Easter Niagara Chromers with a Tanker!

[Aaron Shirley]

I had my friend Mitch out on the Niagara River for steelhead on Saturday, and we had a blast. The fishing was good on the lower drifts, and I caught an absolute tank of a steelhead! We had such an enjoyable day drifting the peaceful waters that meander through the lower stretches of the Niagara River. We made it above the power dams briefly and caught a couple fish, but it was very busy with boats and gin clear water. The water temperature is still only 33.6F! That is the coldest I can remember for this time of year. There is still a lot of ice in the eastern basin of Lake Erie, and the ice boom is still in place to block major ice from flowing down the Niagara River. The boom is typically removed in mid-March, but this year it will be in place until May. That is the latest I have ever heard of since I've been fishing the Niagara.

The sun was shining and it was 10 degrees Celsius with a north wind blowing up river. The north winds made it a bit more of a challenge to present our baits naturally along with the bottom current, but the bow mount Minn Kota helped a lot. We were able to maintain bottom contact and precision with boat control that enabled us to have a great day. We even managed a double header. The water clarity below the power dams was perfect with several feet of visibility and a slight stain. TriggerX single eggs in pink and orange worked well, as did some old roe bags I had tied up.

I started off the day with a nice fat hen that put a good bend in my rod, then Mitch lit them up for a while. We took turns catching nice steelies after that and then I hooked up near the top of Artpark with a heavy fish. The fish took drag and stayed down deep. I couldn't budge the fish with my 6lb Fluorocarbon leader. Every time I got the fish close to the surface, it pulled drag and ended up near the bottom again. At first I thought it may have been a lake trout until is screamed drag a few times. Then I knew... it was a tank steelhead! I took my time and didn't get too anxious. After a long tug of war, a tired steelhead emerged near the surface showing its large silvery sides. I was able to slide the net under the behemoth and get it into the boat. I was pretty excited to catch the largest steelhead I've caught in a couple years! It was a chrome hen full of eggs, and I released her after a few quick photos. I haven't spent a day fishing with my friend Mitch in a while, and it was a great day to catch up, share some laughs and catch some great fish. Mitch even caught a fishing rod! LOL

Here is a video from our day, including underwater video and the tanker. Enjoy! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UtSoNWY4Zb0&feature=share&list=UUpEgDDc4A0ayUV77sTfs5uQ

I have been out several times on the Niagara and it has been good except for one tough day. The way things are going this year, we can catch steelies into July. No kidding!!!

Good fishing!

Aaron

Edited April 24, 2014 by Aaron Shirley

[Gnote]

Wow that looks like a pig, hard to tell from the pic but what do you ballpark the weight at?

Nice day of fishing!

[pidge]

Geeze those are some big ol fish. Not sure which ones the tank as they all look huge to me, very nice job. I visited that area a few months ago with the girlfriend....just out for a drive and that gorge is some deep. Good on you guys for gettin out.

[Joey]

Sweet, not much ice coming down by the looks of it. I figured there be more bergs after the winter we had.

 

Great stuff Aaron. Another great report.

[wormdunker]

Thanx Aaron! That's awesome!

[corvette1]

Aaron great day on the lower congrats

[solopaddler]

Nice bunch of fish bud!

[TDunn]

Some really nice fish man!

Doesn't help my soft water itch!

Thanks for another great report

 

TDunn

[Aaron Shirley]

Thanks everyone. The Niagara has been good. I love that river!

 

Gallie, I didn't put a scale to the fish, but now I wish I had. It was a really heavy fish. I was shocked how heavy it was when I picked it up. I was also equally surprised how thick the fish was. I had a hard time putting my hand on the caudal penduncle it was so thick. It was a big, thick fat steelie full of eggs. That is why I released it so quickly without a weight. I should have put it in the livewell to let it rejuvenate then weigh it and release. It was the biggest steelie I have caught in years. I originally guessed it at around 15lbs, but I think it was heavier.

[Gnote]

Awesome, it looks like a real nice fish