My yearly Rainbow trip

[Rod Caster]

What a change a year brings.

 

Last year we were on Manitoulin April 14th. The ice had LONG disappeared, the rivers were trickling and we were convinced we were just a bit late for the shore bite; however we still caught 10 or so fish.

 

This year, the ice covered more than 80% of the north shore, the rivers were fast (not as fast as I expected though) and we were clearly a bit early. A couple of our chosen spots were unfishable due to ice and/or low water. I couldn't believe that the water was LOWER this year!

 

It was a fun trip! Lots of laughs, horrible smells, a couple "coined terms" which I will keep in rotation, and a few fish to take home. The day started at 3AM, as 4 guys packed into a Corolla with lunch, fishing gear and that's it! Sometimes I stop at Tim Horton's for breakfast, but given that a 4AM, questionable quality breakfast sandwich would probably ruin the drive and my seats, I told everyone to bring their own breakfast to save time. Some of the crew still wanted Tim's, so I explained what the "Timmy Splats" were, to no avail. It's not good when you can't tell whether that smell is Domtar-Espanola or not, or if the air quality inside my poor wife's car may be thousands of times worse than that of the ambient air. Either way, we got good use out of the term which I will use to slowly take Tim Horton's down, the "Timmy Splats". Feel free to use.

 

 

I posted a thread earlier this month about buying a steelhead, pier rod. I ended up buying a 10'6 Shimano Convergence at CT. I tested it out at the Ottawa River and quickly realized that I needed a matching reel. At CT, I purchased a Pflueger Presdent that could easily handle the line, the fish and the rod. I was stoked to have the ability to cover way more water and better fight big fish then I ever could with a 6'6" rod. Well, that things casts a country mile...absolute insanity! It wasn't all positive though....

 

At one point I see my Mepps Heavy fly for like 500 meters as my line goes limp. Damn bailed closed on me! I re-tie, lean into the rod and snap, there goes my other Mepps! At this point, I'm basically a laughing stock with my way-too-big rod as I try to figure out what's going on. I inspect the reel and see that the bail no longer stays open easily...I have to push a bit harder to get it to connect and even then, it releases with just a touch. I try again...lose a lure AGAIN and at this point, we coined the term "pfluegered"...which we pretty much applied to every situation where someone either snapped a line, fell on a rock, lost a fish etc etc... for example, one of the guys casted and caught someones elses' rod laying nearby.... it was said that he "pfluegered that cast big time".

I tried several times thereafter with the big rod, and kept getting pfluegered, so I just went back to my 6'6" lightening rod/Abu Soron combo (great walleye combo!!!)

 

We fished for several hours and changed spots before Joey T landed the first fish. Spirits changed, just as the weather turned increasingly miserable.

 

 

An hour later Joey had two, another hour later I had one. Then, I got lucky and hooked into a nice sized fish! As it gets close to us, it's a big post-spawn buck, probably 26-27" long. It dogged and ran several times, testing my knots. As it tired out, I dragged it to the rocky shoreline, and my barbless hooks slip out!! He swam away and I just signed (read: cursed) at my loss...oh well, I Pfluegered that landing, but at least the other guys witnessed the fight.

 

No more than 20 minutes later I hook into another nice fish! This time it's a nice hen and I don't Pflueger the landing.

 

 

Well, that was it for the fish. The rain and wind kicked our butts and I drove home about as beat as I've ever been. The windows pretty much stayed down the whole time and I warned my wife before I gave her the keys back.

 

 

 

I've got some gravlax curing in the fridge as we speak. Can't wait till next year.

 

 

 

[BillM]

Nice job man!!! Should have gone for the Sahara

[Dozer]

Awesome report Rod Caster, thats a very nice lookin' fish

[gino]

oh boy...loved the story, Chad...anyway, better fishing than working

[solopaddler]

Sounds like a fun trip, minus the stench.

[Rod Caster]

Nice job man!!! Should have gone for the Sahara

Ha! Indeed.

 

Now I gotta see what I can get out of CT... Wasted line, several lost lures... I hope their customer service doesn't pflueger me as well.

[spincast]

awesome report Chad - Love " It's not good when you can't tell whether that smell is Domtar-Espanola or not" - I use that on the drive to the outlaws in SSM. all the time. :lol:Perfect for relief from the Sudbury fast food stop.

Looks like a great trip. Try again in June, the water shoud be open then?

[adolson]

LOL - I have a crappy ultralight Sienna that Pfleugers ALL. THE. TIME.

 

Nice fish, though! Kinda jealous over here.

[fishnsled]

Nice report Chad and glad to see your efforts were worth it in the end. Well aware of the Timmy Splats, not so much myself but others I fish with. A Timmy's Mud Pie is what I've known them as.

[Mike Pike]

WTG Chad. Good thinking to have broght a backup rod and reel with ay or you woulda been Pfluegered! Thanks for the report. Doesn't get better than a few buddies and a few fish.

[Acountdeleted]

Beauty bow. Totally worth the trip for a nice fish like that.

[Joey]

What a great read Chad. Loved it, funny and some nice fish!

[Moosebunk]

Enjoyed that bud. Was funny for us in parts, maybe not so funny for you (pluegered Timmy Splats and such) but entertaining. Some fish caught too. Thanks for the read.