Paulus

Oh the irony. I really love the pic of the tarpon in the water, with the baitfish still hanging on the line. Like fishing for jewelry. Goethe is right. Seize the day. Well done! p.-

Foudroyant, Dan. Je ne l'aurais jamais cru autrement!!! I loved it & watched it several times. That's what it's all about. It must have taken incredible calm to just let her walk up like that. Here... just the tip l'orignal a du se dire apres ca... 'crisse, ca a passe proche!' p.-

Actually, the top fish was probably worked on by birds or raccoons. I went back today, and the fish had both been dragged out of the water, but are now looking pretty eaten up. Fox and raccoon tracks abound At least they're feeding someone. p.-

Awesome! I love those jiggy buggers, by the way. By far my favourite jig. Keep em comin! p.-

Driving by a local creek yesterday afternoon, I came across this gruesome sight. Both fish were steelhead, male, cut up and left to rot. One of them was clearly being filleted when whoever it was decided to abandon them. The kill had taken place not long ago, maybe a couple of days, because they didn't smell. I pushed them into the river, if only to erase the crime. It took a lot for these fish to get as high in this trib as they did. Both were well over 8lbs, and the tiny little trickle they were dragged from looks barely large enough to accommodate brook trout. Seeing stuff like this makes me wonder what people think. No respect for the wild, at all. Please never do this! p.-

Thanks Drifter. It's only the second time I manage to make that kind of shot work. Both were in the early morning, so maybe lighting has something to do with it. This one (below) took me more than 20 minutes to land & must've been more than 12lbs. She would have been more for sure, in the fall. I couldn't believe that the tippet held as long as it did, or the hook which basically slipped out after I got her in. One of the best battles I've had in a long time: "mmmhhmmmmmm" as you so truthfully put it p.-

fished the confluence down to the barrier today. I should say I walked it. There were no fish to be seen in that stretch. Good luck! p.-

LOL. Those things are beyond our capability to understand. They're just a totally different kind of creature. Mysterious. Beguiling. Darn! I got yard work to do! See you later, boys! p.-

I haven't met Aniceguy yet, but I know about his good work (and have sampled some of it, thanks!) with the CRAA. As Solopaddler hinted, the above is where this whole thing went wrong, then actually very ridiculous and finally ridiculously funny. Yes, they go for marshmallows, yes they will rise for something that you drop on the surface of a pool or pond, and all of that is true. But Aniceguy is 100% right when he calls the "marshmallow rig," "lining." I've perfected the technique, so I should know. Basically, if you fish for salmon in slack water, off a pier, in an estuary (river mouth) - i.e. anywhere that there is not enough current to push your bait around - you are probably lining most of your fish: 1) rod-------------------sinker----------------------------marshmallow 2) rod-------------------marshmallow--------------------sinker This is not to say that you're immoral or a bad person who also steals cans of Red Bull from Mac's Milk, or let "one" rip and blame it on a 2 year old (which actually I've been accused of doing.... I'M INNOCENT!!!! INNOCENT, I SAY!... sister in law thinks she's Matlock) You probably think that they're biting. And maybe the odd one is, but most are not. You don't normally catch any other species when doing this do you? 99% are salmon, yes? In the above equation, when you are out in late September getting salmon at Bronte or Credit, or whatever pier or estuary you are getting them from, try the following baits: cigarette butt; worm ; gummy bear; piece of cloth; cut-out picture of Dalton McGinty from the newspaper etc... ad nauseum. I guarantee you that if the marshmallows were working, then all of these other things will work too. Oddly enough, I don't really have a problem with this technique myself when it concerns Chinook Salmon. They are so heavily stocked in the Great Lakes, and most of them are put-and-take (not all, I know). If people are catching steelhead this way, that's a different kettle of fish. Most Ontario tribs have 100% wild populations of Steelhead, and catching them this way IMO isn't fair to them. I only mention all of this because I am a total, utter, elitist Steelheader snob. In fact, I pick my nose at you and &*^% in your general direction. Your mother was a hamster and your father smelled of elderberries. Now if you'll excuse me, I will be having my tea, along with caviar, melba toast, pâté de foie gras and a discreet dab of grey poupon. "GREY POUPON!" "FETCHEZ LA VACHE!" p.-

So are we lining salmon, trout or beaver? Can you line muskrat? Will they take a marshmallow, too? I saw a beaver take a wiener last night.

