We need more fishing threads...

[Laser04]

This***

Same type of deal in CT

[MXTHOR3]

I would imagine opening day of trout season up there is a lot more enjoyable than opening day down here. Tons of people standing shoulder to shoulder waiting to fill their stringers with 7 inch keepers and feeling good about themselves. It would be a nice vacation to spend some time fishing up your way.

There will be guys lined up on the east ditches (Tributaries of Lake Ontario around Toronto) but I'll be in the middle of nowhere, by myself tossing dries to 8-12in specs. All released to fight another day. There isn't a better way to spend an evening IMHO.

[Amsterdam087]

my little bro's first bass, and first fish on the fly. hopefully he will buy his own now, and stop borrowing mine.










father/son salmon slaying action. nothing beats catching big fish with the old man.

[deletedo1m]

There will be guys lined up on the east ditches (Tributaries of Lake Ontario around Toronto) but I'll be in the middle of nowhere, by myself tossing dries to 8-12in specs. All released to fight another day. There isn't a better way to spend an evening IMHO.

Sounds like a great way to spend a day.

[kanukVariant]

I've seen the video of shoulder-to-shoulder opening day fishing. Some of our in-town steelhead runs get a little busy, but a 20 minute drive will always get you to some water you have to yourself. I love living in the "boonies". (I'm sure I'll get "culture shock" though when I fly into "Toronna" City Centre Airport for work in a couple of weeks)

Tomorrow will be our first day targeting smallies this year. The water is still pretty cold so I expect to have to fish slow and in the shallows. Of course I'll bring the fly-rod as well; just in case we see any surface action.

kaNUK

[Clean PG]

took a little cruise over to my parents to have pizza for dinner this evening. i think i can get there quicker by boat than by car

[Laser04]

Finally made it out fishing....

[MXTHOR3]

What are you using for line man? It looks like rope!

[Laser04]

Trilene 6lb line

[MXTHOR3]

I guess it's just the light in the first pic

[Laser04]

I guess it's just the light in the first pic

It's a very visible line but invisible to the fish when its in the water. Something to do with the light/reflection/water. I like it.

[MXTHOR3]

I like XT as well, I use 20lb on my downrigger rods.. 4lb XT or XL when I'm fishing for resident fish.

Cheap to!

[kanukVariant]

I'm a braid convert for everything but trout. I don't want to try fluoro ...I'm afraid I might like it too

The smallies were active today. We lost count after 20 or so, and not one was under 2 lbs.





(Sorry about the pic size, too much paddling, too tired to re-size ...I recommend Google Chrome to get around this issue

kaNUK

[MXTHOR3]

Sweet man! There is a smallie lake I fish on the way to Nipigon which is absolutely loaded with them.. All the locals don't even bother, lol! (Although I'd love to find a few with decent launches)

I love braid on my centerpin (I run 6lb Nanofil) and braid on pretty much everything as well (sans light trout gear)

[kanukVariant]

See ...I don't have that problem. I wish I did own a boat though. Even the canoe is borrowed. It's an 80 pound beast and I've been known to carry it and all the gear for about a mile over rough portages. (I may or may not have expanded the boys vocabulary while doing this )

You are right about smallies being an ignored species up here. Almost everyone is out for walleyes or lakers. This is starting to change though.

On the drive home last night we drove through a huge hatch. I wonder if I can sneak the fly rod into the car before I go shopping at Safeway?

PM me when you're headed this way. We should drop a line or I'll at least go for a beer

kaNUK

[Clean PG]

The smallies were active today. We lost count after 20 or so, and not one was under 2 lbs.

that sounds like a lot of fun

[Laser04]

Today's Catch

[kenny301]

Anybody from Maryland know where the fish are biting? I started fishing again last summer after a 10+ year hiatus and only ended up with five perch (most of which were throw backs), two spots, and a rockfish that was too small to keep. I went probably five times and it was all on the bay.

I'd like to go fishing Monday and or Tuesday and I am thinking maybe parts of the Potomac or a lake/reservoir.

[Laser04]

Anybody from Maryland know where the fish are biting? I started fishing again last summer after a 10+ year hiatus and only ended up with five perch (most of which were throw backs), two spots, and a rockfish that was too small to keep. I went probably five times and it was all on the bay.

I'd like to go fishing Monday and or Tuesday and I am thinking maybe parts of the Potomac or a lake/reservoir.

Sry man don't know the MD area. On another note, my casting and knot tying were much better today as opposed to yesterday. I was to embarrassed to say but yesterday I lost five lures This one river was so relentless with the junk at the bottom that my lure kept getting snagged and I lost one to a tree.

[MXTHOR3]

Got out for a few hours tonight tossing spinners in a little unknown creek near my place. It's got a few small browns in it and some resident rainbows.. This is the biggest rainbow I've ever pulled out of it, almost ripped the rod out of my hands! Total surprise.

