ccmtcanada

It's a tough call on these. You just never know what the tribs are going to be like from day to day. The creek we fished on opener was really shallow, ultra clear, and the fish were easily spooked. From everything I've heard, those conditions are NOT good for steelies. We didn't care...we didnt want crowds, so we headed to this out-of-way spot and had some success. I think you learned a valuable lesson...go with your heart....even if you get skunked, at least you'll know one way or another. Oh yeah....thanks for mentioning bly and I in your post....it was kind of flattering....LOL

What a great report! Must be awesome out there sharing these trips with your son....he'll (and I'm sure you too), will remember them for the rest of his life! Cant beat that Mike. Glad to see some fish there....you guys sure looked like you had a great time. Thanks for the great report and pics.

Sweet! Great job out there...esp since it was very crowded there. congrats on a great opener!

I chose carp, even though I have never caught one. Of all the course fish there are though, carp interests me because of their size and fight. I'll be targeting them this summer for sure!

Great thread Douger! Well...I started trying for these guys back at the end of December 2006. I went out probably 10 times and had only one fish on...but lost it...and only a few hits. I then enlisted the help of our resident steelhead master, CANADIAN COPPER. He took me out to a spot on a CCCCOLD -28C January day and there I landed my first steelie...on his rod, terminal tackle and roe. He pointed to the spot to begin my drifts and within a few hours I had one on....a nice little scrappy female. He netted it for me...here's the pic!! From there I've learned a lot from this board, and frankly just going out a trying spots, trying different setups, leader depths, roe bag colours, seeing what the tribs are like when waters are clear and low vs after big rains. I read the board very closely to see what ppl are using in those conditions and then I try them out myself. It's a lot of learning and trying and failing, but once you have success, the good times begin to roll.

Thanks again Jason...we had a blast out there! As far as teamwork is concernced, we actually had a little system that worked well...most of the holes were too small for 2 ppl to drift, so we'd take turns. A few of our fish were caught by one of us drifting , and the other looking at the fish and them know when it took the bait...they were hitting so lightly and the current was so slow that they float didn't even go down!! It was pretty funny...."ok...good line...getting close....it's mouth just opened....took the bait....closed mouth...SET THE HOOK!!!" LOL.

LOL...thanks for noticing Rich!!! She does that in almost every outing we have anyways..thanks for pointing that out for everyone though....haha

Nice job out there! Good thing you got there early...in your case I guess it's "the early bird get the....fish?". Sorry that was a bad joke. Anyhow...congrats on your opener!

Nice going! It's not always about the big fish....for me...ANY fish is good...LOL. Looks like you had a good day out there...congrats on a successful opening day!

Hope you're having a great birthday!

Beauty walleye! Welcome to the board...so...you're from Cobourg....did you head a little east down the 401 for that one? Looking forward to more posts from you!

Sounded like a great day with fellow ofners! Good on you for meeting and getting out. Some nice fish there too....especially the carp!

That is one awesome looking fish! Congrats on your mount...it will adorn your walls well and do you proud!

Good luck tomorrow!!! At least you got out there...that's what it's all about.

Awesome report! Real nice fish there! Bly and I fished log jams all day....we only landed ones from there...LOL. Anyhow...congrats on a great opening day.

