DundasSteelheader

Thanks Joeytier! It sure is beautiful up there.

Hey All, Just recently got back from my now annual trip up to the Nipigon river in pursuit of big brookies, and I have to say this year was pretty successful. Went up for 5 days, a little early in the brookie season up there but still managed some nice fish. My dad was my fishing partner for this adventure, both of us using the fly rod. The steelhead season was early up there this year just like it was down here but we still gave it a shot to see if we could land a north shore chromer. Day 1: Flew Porter up to Thunder Bay, 2 hour flight and arrived at around 10am. Did the usual grocery run in thunder bay before driving just over an hour to Red Rock where we would be staying. Arrived at the lodge at about noon. Ray, the owner of the lodge suggested we try going up to the river for brookies as conditions were perfect and fishing had been good lately. We quickly unpacked and got back on the road up to the huntin grounds. Day 1 turned out to be pretty darn good. A nice fish from the old man to get the skunk out of the boat... Followed by a fatty ... First one of the trip for me And another to even the score Couple specks from dad Slept well that night... Day 2: Hit the river in the morning, the fish weren't quite as playful. Dad breaks the ice: and another up 3-0 on me I slightly redeem myself with this beast after the sun beating down on us and a long day of casting 12wt sinking lines on 6 and 7wt rods, we headed back to the lodge. Day 3: Saturday we went in the morning steelheading then got back and headed out to fish closer to the mouth of the nipigon with my second cousin Glenn and his wife Deb. The trek to the river was pretty interesting, lucky we were in a truck with 4 wheel drive... Trek to the river video Ended up that we were too late for steelies on that particular river but the scenery was nice and we did get into a few resident brookies and what I think were steelhead smolts? Then off to the Nipigon river to see what felt like hitting... Got the first laker of my fishing career My dad with a beautiful resident Nipigon river bow Day 4: Headed out for brookies in the morning with Glenn and Deb again, unfortunately we had terrible weather which we hoped would turn the fish on but it did the opposite. Only got 2 fish that day. Glenn with a nice one: Day 5: On our last day we decided to go steelheading in the morning and then go out for an evening fish for specks since that was when we were having the most luck. Quick drive to the river, throw on the waders and we were off. Fished for a few hours and I managed a small chromer. Then back to our favourite spot for brookies to see if we can't squeek out a few more before heading back home.. Absolutely beautiful night when we arrived, no wind compared to the strong gusts previous days. At this point in the trip we were dead tired but we finished pretty strong anyways.. I start it off with a fish that hit on the swing in 60ft of water... excuse the fly... It looks good in the water I swear Then the old man's turn with a nice chrome fish We caught a few more fish when my dad yells "fish on" and the fish starts peeling drag... Soon after the fish comes near the boat and I look down and have a look at the fish... 7lbs +, a huge fish. I just get out the words "dad that thing is massive" as the hook spits. That fish is going to haunt his dreams Oh well we'll get him next year. We end off the night with this weird looking fish who lost some of his tail somehow. ... And that concludes Nipigon 2012. We will be back next year for sure. Big shout out to Ray, the owner of the lodge who is a standup guy, and Jon our guide, very knowledgeable and a great guy to fish with. Mods let me know if I'm breaking any rules but here is their website http://www.nipigonriveradventures.com Highly recommend this trip to anyone who wants a chance at brookies up to 10lbs, and yes they are in there. Sean

Hey, For small stream trout as already mentioned a 4-5wt is probably a good start. I personally use a 3wt for my summer small stream trout fishing but it is up to you. If you are going to be fishing little creeks with lots or trees/obstructions you might want to look at a shorter rod maybe 7' 6" or 8', it will probably be a little more manageable. As for a reel, no need to go expensive when going for small trout as it won't be very often that you get a fish peeling off drag, its mostly just to hold the line. Get a reel that balances nicely with whatever rod you choose and you should be happy Others may be more helpful for line choices, but I have had good experiences with lines from the main manufacturers, Scientific Anglers, Orvis, Rio, etc. Definitly a WF Floating line will help ease the learning curve a little compared to a double taper. Not sure of your budget but I use an Allen Xa 7'6" 3wt with a Orvis Battenkill reel and a 3wt Orvis Wonderline gen3 WF line. It is a very comfortable and light set up. Good Luck Sean

That is a great picture!

Thanks guys, I'm getting a feeling that the good flats fishing to be had is with a guide, and that the wandering the beaches DIY stuff will mostly just be luck if I catch anything. Any tips on spinning gear ? line leaders, lures anything? I was thinking of getting some 30-40 pound braid, wire leaders, bucktails, poppers, crankbaits etc. The rod I will be bringing is a 9' H MF Clarus, with a 2500 Stradic... do you think that will be a big enough reel? ' DundasSteelheader

Thanks for the info dude - what were you catching on the spinning gear? Cudas? Could ya give me the names of a few general areas that have flats nearby? It isnt decided what area we want to go to yet, and good fishing is definitely a big factor for my dad and I. I don't really care what species I fish for, just want to get some form of fishing in. Thanks for the information, have been to Cayo Coco before and it was awesome, definitely considering going back. Do you think overlining a couple weights would help with casting?