ROFL! That made me laugh! It seems somehow linked to those two chaps who haven't seen the bush for sometime and who've been directed to look for a beaver dam. There are always lots of marshmallow-eating trout at beaver dams. They even take a chunk of wiener. Hey if I float a wiener at the end of my rig will I also catch salmon? At the beaver dam? Or, no. Egads. I'm confused now. I think I'll go spruce up my gear.... my fishing stuff, you know. p.-

Hehe, you make it sound like a bazooka, Mike! It's definitely not pocket sized by any means. But I've abandoned the backpack in favor of just tucking it inside the top of my chest waders. Easy access, quick snap, release fish. Thanks for the compliments everyone, I'm glad to find people who appreciate my pics Heading out to another trib soon. Hopefully there'll be more where that came from p.-

Thanks MJL The camera is an old Minolta Z1 (with 10x Zoom). Minolta's digital cam arm was bought up by Sony, so I'm afraid these aren't around anymore. Mind you, I hear that it was their best model overall. Later models had defects. It's still an excellent camera, even though I dropped it in the water last year (argh!!!! ) and there are a few water spots that show up in the lens whenever the sun shines in it at a certain angle. Still, better than nothing! p.-

I'm so tired I can barely keep my eyes open. Hit three rivers since Saturday, and here is a portion of the results. Thank the GODS for the rain we had Monday. It helped! Hope everyone had a good opener, too! Enjoy the pics cheers! p.-

http://newsdurhamregion.com/news/breaking_news/article/97429 Apparently a snag. I've fished there before and glad I wasn't fishing it that day! I haven't heard anything new on the story, but I'll post it if I do. Very sad indeed! p.-

Awesome trip buddy, I'm glad you guys had a good time Looking forward to hooking up soon.... :clapping: p.-

pink & purple were my magic today jig, i mean! p.-

NICE GOIN COPPER (USING CAPS 4 U) AS USUAL ! WHAT CAMERA WERE YOU USING? CELL PHONE CAM? BEAUTY CHROME. HOPE YOU PICKED UP THAT STYROFOAM CONTAINER ON YOUR WAY OUT P.-

SWWWEEEEET CHROME!!!! SHA-WING! p.-

How many fish did you catch? I don't get it. Is this a joke? How did you go from Alaska to the Don River to Mars? Man after the first part of your email, I was putting my waders on, but I have no idea how to get there. Can you PM me directions? Thanks man.

Smokin! Congrats on yet another victory, Bly. Well buys, I think it's time we put this one on Pro-Line. Sorry Cliff, but unless you get some new line, my chips are on Bly for the next round! p.-

Think again! I've seen no more crowded day than Easter. I tried it a couple of years ago, and there were so many people out that I swore I wouldn't to it again It can be almost as bad as the opener!

For sure! I motivate myself by telling myself that I could've gone to work WITHOUT fishing first... It works, sort of... But always better than a kick in the lol! p.-

Let's hope so! Today's rain will have helped a lot, and hopefully the gray, "dreary," weather continues... So dreary, so depressing... while everyone else is complaining about the rain I'll be planning the next trip(s). ROFL! Weather permitting, I should be able to provide a new report soon p.-

Got a chance to finally wet a line this morning, looking for my first steelhead of the coming Spring season. Landed one within the first few minutes, but it was quiet after that. I got two pics of the fish while I was fighting it, then my camera died...doh! At least it was good to figure out the cure for the serious blahs I was having One fish is always better than no fish!!! cheers! p.-