Spiel

....My first boat was named "Silver Miner" on account of all the deep rigging I did for chrome. My last boat had no name but "Sinker" would have been good due to all it's leaks....lol (right Gerritt). My new boat is still unamed on account of I've not come up with anything catchy or is that cause I can't catch anything?

....Yes Brian I will be doing a twist. Actually with the light action of the long rod it's the only way to go. The concept of using bait casters for float fishing is not new however. I had a friend who was doing it over 25 years ago. And friends of mine who've been using center pins like myself for over 25 years have become devout converts to the bait cast system. They swear once I use my new outfit I'll never go back.

....This past Thursday I took my son (Connor) and my girlfriends son (Isaac) out for a little river fishing. Now neither of the boys have ever experienced this type of fishing nor have they ever worn waders. They were quite excited to go and I had no trouble waking them up early. I might add I decided to take Brook (my new puppy) for her first fishing outing as well. We arrived at our destination at the crack of daylight and quickly got geared up (I would only be observing and assisting this time) and headed down the hill to the creek. I was immediately dismayed upon seeing the terribly low water levels. None the less they were pumped to be out of school and were quick to jump in and check out their waders....lol. A short walk down stream and we spotted out first pair of chinooks sitting an a shallow riffle, to say the boys were awestruck at the size of these fish would be an understatement. I decided to set the boys up with mepps 3 spinners in hopes of initiating a reflex/aggression type response from the fish but the low levels allowed these already spooky fish to turn tail and run so onward we went. Soon after they spotted a very large male (20+) sitting in mere inches of water. After failing to entice a strike they decided to get a closer, much closer, in fact they were petting it. After tolerating their presence for a few minutes it turned tail and ran after Isaac tried to lift it up....lol We continued on downstream for about a mile with the boys pretty much testing their wading skills and seeing how deep they could go without falling in. Oh and my puppy was also a real trooper, wading when she had to and swimming across current areas when it was to deep to walk, not bad for her first fishing trip. There was a real lack of fish to be had due to the extremely low water but most every pool we encountered had a few fish and the boys kept trying. I tried to explain to them they they might have better luck if they were not standing right in next to the fish but they didn't seem to care, they were happy to be exploring the ability to get deep and yet stay dry. The last pool we came to had a good number of salmon (both cho and chinook) as well as a few brown trout but try as they might no action. This fish appeared to have been pretty gun shy and judging by the gutted carcasses on the bank (pigs!) I was not surprised. Eventually they gave up in favour of firing their sling shots. Not being one to idly stand by with so many fish about I decided to give it a few casts. I was rewarded fairly quickly with a couple of hits from surprisingly agressive coho males who slammed the mepps 3. But being somewhat rusty I was unable to get a good hook set into their bony kypes. But it did get the boys worked up enough to put the sling shots away for a few more casts. Eventually they gave up and we worked our way back to the van. While Brook was a champ she was beginnig to become somewhat tired due to dragging around a few pounds of water mud and burrs. It took me and the girlfriend 90 minutes to de-burr the poor girl! The boys were still pumped when we got home and were asking when's the next day they can play hookey. I told them it would be soon.

....In a word "TILLER"

.....Well it's a better start to fall steel than I've had, WTG.

....So out of necessity I'm in the process of putting together a new steelhead float fishing outfit. The reason being simply the inability to use my center pin reel thse day due to a work place injury. Without getting into details the problem is one of right arm pain and almost instant numbness when gripping anything for more than a few minutes. So not willing to give up on floating for steelies I decided to build myself a new float rod designed to be held in my left hand and to be paired with a quality bait caster. The rod is an 11 1/2 foot Frontier rated for 4-8lb test and will be fitted with top of the line Titanium framed S.I.C guides. The reel, well it's a thing of beauty! With the help of some dear friends south of the border I was able to get a bargain price on a Shimano Calcutta TE 200DC. I'm telling you this reel is sweeeeeet. I've no doubt this reel will surpass all my expectations. The spool free spins every bit as well as my center pin which of course is crucial for drifting float rigs. The digital cast control I expect will allow me to toss even the lightest of set ups without fear of birds nesting. Now all I need to do is get off my butt and get my new rod assembled. To my friends south of the border, a million thanks, you're the best.

.....Sorry my....... Got to admit though as others have I'm jealous. I know exactly what I'm missing out on having had the pleasure of sharing in a venison dinner at that very table with you good folks.

....Hmmmmmm, even as a well seasoned steelheader it's hard not to be impressed. Glad yous had a swell outing.

....I'd have had it plucked and cleaned before even posting the pics Wayne. Cools shots by the way.

....How unfortunate. I would have been there if I could but alas I was in on the long 12 hour nightshift.

.....Scary stuff Garry, I'm glad the two of you came out unscathed. The collateral damage can be replaced unlike yourselves.

....Thanks everyone. While this is indeed the first dog for the kids it's my fourth. I've been wanting a new dog for some time and finally the time seemed right. As for intelligence, well I have to say that I'm impressed. After only one week the submissive problem is well under control, simple commands (sit, stay, come and no) are understood fully and complied with, simply amazing. She's been crate trained and while needing at least one mid-night outing to pee last night she slept through till morning without a whimper. I think I've got a winner.

....Congratulations Cliff and Carol, fine looking vessel. I hope she brings you many days of pleasure. Gerritt had called me to see if I could come up the hill and join yous for the afternoon and as much as I would have liked to I was unable. My loss, sure would have been nice to chat with you both again.

....Nice, great way to spend the day with family and an impressive upper Grand walleye for sure.

....G'day all, been out for a while (puppy training ya know). Georgeous out there and sure wish I was going to be fishing but I'm going to take advantage of the weather and do some window caulking and painting.

....In a word "incredible". She has amazing talent.

....Beautiful shots, love that second one. Were you using a polarizing filter?

....Well I finally broke down and got my kids a puppy. Yep that's correct and it's also why I'm up so dang early. I'm hoping she'll be a willing fishing partner, seems she already knows what time of day to get up for fishing....lol I came across this little girl from a fellow at work who got her at 8 weeks old and kept her for 5 weeks before deciding she had to go. Well he said if I wanted to have a look at her she could be mine for free, barring my not taking her she was likely on her way to the S.P.C.A. So I went and had a look last Sunday and was instantly taken in by her puppy charms so home she came. Overall she's a pretty good little girl, a little on the submissive side but I'm working on that. She is also seemingly intelligent and appears to be a quick learner, I hope. According to the papers he gave me the mother was a Sheltie and the father a Border Collie though I'm uncertain since at 3 1/2 months she's already 20lbs. I guess time will tell. We settled on the name Brook, yes of course I was thinking trout....lol

....I'm certain I've seen that one many times in the boat trader? I wouldn't touch it if Gerritt was paying for all the renos.

....If you're referring to the one down by me Gerritt, it is no longer.

....I'd be there if I could Tony, unfortunately the day you've scheduled is a work day for me.

....Still much to be done. Apparently mine included....

....While chinooks may be done or near done the fishing for trout (rainbows/browns) will be picking up and available all right through till late next spring. Also depending on location you may encounter cohos.

....LOL, yep that's a keeper all right. Great shot.

....Impressive....