High Traffic Sunday

Hit the river with Wallace today. Was nice to meet up with David once more this season before it's demise.
I hadn't really planned on fishing today but with a more than favourable report from the day prior and pretty incredible late December weather I felt an itch to get out there while the gettin is good. As per our routine we arrived pre light only to find our access point populated with 2 vehicles. This turned out to be the theme of the morning as the river traffic resembled that of a spring weekend. We managed to find some lonely water up top and worked it hard for a couple hours. Dave managed a couple but I struggled. I was only good for a morning fish so we decided to slip back down to the wintering hole and hope the run had been vacated. On the way I managed to meet up with an older gentlemen that I met last year on the river. George is a very nice fellow in his early 70's still putting quality time in on the river. I truly hope to be as fortunate when I reach those years. We arrived at our destination to see it had indeed been vacated. This is a special place to me and it has provided me with a tonne of memories over the years. Today it was to add a few more ;0) While I fished here I had the pleasure of meeting up with a couple of decent steelheaders that as it turned out share a mutual acquaintance. We actually fished 4 wide in the wintering hole sharing a drift and conversation. I have almost forgotten what it is like to fish with others around. Today was a reminder that with the right crowd exercising angling etiquette it can be an enjoyable experience.

Life is Good

Had the opportunity to fish with Norland this morning. It had been a while since we shared a drift and I was really looking forward to it. With the fair conditions and Dec 31st looming around the corner it was pretty much mandatory that we be there. I had the privilege of fishing the day prior so I wasn't putting to many expectations on this outing. I was more so looking forward to a day in the bush, company of a friend and an occasional steelie appearance. We had a few laughs and managed to persuade a few our way. Life is good indeed!

As the end draws near...

As the end of the 2007 extended season draws near we experienced a Christmas miracle of sorts.
Well, a miracle if your passion is winter steelheading. A major warm front pushed up from the south and dumped a fair amount of rain. This combined with the warm temps melted the snow base in the watershed and brought the rivers up to this seasons highest levels. I had the joy of fishing my little piece of heaven today on the drop.

It sure felt nice to be on home waters again and fish her in all her emerald glory. The fish were scattered but I managed to find a few. ;0)
It was also nice to break in the new pin.

New Toy

I have always been a fan of Islander Reels. As a matter of fact my main runner for my 13' GL3 has been a black IS that I will never part with. I had been sitting on the fence some time deciding when I was going to acquire a silver version when I heard rumour of the green and slate grey limited releases for late in the 07 calender. Having recently liberated myself of a reel from my collection I decided to do some electronic leg work and try to secure a Slate Grey version. I was fortunate to run across a terrific Islander Dealer out of Ohio who secured one for me. I picked it up this morning and must say I was pleasantly surprised at how aesthetically appealing this version is. I have said it numerous times and will continue to do so...The IS is the best all around production centre pin on the market. If I had to rid myself of all my reels the Islanders would be the last to go. I hope to break it in tomorrow. Stay tuned...

Merry Christmas 07

Merry Christmas to you and yours. I hope to share a drift or two with some good friends over the holidays and document a few more adventures for the 2007 winter season. Stay tuned...

Crow

PfffffffTTTTttttt...
Crow...The most foul taste that can touch ones pallet. Today I had to eat a little.
PffffffTTTTTttttt...
You see I ran up the lake and made the brutal hike back into the bush to fish water I was certain would be unlocked or I could unlock only to face the brutal reality that I had been told two days prior. The river truly is shutdown. I arrived to find the slow wintering runs were locked up with ice and could not be persuaded and to top it all off what was normally a 25 min hike almost doubled with the 14" snow base in the bush.
What kind of passion drives one to ignore reason and logic and endeavour and persevere without hope. I'll tell you...that passion is Steelheading.

There will be no treadmill for me tonight. I've earned my reprieve for the week!
And for Itchy and Scratchy who are living vicariously through me today...You two fatties don't have to do your cardio either ;0) I got it all covered! ;0)

Now what does Norland say? Oh ya..."Where's my Scotch!"