Well, as most of you know, bly and I started targeting steelhead this spring. We've been relegated to south of the CN tracks like everyone else...but we were able to practise...and it came in handy today. Before I go on...I'd like to thank Basskicker for showing me a great out of the way trib. The last thing we wanted was an opener where there are tons of people...shoulder to shoulder. This is a little scenery of where we were...we saw maybe 5 people all day long....it was a very peaceful day...just us and the fish! We talked a few guys who said that the "usual" opening spots in the east tribs were literally PACKED!! We started drifting before sunrise...and the action was hot...well...not for big fish, but we landed about 6 of these...you know...practice for the bigger fish later!!! We hope....LOL. Once the sun came up, I had a nice fish on!!! Carole unfortunately was on the other side of the creek....with....you guessed it...the camera....LOL. It was a nice 26" male. I wanted to get the guy back in the water ASAP...so no picture. You all believe me right??? LOL. Anyhow, I lost a few fish in the next half hour....one of them took a nice black jig I was using. I could see the fish still in the hole...with my black jig on the outside of his mouth...haha. I was hoping to catch him so I could retrieve it, but it wasn't to be. Finally, I landed this nice 24" male. It had awesome colours....just had to take a pic.... Next...it was bly's turn...she had a HUGE male on her line...the fight went on for about 10 minutes. I was standing at the ready with the net. It bolted from logpile to logpile....tearing off tons of drag. It was an exciting fight! Finally, the fish wrapped the line around a log and snapped the leader. She was not to be outdone...a few minutes later, she landed this really really beat up fish! We were surprised the thing was even alive...but alas it was, and was on it's merry way after a quick picture. We then took a lunch break...had our sandwiches and chips on the side of the bank...enjoying the sound of running water and birds chirping. That afternoon, after a LOT of exploring holes, we found a few fish hanging around a pile of logs....bly took a pic of one of them.... A few minutes later, I landed this scrappy male. A little while later, bly landed this nice one...another 24" male. We had a great time out there....even if it was catching little guys like this one.... So...now...what went wrong today? Well, about 10 minutes into drifting in the dark, I had a snag...when I was trying to free it, I snapped about a foot off my noodle rod!!! Bly tripped on a log while walking from hole to hole and ended up injuring her knee....it swelled right up, but she was a trooper and continued on fishing. Hmmm...what else....here a picture of bly balancing on a log across the creek to unsnag me from a tree....LOL We saw lot of spawning females....so whenever we saw them in the riffles with a male close by, we left them alone to do their thing....we want lots of fish to catch next year...and the year after that.... Anyways...our results may not compare to others for openers, but it was an amazing first opener experience for us. It's our 7th wedding anniversary weekend....and quite frankly, we couldn't have imagined a better way to celebrate then the two of us out there, fishing together...as a team! So...for little fish...we caught about 6....for bigger ones I went 3 for 5 and bly went 2 for 3....our best single day haul of steelhead! Sorry for the long post...but I wanted to do the day justice.

Nice job Scott...yet again...I should just cut and paste all my previous posts, since they all say the same...LOL. Looks like they all had spawned already...heading back to the lake. Nice to see they were hitting all sorts...yellow, pink, jigs etc... Hopefully bly and I can hook into some tomorrow. Later! Cliff

Bly and I should be ready by tonite as well. We've been looking foward to our first trout opener for weeks now...sleep may be an issue for us as well!! Oh well, if we cant sleep, we'll just go fishing at 5am then...LOL.

Wow!! Sounds like a great time for sure! Memories is what it's really all about, and it's great to see you and your dad hitting the water together. Looking forward to your post next week....good luck and good health!

LOL Douger...if you get out this weekend, I'm sure you'll land at least a few! If you do, make sure the camera is ready and post your report!! Good luck to you. All is well with us....lookin forward to tomorrow. Cliff

Good luck to you too! I'll be out there...somewhere....hopefully catching something other than a cold.

Nice lookin guitar there! I'm sure you'll have lots of fun playing around with it!

Hey Gerritt....I'm sure it'll be a walk in the park! Good to get it done now...so the summer is free for fishing!!

WTG! nice looking steelie you got there. Good luck to you for the opener as well!

Yeppers....here's some info I copied from a website... http://www.dec.state.ny.us/website/dfwmr/f...html#troutperch Trout-perch click for larger imageThe trout-perch is a small, nearly transparent fish that averages three to four inches in length. Looking somewhat like a cross between a trout and a perch, it has an adipose (top rear) fin like a trout and spiny fin rays like a perch. A New York native, it is found in waters across the State. Trout-perch occur in a variety of habitats ranging from shallow streams to a 200 feet depth in the Great Lakes. Bottom dwelling fish, they are usually found over sand and gravel and seem to avoid areas of rooted aquatic vegetation. They spawn in shallow, rocky streams from May through August. As in many other fish species, the adhesive eggs are scattered and then abandoned. In lakes, adult trout-perch remain in deeper water during the day and then move into shallower water at night to feed on aquatic insects and small crustaceans. While anglers rarely encounter these fish, trout-perch are an important food source for walleye, northern pike, burbot, lake trout, brook trout, sauger, yellow perch, and freshwater drum.