solopaddler Posted March 24, 2010 Report Share Posted March 24, 2010 I've been super busy the last few days and havn't had a chance to sit down and properly compose a report. Don't actually have the time now, but work is slow at the moment so... In any case Bill and myself headed Stateside recently for a couple days of fishing. The primary purpose of the trip was to meet up with my reel making buddy Adam in Ohio. Earlier this month I placed a massive order with Bass Pro and Cabelas and had it shipped to his house. In addition the custom centrepin I've been waiting for was supposed to be ready and placed into my hands when we met. On the upside it was Christmas when Adam finally did show up with all my loot. On the downside my reel wasn't ready yet as he had problems with the anodizer.. That was a bit of a bummer, but not a huge deal. Good things come to those that wait. The important part, the fishing, was spectacular. We caught numerous fish most of which were bright chrome and full of fight. We did catch our share of scruffy beat up holdovers as well as you'll see. We fished our way through 2 states, PA and OH, and had success everywhere we went. Amazingly crowds were very light: Bill caught this enormous coloured up buck that he said was his biggest steelhead to date. Congrat's buddy! Adam got in on the action as well. Here he is battling a fish then subduing it: Thankfully we didn't catch too many of these old warriors: As mentioned most of the fish were pure chrome. Check this beaty out. Bill took this shot with his camera and man does it ever take nice pictures! I'm tempted to get one myself the quality is so high.. There was plenty more where that came from as well as a number of fish with a hint of colour. All were incredibly strong and acrobatic: Check out this pool. Is that not some sweet looking water? This particular location was good to me. The water was pretty much clear with just a hint of colour. Early morning and again in the evening roe tied in brighter colours caught the eager aggressive fish. As the day wore on switching to subtle jigs in black and brown elicited many strikes. Water clarity dictated lighter fluoro tippets in the 4-5lb range and small hooks. Truth be told it was one of those trips when the fishing was so good that almost anything worked. It's fun to experiment under those conditions which I did and fish were caught on a whole range of baits. Besides the afforementioned roe and jigs, small plastic worms in orange and pink, single eggs and a variety of flies all produced. Once again a truly fantastic trip! One happy consequence of Adam not having my reel ready is I guess I'll have to head back down in the near future. At the moment I'm gearing up for my annual spring trip to Michigan. I'm leaving tomorrow morning and couldn't be more stoked. What's making the upcoming trip even more special my dad is joining me. Amazingly enough my father has never caught a steelhead in his life. I'm looking forward to taking care of that problem starting tomorrow. Cheers, Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kickingfrog Posted March 24, 2010 Report Share Posted March 24, 2010 Beautiful Mike, and just think of it as Christmas lasting a bit longer until you do get that new pin. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest ThisPlaceSucks Posted March 24, 2010 Report Share Posted March 24, 2010 epic trip. i'm looking forward to a new york state trip in april. your pics have me salivating... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
solopaddler Posted March 24, 2010 Author Report Share Posted March 24, 2010 epic trip. i'm looking forward to a new york state trip in april. your pics have me salivating... Hey man if you're down this way drop me a pm and let's fish together. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FUSION Posted March 24, 2010 Report Share Posted March 24, 2010 Looks like a great trip had by all! Have a good one down in MI this weekend bud and lets try and get out on the water next week if possible. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paulus Posted March 24, 2010 Report Share Posted March 24, 2010 Nice fish & great pics as always! p.- Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kinger Posted March 24, 2010 Report Share Posted March 24, 2010 Stunning beauties those hens. Great post as per usual!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
douG Posted March 24, 2010 Report Share Posted March 24, 2010 Fabulous, Mike, that was a truly epic trip. Thanks for the share. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest ThisPlaceSucks Posted March 24, 2010 Report Share Posted March 24, 2010 Hey man if you're down this way drop me a pm and let's fish together. you betcha! i'll be in brockport and pulaski for the second half of april. let me know if your steelheading adventures take you that way! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