What a Difference a Day Makes

Decent water levels, promising weather forecast, time off work, and an opportunity to hook up with a fellow Steelheading Machine drove me once again from my warm bed at 5am. On the heels of a rather successful outing it wasn't too difficult to muster up the ambition to hit the cold highway with little more than 4 hrs sleep. I looked forward to this trip as I did the day prior but today was different. Rewind 3 days earlier where I received an email from Dave Wallace asking if I would be so inclined to hook up for a day on a favorite trib. I would have been solo otherwise so I welcomed the idea and we made plans to meet Friday morning at the access point for first light. Fast forward back to Friday morning where having fished the day prior with much success I felt pretty confident that I could put Dave on top of a fair amount of stellar fish. All of the factors were aligned and it seemed like a straight forward venture. We met at the agreed time and made our 25min hike back to the Wintering pool where we would start. I had fair success come first light the day prior so I figured we would start there. There is a reason why it is referred to as Fishing and not catching. I have said this numerous times but I will say it again, Once you think you have it all figured out it changes ;0) We worked the best pool on the river diligently without so much as a sniff aside from a small shaker that was long distance released. We talked our options over and committed to the hike up to the top end. If it had been untouched I was confident that we would have much success. Once again we were faced with a rough go. By this time the weather made a turn and the cold front had moved in. The wind was increasing and couldn't decide it's preferred direction. The temp dropped well into the negatives. To top it off I hooked a nice fish only to blow it shortly after. Have I ever said how much I love blowing the first two fish of a morning. :-/
Well desperate times call for desperate measures so out came the fly box and caution was thrown to the wind.
As fate would have it a rather long and handsome chromer couldn't resist a bead head Olive Wooly bugger and I was on the board. Many a time the old fly box has gotten me out of a funk. I don't try to figure it out I just go with the flow. Besides it drives Norland crazy when things like that happen. Dave was soon to admit it drove him over the edge as well. :0) YES!!! Two homo's with one stone.
Shortly after Dave hooked up only to suffer my similar misfortunes.
Well, we're back to that whole fishing vs catching thing again. By now we had taken it on the chin big time this morning and decided to drop back down to our starting point and finish the day off but not before fishing a swift run below the river crossing. This run has changed substantially this year and affords a clean deep swift drift along a large 1/2 sunken tree. A few drifts in and I hooked up on a 29" Monster of a Buck in pristine condition. This fish couldn't have come along at a better time. My day was complete right then and there and I had to take a few moments to absorb it all in. Dave soon hooked up with a nice hen and put himself on the board. I was happy because the funk was now shaken and our day would only get better from there on in.
We made our way back to the wintering pool where my suspicions were to be realized. The pool was now on. We managed a fair amount of fish and salvaged the day. Considering the front that pushed through and the lack lustre start we sure tied it all together for a memorable winter steelheading experience. One predominate theme that played out today was how fiesty these fish were for December. A couple of days of above zero temps sure recharged their batteries. My thanks to Mr Wallace for his company, conversation, and sharing a drift. I look forward to the next time..

The Sausage Man...

At five A.M. the alarm beckoned. Time to shower and hit the road for some much needed solitude and reflection. As of late my work weeks have been short by measure of days but long by measure of burden. It had been an interesting week to say the least and I was looking forward to a day on the trib by myself. I watched the conditions fall into play nicely and on the heels of a decent report from Gene I was really looking forward to catching a few fish. As per the usual game plan I arrived pre-light and geared up for the hike. I arrived early enough to have a few minutes to relax, have a leak, and admire a big doe I kicked up across the river. I suspect she was bedded down there for the night and I was her wake up call. Temperature wise is was leaning towards the negative but nothing to be overly concerned about. The deep wintering hole I chose to start at looked very nice and I marvelled at it's overall condition for a few moments. This poor river has hardly been in shape the entire season and it really felt good to see her come together again. There was even a trace of a mild stain to her. The bite has swung over from roe to artificials the last few outings with the onslaught of negative temps so I jumped right into the pinkies. The fish were more than willing to take my offerings but the bite was ever so light. Numerous times I set up only to have a 4.5g loafer in my face. I had much success in the wintering hole but I thought I should move on to the top end and enjoy this run with the ideal conditions. Half way to my destination I realized I was once again not alone. The ATV tracks sent chills down my spine. The "F'in Sausage man" I thought to myself.I arrived to validate my concern. The top end had been fished hard for the past couple of hours. Not one to give up I slid up to a large bend above the two gentlemen and waited for them to finish up. When I heard the ATV head up river past me I slid back down. One of the gentlemen stayed there but was more than willing to share the run with me. We managed a few fish and parted ways. A few hours had passed since I left the wintering hole so I decided to slide back down and give it a decent go now that it was mid day and the temps had increased 1 or 2 deg. I arrived back and had the hole to myself once again. I set up on a spectacular buck which gave me an unexpected workout and some beautiful pics. Then I heard the footsteps followed by a distant ATV. The gentlemen from the top end came down and slid into the run with me. I was determined to not let this ruin my day so I made the best of it and offered to share the drift with them. My good deed rewarded me exponentially as the bite swung back to roe.
My day went from a high to horror to finish up with one of the best days I have had on our little river. These fish never cease to amaze me with their raw beauty, power and grace. I even amazed myself and made a new friend. The Sausage man ;0)