[Laser04]

[kanukVariant]

Nice brown! That's a species we don't see up here. I've been watching New Zealand brown fly fishing vids ...those things grow HUGE!

kaNUK

[MXTHOR3]

Nice brown! That's a species we don't see up here. I've been watching New Zealand brown fly fishing vids ...those things grow HUGE!

kaNUK

Biggest I've caught down here (resident) was 24inches.. That's an absolute cow.. A buddy if mine has seen them closer to 30.. I can't even imagine hooking into something like that on my 6wt, lol.

I love those New Zealand brownie vids, problem with that place is that you make the trip for half a dozen fish, lol.

[Laser04]

busy setting up job interviews, didn't make it out today

[kanukVariant]

Fishing for jobs? Yeah, that doesn't sound nearly as much fun

For you fly fishermen:
I hiked up a sizable river canyon from lake Superior to the first large falls which no fish without wings would be able to get up. I found a promising, deep pool which was about half covered in foam from the waterfall. The foam was just a very thin layer, just enough to make the fish feel safe.

I sat and watched the pool for a while, then a trout came up and plucked an insect out of the foam. Then another and another, until it was a feeding frenzy at the rate of a rise every 15 seconds or so! I had noticed some midges hatching on my hike up, and there were a few water striders cruising over the foam.

Luckily I had both in my fly box. I've also improved my casting enough that I was able to place the fly within a foot of where I was aiming. The trout IGNORED my flies religiously for about two hours! (Yeah, I'm fairly patient, and it was a beautiful spot )

The only issues I can think of are either my flies were sinking into the foam too much (tried to fix that with floatant, didn't work) or I was waaay off in my fly patterns.

Thoughts?

kaNUK

TL/DR: It's ok, you're probably not a fly fisherman

[Amsterdam087]

I have the same problem here with some of our native fish, would love to hear what MXTHOR3 has to say, I am still getting my feet wet on the fly. Im sure he'll be in here at some point today.



****

[MXTHOR3]

Thoughts?

kaNUK

TL/DR: It's ok, you're probably not a fly fisherman

I find the biggest turn off for fish is the size of the fly opposed to the actual pattern itself. If I get refusals on one or two drifts where the fish SHOULD have slammed it, I'll throw the biggest dry in my box. Usually a big green drake. Something completely different then what's currently hatching. I've had great success doing this... If you start making cast after cast and getting refusals, they'll never eat that fly. If it's not on the first or second drift, forget it... Another sneaky setup it running a dry with a dropper below it...

[kanukVariant]

Thanks for the feedback!

Yeah, I switched through pretty much everything I had, except for the mouse, lol. (I don't have a green drake.) A fly tying vice is high on the B-day wish list. Also didn't think to try a dropper. Next time... !

kaNUK

[MXTHOR3]

NP man, dry fly fishing can be some of the most frustrating fishing you'll ever do

Also, are you sure they weren't feeding on emergers? ?You REALLY gotta watch the surface to see if you can spot the flies on top before they actually eat them. If they are smashing emergers right under the surface, it appears they are taking them from the top, but they aren't.

[kanukVariant]

A couple of locals put together this GoPro video of North Shore steelheading from this spring (no, I'm not in it)


kaNUK

[MXTHOR3]

I need a GoPro.

[kenny301]

Does anybody have experience with inflatable fishing boats? I don't have the space or funds for even a john boat right now but I noticed that Bass Pro sells a few inflatables that you can attach a small 12v electric motor to. This would just be used in the reservoirs and not out in the bay or on rivers.

This model is the one a buddy and I are looking at Sevylor Fish Hunter Inflatable Fishing Boats

[MXTHOR3]

Does anybody have experience with inflatable fishing boats? I don't have the space or funds for even a john boat right now but I noticed that Bass Pro sells a few inflatables that you can attach a small 12v electric motor to. This would just be used in the reservoirs and not out in the bay or on rivers.

This model is the one a buddy and I are looking at Sevylor Fish Hunter Inflatable Fishing Boats

I have a pontoon boat, use it for steelheading all the time... It's made my Classic Accessories, and it fairly inexpensive.. I also strap a 30lb thrust Minn Kota to the rear and fish back lakes with it.. Actually getting out this weekend for brookies!

Here's a pic, mine is the far one.

[kenny301]

I like that the pontoon has actual seats. I hadn't considered that with the inflatable I posted. However, the cost would be more for the pontoon. I can get the 9'2" inflatable boat for ~$180 and the 12v motor/battery/mount for another ~$140 and a buddy and I would be splitting the cost. However, I am still kinda interested in the pontoon.

How comfortable is the seat on your pontoon? How do you get the motor on there?

[MXTHOR3]

Seat is really comfortable (padding on both top and bottom) you've also got adjustable foot pegs so you can set it up any way you like it... You can see in the pic that there's a motor mount on the rear of my pontoon (black mount ontop of the black tubing behind the seat). I strap a 12V battery to the rear deck, put the motor on and I'm golden.

It's also got about a million pockets for my camera gear, lunch, tackle, whatever.. Has a built in pully system for a anchor as well... Once you fish out of this, you won't want to fish out of anything else.

I gotta get up Kanuk's way with this thing