute of a fish that just smoked me, snapping my tippet like thread...and that was it. Around 10:30 we decided to cut our losses and head home to our families earlier than expected. (Brownie points in the bank for next weekend ). The next couple of weeks are shaping up to be very prime if you're a steelhead fisherman. Get out and enjoy boys while it lasts! Cheers, Mike

Wow awesome! The surf thing sounds pretty cool, were you bottom bouncing or drifting with a glow stick on your float?

Beautiful fish guys!

How far a drive are you from Thunder Bay? It's a bit late in the fall now to go, but the spring runs are pretty good. Pretty much every river and creek of substance that flows into Superiors north shore has decent runs of steelhead...

You won't be fishing the Saugeen tomorrow bud, unless you like fishing in a raging brown torrent LOL! (Just an FYI ) All of the smaller Huron trib's should be prime though.. Good luck

I'd love to seriously! I think I'd need that horeshoe for muskie fishing. Ehh...not so much for steelhead fishing.

Well done bud! If you're fishing this weekend it should be absolutely prime, good luck!

Calling that spam is a bit of a stretch.

I can picture it: triploid genetic mutants programmed to eat nothing but marshmallows, get fat and never spawn. Hey wait a minute....that sounds like my ex!!!!