solopaddler Posted March 24, 2010 Author Report Share Posted March 24, 2010 lets try and get out on the water next week if possible. For sure you betcha! i'll be in brockport and pulaski for the second half of april. let me know if your steelheading adventures take you that way! Won't be out that way for sure unfortunately. The fishing for dropbacks is amazing on the Salmon river that time of year though. Bonus is not as many people around. You can have success on your own but if I were you I'd book at least one driftboat trip. You won't regret it if you do. The boat allows you to cover miles of water that's basically inaccessable to the walk and wade fisherman. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillM Posted March 24, 2010 Report Share Posted March 24, 2010 Always a great time Mike, and the weather was absolutely perfect! Can't wait for your Michigan report, I hope you and the oldman have a good time. Can't wait for our other stateside adventure once the water clears up :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dannyboy Posted March 24, 2010 Report Share Posted March 24, 2010 Great report, are there any runs on the north shore of Lake Erie? Thanks for sharing, Dan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
solopaddler Posted March 24, 2010 Author Report Share Posted March 24, 2010 Great report, are there any runs on the north shore of Lake Erie? Thanks for sharing, Dan There sure are. Unlike the south shore our runs of fish are predominantly wild. The smaller north shore Erie trib's are extremely vulnerable to overharvest though and the runs are fragile because of it. The one river that's safe to talk about is the Grand. It has a burdgeoning run of mostly wild fish and is at this point ignored by many anglers. Most of the best water doesn't open 'till the April trout opener and even then you'll have to do your homework. Much of the Grand can be hard to read and fish effectively. Once you put your time in and figure things out you'd likely have some excellent steelheading all to yourself though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
raptorfan Posted March 24, 2010 Report Share Posted March 24, 2010 Gorgeous....looks like it was a great trip. Hope you get your dad into his first this weekend. Shawn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trapshooter Posted March 24, 2010 Report Share Posted March 24, 2010 Awesome guys. Some fat chrome there on the banks for you both. Well done as always. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest ThisPlaceSucks Posted March 24, 2010 Report Share Posted March 24, 2010 Won't be out that way for sure unfortunately. The fishing for dropbacks is amazing on the Salmon river that time of year though. Bonus is not as many people around. You can have success on your own but if I were you I'd book at least one driftboat trip. You won't regret it if you do. The boat allows you to cover miles of water that's basically inaccessable to the walk and wade fisherman. I tried to line up a half day last year but with my ever revolving work schedule I found it tough to commit. My work is as dependent on flow as steelheading! Thankfully we stay on the edge of pulaski and have 5 or 6 accessible runs on foot right from the motel. I'm hoping to get a spare day this year to hook up with a guide for a day! Good luck in Michigan... is this for the Manistee? Can't wait for the report. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
splashhopper Posted March 24, 2010 Report Share Posted March 24, 2010 thanks for the adventure.... I appreciate your reports. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ketchenany Posted March 24, 2010 Report Share Posted March 24, 2010 Great report guys; but on the side when our American friends see all the fish you caught, goodbye to my efforts of "luring" them here to the other side of paradise! more fish for us . . . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
asdve23rveavwa Posted March 25, 2010 Report Share Posted March 25, 2010 Beautiful, as usual...saw a few of these photos on a post Bill M did on another board. That one fat hen is absolutely gorgeous Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
solopaddler Posted March 25, 2010 Author Report Share Posted March 25, 2010 Good luck in Michigan... is this for the Manistee? Can't wait for the report. Muskegon actually, just headed out the door. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laszlo Posted March 25, 2010 Report Share Posted March 25, 2010 A River Some Fish A Friend Nice Weather Doesn't get better then that. Way to go once again Mike. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
limeyangler Posted March 25, 2010 Report Share Posted March 25, 2010 Great stuff Mike.........cant believe its that time of year already...............lol, i gotta sit back and just watch and drool as your reports come in thick and fast. Great pics and post.............cant wait for the next installment Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anders Posted March 25, 2010 Report Share Posted March 25, 2010 Awsome Fish! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jet Posted March 25, 2010 Report Share Posted March 25, 2010 Beautiful photos Solo. I really appreciate the time you take after every trip to share it with us all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TDunn Posted March 25, 2010 Report Share Posted March 25, 2010 Wow, a bunch of fantastic fish....Especially Bill's big male! Great report Mike!!! TDunn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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