Hey all, It looks as if I will be going on vacation to Cuba in March. As with all family vacations, me and my dad will try to get some fishing in Both of us are pretty green when it comes to saltwater fishing, especially flats fishing. It hasn't been determined which area of Cuba we will be going to, and I was looking for some expertise from some people who have been there before as to a good place to go. I am hoping to get a guide for a day or two, then do a little DIY on some free time. Species is not a big deal, I am a decent fly fisherman, but again don't have a lot of experience in long casts and careful presentations - I have mostly just done some steelheading and trout flyfishing. From what I have read, permit and bonefish are pretty spooky and difficult to catch. Second question is what kind of gear to bring. I was thinking of bringing a 10' 7wt, with an 7/8 saltwater fly reel and an 8 wt floating line, not sure if I wil bring spinning gear or not. Seems like shrimp imitations and bright minnow flies are the most successful based on what I have read so far. Any advice would help me out a lot Thanks everyone DundasSteelheader

Flick Fishing is not bad

Sorry if a little off topic, but if your dead set on catching atlantics, check out the Midfjardara river in Iceland, unbelivable atlantic fishing. Certainly one place I dream of going some day. They average 4.5 fish per day per rod! I shudder to think of the cost of a trip there though

I don't really have any good photos of any other PB's so I'll throw up my pb steelie which I estimated at about 9.5-10lbs

Great suggestions guys, thanks. Just what I was hoping for . Will take both of those into serious consideration. What type of wading boots are you guys using?

Hey Bill, Yeah I was looking at them seems like anything Simms is a pretty safe bet... How is Simms' warrenty? any good?

Congrats nice reel man, got mine about a week ago, love it

Thanks for the suggestion stonefly, I'll keep those in mind for sure. I think the budgets a little tight for full simms G4 gear, although it would be nice. Maybe in a few years once these ones wear out. I will for sure get the cleats as well, heard nothing but good things about them.

Hey Guys, Hope everyone is having a great christmas, I sure am! One of my gifts was some waders + boots of my choice to buy online. I have only ever worn neoprene before and they have been nice but very heavy and a little tiring to walk in all day. I want to get into the breathables as most people have these days. I am wondering what types you fellow steelheaders have and how they perform. As for boots, Im thinking something simms with the Vibram soles as they got rave reviews in a previous wading boots thread but am open to what people suggest for sure. Budget for waders is around $200 by the way Thanks everyone, Merry Christmas

I am a fellow steelhead noob, and the number 1 thing I have gathered so far is that if something is not working, you must try something new or change something. If you are not getting hits with a setup, change something about it, whether it is shot pattern, leader length, roe bag colour, hook size, roe bag size, etc. or change baits all together. I have had days where I drift a roe bag in a pool where I know there are fish 20 times, and not get a hit, then drift a bead through and get a fish the first drift. Also, if this pool you are fishing is popular and sees a lot of pressure, might be a good idea to lengthen up your leader and try not to spook the fish when walking up. Regarding your amount of float, while other guys might be hitting fish with a certain amount of float it may not work for you depending on your shot pattern or leader length. I have found that the best way is to put a lot of length, than if you are getting hung up or the float showing signs of dragging bottom, then move it up an inch or 2. Just keep repeating this until you find the magic height then you are set. Lastly, If you can, it would be a good idea to, if you can, find someone on the board willing to go out with you. This is a great way to pick up tips that will help you out big time, and also might point you in the right direction in terms of gear you should get. I personally learned everything I know about steelheading from my uncle, and my dad who combined have about 40 years experience steelheading. Hope I helped

Nice Bows&ho's !

Sorry to hear that, until now I had never even heard of piranhas being pets!

Wow that wolf fish is one ugly fish I'll throw up a random one, from salmon season... this guy smashed the spoon I was swinging, taped out at 43x25, an absolute beast. Was alone at the time so couldn't get a good shot.

I believe it! I hooked one this year probably close to 10 on the Catt, snapped my 8lb froghair leader unfortunately

Caught a brown almost identical to that on the Catt last year, also had no idea what it was at the time. They definitely look a lot different when they are fresh out of the lake then when they have all their colours. Nice fish! Edit: added a photo

I too have sold and bought many things on Kijiji with zero problems. You get the occasional low baller but what do you expect. I myself never offer exactly what the asking price when I know its likely I can knock off around 10%.

I've got Turtle beach PX21's which are a bit older and therefore cheaper ( about $80 I think). For the price they are very good. I have never used real fancy surround sound ones so I cant really compare but the PX21's do the job for me.

Were you on the fly rod? It seems almost everyone down there uses the fly rod and I saw some guys pick off a few but not the numbers me and my guys were getting on roe... The rest of the guys I were fishing with and I combined got over 30 fish on friday in roe and I was surprised to see how few people were using it

Yeah, any idea why that is? is it damage to the fingerlings in the hatchery or something? Hey thanks, good to see another dundasian on here hahah Thanks everyone for the comments