Report on possible last Steelhead trip this spring no pics

[Canuck2fan]

I had to head up to the lake to visit a family member Sunday, so I thought why not leave a little early and enjoy one last kick at the steelhead this spring....

 

So when the alarm went off at 3AM I laid there thinking for a minute or two if I really needed to bother. Had a one of those good feelings hit me so I thought I should go with it.

 

After seeing four O.P.P and 2 local patrol units in the front of the nearest Timmies with two more hiding in the back of the store I decided to wait until I got to the next town to get my coffee. Turned out to be a good idea as I was able to make great time on the highway knowing 90% of the law enforcement in the area were on break. LOL

 

I got to my spot thinking it was a little dark but at least I was the only one there, so I had my choice of which end of the pool to fish. After setting up and running the float through without being able to see it yet I made a mental note to look into where to get a system to light a float like Canadian Copper showed on here one time. As dawn hit and I could see the pool was deep and water that perfect steelhead green. I was feeling pretty good because this exact spot yielded two large hens just one short week ago. Well what a difference a week makes as no matter what I tried I couldn't rise a fish not even a chub. After an hour or so I figured it was time for a change of venue and I headed back up river a undisclosed number of concessions.

 

I get to the next spot and it too was vacant, I am starting to fear things might not go my way, as the absence of locals usually means the fish aren't around. However after climbing two fences one electric without incident, I figure I might as well drown some worms. So after catching 4 chub I know there are fish around. The worms though aren't working, so I put on my 3rd last roe bag and drift it on through the sweet spot. The float goes down hard and starts zig zagging. I get a good hookset and a 26" rainbow hen starts to tailwalk across the pool. She put up a good fight, but after 5 minutes or so I land her. I let her go and she gave me a bit of a splashing as she took off a little faster than I thought she could.

 

I am feeling pretty good now confident that there has to be at least one more stupid bow around. So I went for a walk up to the next pool, I should have called it a day at that point. I get up to the next pool and on my second cast I snag a tree branch that wasn't there the week before. I set the rod down to try to break off the line so I won't break the rod tip as I have seen more than one person do. No worries the line snaps below the swivel just like it supposed to and I pick up the rod without stepping on it. I start to retie and that is when I notice a slight problem, somehow the line when it broke shot the first BB into the bottom of my FAVORITE slip float and splittered the end. It also pushed the center plastic part up about 3/4's of an inch. So i get out my pliers and try to "fix" it. I succeed in getting the splitshot out of the bottom of the float but by now the center tube is cracked at both ends. Figuring I have nothing to lose I don't bother changing floats I just retie and leader and hook on. I fish for a bit and every cast I get more and more disgusted that I broke my favorite float as no matter what I do I can't get it to drift right. After catching about 20 chub I decide to move to another spot.

 

After a short drive I get there and leave my vest in the car because I just want to run a couple of drifts before heading back to the spot I was at dawn. First cast I get hung up in an under water branch on the far side and watch some kind of fish go by and slam the worm which was just dangling under the surface. When I try for a hook set the fish takes off and the hook embeds in the branch, which after a few tugs turns out to be a submerged tree, so I break off again. A quick glance and I relived to see my float is still attached, but after a quick trot back the car to get my vest, when I go to retie a leader I notice my float now has two pieces of BB in its hindend. Somehow when this line is breaking the stretch in it is shooting the BB shot into the float which unfortunately is held there by the float stops to get reamed.... So after a bunch more drifts and snags on stuff I can't see which result in two breakoffs, but no fish. I pack it in and head back to the location I was working at dawn.

 

I am thinking it looks prime and I can't wait to rerig, when I hear a bunch of shouting and screaming, from the other side of river. Four young kids come down to fish and start making all kinds of noise, throwing rocks red and while plastic bobbers the size of basketballs into the water I figure it will be a waste of time to fish but I am half way through retying and might as well finish. One of the boys from the group makes a daring dash across some rocks to cross under the nearby bridge. As he explains to his whining sister when she says she is going to tell there mom he went across. She is he wrong he retorts, he is allowed over there he just can't get there by crossing the highway. His parents won't let him do that alone.... but it is OK for him to walk on moss covered rocks on freezing cold water with a rippling current and a pool of water well over his head .... then climb up a sheer ten foot high cement retaining wall to teeter on the edge to try and drag a jitterbug through the water. I have my hand on my cell phone a couple of times to call 911 when the little guy stumbles around the edge precariously, luckily though he doesn't fall. The entertainment continues as I retie when the lad tangles his sister's line, lots of screaming and yelling this time involving some pretty adult name calling. During this melee the lad knocks their container of worms into the water. I am about to leave but I start thinking to myself if they leave now I could eat the lunch I have packed wait a half hour and maybe still have a chance at getting a fish if there is one around. It was not to be as the lad decided he needed to switch from his jitterbug to a worm and therefore had to go back to his trailer which was about 200 yds away to get more worms. So on his return trip he gets about a quarter of the way back under the bridge on the moss covered stones when he slips and drops his rod, he saves himself though. His nerve must be shot because he seems frozen. His friends start to raze him so he gathers up his courage and he sets his tackle box down and then reaches down to grab his rod. He slips knocks his tacklebox in and promptly follows it in to the drink. I am just about to run up and up and over the bridge to see if I can help him when he stands up and I realize he luckily he fell into the part that was only 18" deep. All ready wet he picks up his gear and scampers all the way back across..... Complaining of cold feet but otherwise just fine. The group of them leave and about 2 minutes I hear a woman screaming something about "Those better not have been your NEW SHOES! @#$%&*^ it from 200 yards away.

 

I decided to call it a day at that point myself, as any fish within 5 miles would be spooked till next weekend. Other than the broken float it was a great day, to tag one on my last trip of the spring!!!!

 

Bring on bass season!!!

Edited May 22, 2007 by Canuck2fan

[ccmtcanada]

OH man...great report...and at least you got into that one steelie! There have been outings where I go out and I've retied about 5 times in the first half and hour. Trib fishing can be the best and the most trying of all fishing!! Your outing was action filled....even if most of it was those kids....jeez....

[tonyb]

Wow! what a story, at least you were persistent

 

That scenario you mentioned with the slingshot splitshot is yet another reason why it is important to wear sunglasses or safety glasses when fishing day or night!

 

Tony