Eastern Ontario November Ditch Chrome

[Paulus]

The difference on eastern lake ontario rivers, between this fall's water levels and those of the summer past, are incredibly dismal. Usually, water RISES in the fall. This has not been the case in 2009, much to the chagrin of many ditch fishers like myself. It's so bad that I've lost almost all motivation to fish my local waters, because I can't be bothered to toothpick finicky fish from puddles , when driving an extra hour or two (or three, or four) will afford me the luxury of sounding truly deep, big waters for steelhead who are not as stringent in their dietary demands.

 

Almost.

 

After this week's and last week's rain, and coupled with the fact that we have had such a mild fall season so far, I actually felt the need to venture out this weekend. But what time did I have? Not much: Santa pictures with the boys on Saturday (before noon), haircut required (or no spawning activities in the near future, I was told), Sunday brunch and dinner with friends... there was no real window for me to get out. I had about an hour on Saturday morning, if I managed to sneak out before my sons woke up: and this meant that I would have to try local waters, dried up ditches as they are despite the recent precipitation.

 

So, just as the sun was rising, I was walking the banks of a local river, about 10 minutes from home . I'd had a tip about a new pool that had been created by the past summer's floods, and I followed it - to no avail. The section of river that I'd been told should be 6 feet deep, had already dropped to less than 4; as is always the case with rivers out here, when they've recently endured a long drought. It was so bad that I took pictures of the Canada Geese, to pass the time...

 

 

take off...

 

 

With less than 30 minutes left in my hour, I fell back on my experience. Surely, no self-respecting fish would be running the gauntlet of gin clear, disastrously low conditions that the river offered on this day; but if I was a fish that had run it in the previous couple of days, where would I be? I would be in the deepest pool I could possibly find, of course.

 

So that's what I looked for. The deepest pool I could possibly find. And, assuming that any fish in such a place had already seen its fair share of roe bags, I tied on a jig.

 

There were other fishermen about, but I was lucky enough to find a patch of water that conformed to the above description. I drifted it a few times, with my curfew countdown on: by then, about 5 minutes. And on the seventh drift, there was a slight tickle on the float. It wavered ever so slightly, indicating that something - not bottom or anything else that is inanimate - had shown some interest. I added a few inches of depth to my lead and swung it into a slightly better line.

 

It was so easy. When the float went down, recognising the strike and setting the hook was like shooting into an empty net from the blue paint - with the goalie 100 ft out of the net. It must have rocketed 10 inches at least, and in the early morning light I almost lost sight of it as it zipped down into the water. Only someone who is thoroughly not paying attention - or is 100% visually impaired - would have missed this strike. Put me on Karim Abdul Jabbar's shoulders and let me dunk the alley-oop with a tennis ball. That's how easy it was.

 

The fight wasn't so great, as the fish had been in the river probably more than a week. He had not very much of his former chrome left, and he was quite dark. Also, the cold flow must have made him sluggish, as he seemed to have lots of energy left over for the release. The best surprise, after the manner in which he took my jig, was that he was in about the 9 lb range. In the shallow water, near shore, he hadn't looked that big. Sorry about the mud, in the pics. It's hard to take these on your own and release the fish as soon as possible, without skipping over a few aesthetic details:

 

The rod butt is about 23" (reel is 4.5 ")

 

 

closeup (mud on fish... mud on jig)

 

 

So, in an hour, I got 1 fish. That surely must count as a one fish per hour average, even though he stretched that hour by about 10 or 20 minutes! Anyway, not bad for such a restricted amount of time

 

:)

 

p.-

[Leecher]

Great report, story and pics Paulus

Nice close up shot of the chrome!!! Love it

Just doesn't get any better than that!!!

Awesome job man

Leechman

[TerryC]

That boys got some shoulders!

 

Good read too.

 

Clarence

[laszlo]

"Put me on Karim Abdul Jabbar's shoulders and let me dunk the alley-oop with a tennis ball. That's how easy it was."

 

This line gave me a good laugh.

 

I had plans to fish a specific river on Monday but the rain may force me to hit one of these eastern ditches

you guys refer to.

 

Nice Fish Paulus!

[Paulus]

"Put me on Karim Abdul Jabbar's shoulders and let me dunk the alley-oop with a tennis ball. That's how easy it was."

 

This line gave me a good laugh.

 

I had plans to fish a specific river on Monday but the rain may force me to hit one of these eastern ditches

you guys refer to.

 

Nice Fish Paulus!

 

Ontario, yours to discover!

 

PM me if you need any ideas, but check the graphs first. Sometimes fishing a river on the rise is as good as fishing it on the drop (i.e. Solopaddler's last Huron Trib report).

 

p.-

[KelfuN]

love the title, eastern ditch chrome!

 

great fish!! just gotta love fall chromers.

[solopaddler]

Good on ya bud, and nice read.

Let's hope Wed proves to be bountiful.

[ehg]

Kind of refreshing to see an eastern trib report, they are few and far between these days.

One fish an hour isn't what you would see stateside i guess. Why don't they do stocking here?

[frozen-fire]

Nice fish

 

I've been hitting these eastern ditches the last two weekends, but have yet to successfully land my first fall steelhead

[Paulus]

The eastern lake O steelhead are fun fish, for sure, and being mostly all wild they generally fight well. They get a bum rap because catching them usually means fishing confined waters, but that's not their fault.

 

It's been a game of timing this year. Although it's possible to get them during low water periods, hitting them in numbers has had to be very precise due to lack of rain; show up one day too early, or too late, and you miss the show.

 

I was a couple of days late, incidentally.

 

p.-

[Paulus]

Good on ya bud, and nice read.

Let's hope Wed proves to be bountiful.

 

To Wednesday! May he bring us much chrome! *glug glug*

 

 

p.-

[lucabrasi]

Great report and pic! Good job getting that fish under those conditions. Only managed a shaker myself out that way yesterday. It's getting tough. WE NEED RAIN!

[highdrifter]

S't'un maudit beau poisson mon grand! gay man une histoire à faire des beaux dodos..

 

One drift, time check.. one more drift.. (phone rings) Oh snap!! I know what that's like.

 

Monday was supposed to be my day.. Deadlines and backorder deliveries. Que c tu veux hein?

 

cheers

HD

[Paulus]

S't'un maudit beau poisson mon grand! gay man une histoire à faire des beaux dodos..

 

One drift, time check.. one more drift.. (phone rings) Oh snap!! I know what that's like.

 

Monday was supposed to be my day.. Deadlines and backorder deliveries. Que c tu veux hein?

 

cheers

HD

 

Welcome to my life! Special needs children have a way of making one's life busier: but not to the point that you should quit doing all the things you love. Hence, I still get out when I can.

 

You'll get out soon and more often that me . Eh bien, mon vieux, winter steelheading is around the corner...

 

p.-