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Guest TerryK

First Steelhead

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Guest TerryK

Do you remember your first steelhead (or any other species for that matter) and how long did it take you to catch your first?

My first was in about 72-73. My uncle (founding member of the NSSA) set me up with and old Browning fly rod with a steel ferrule(!) that I still have. My mom bought me a single action Pfluger fly reel (also still with me) and I was set! Started fishing the McIntyre and Neebing and my first fish was a really nice female at the Neebing weir. I set her free and I was hooked for life!

My son caught his first 2 years ago at the age of 12. We were fishing the Mac below the Pumphouse hole for a few hours with zero luck and Keenan was getting frustrated when a friend who was leaving said some guys were hitting fish up by the Birch. We headed up and watched 2 fish caught withing a few minutes. He was once again inspired to fish and 3 drifts through a run this big male hammered his fly and the fight was on! He did a fine job of fighting the fish but I had to use the net to land it because he couldn't quite get the fish close enough to tail. After measuring the fish (27.5 in) and a quick photo, I asked him if he wanted to keep his first steelie or release it. He had no second thoughts and slipped the beauty back in the water. I can't describe how proud I was of him at that moment! Since then he has caught more than his share and this past spring he released a huge 34 inch hen!! (unfortunately no photo!!)

Keenan's first rainbow:

IPB Image

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Some Old Guy

Hi Terry,

I kind of remember my first fish. It was a brook trout when i was three. It was ice fishing.

But the first fish that I headed out for a specifically targeted that I can remember was walleye with my Dad. I remember catching a few small ones and my Dad hammered a huge walle. I'll see if I can dig up the ol' polariod, remember those?, and scan it and post it here.

Roger


R.T.R. Respect the resource!

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Guest TerryK

Who is your uncle Terry? I was heavily involved with the NSSA back then.

Roman M. Was Married to my aunt Jackie.

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Guest Dan

Roman M. Was Married to my aunt Jackie.

Ah yes. I knew Roman and probably your aunt too. I believe that she was treasurer, or something of that status back in those days. Hats off to both of them. Their hard work and dedication made the NSSA what it is today.

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eyelander

My first steelhead was in May of 1976, when I was still in high school. My bud and I would race home(he was in PACI, I was in Hammarskjold) to get our gear, strap it to our 10 speeds, and try to beat each other to the "Mac".

My first fish was probably a lake trout when I was 4 or 5 yrs. old, caught ice fishing.

My first speck was probably when I was 7 or 8, from the Mac. It's only 1/2 km. from me.

I got a 29 inch rainbow from the Mac this year, no pic, just a quick measurement, it was a long battle, lol.

I was also involved in the NSSA for a couple of years, and remember Roman well. Ran into him on the Mac and Portage a lot, and fishing the north shore occasionally.

Hmmmm Dan, maybe we met each other a long time ago, and don't remember. My 2 buds and I used to go for a week up the north shore in late April, stayed at Gurney by the Sea, John Grants operation. That would have been 79-84 era as we switched locations and went down between Wawa and the Sioux for a number of years following that.


Prior Proper Planning Prevents Piss Poor Performance

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Guest TerryK

I bump into Roman once in a while. He tends to fish the upper end of McVicars alot. I'm sure we've all met at one point or another considering how long we all have been at this! :D

Eyelander, your story brings back fond memories for me as well. My neigbour and I used to bike down to the Current river before school all the time. I also used to do the same at the MacKenzie when I lived on the beach road as a kid.

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eyelander

Yup, fond memories for sure. I was only a couple years younger than Roman when I knew him, so I have been at this game for a bit, lol.

I only make a few day trips now for steelhead, hit the Mac early, then 3 or 4 trips up the north shore, and I am done. Don't always catch a lot, but like to just get out a few times in between end of ice fishing and start of walleye season. Mainly hit rivers that we can float fish, its so much nicer to fish that way than bottom bouncing, and a lot cheaper on tackle lost, lol.

I rarely lose more than one float setup a year. The dropper lines yes(6 lb. test breaks easy), but not the floats.

I use an 11'6" rod, haven't had the need for a longer one here, and a spinning reel. Can't justify the expense of a float reel for the amount of fishing I do,


Prior Proper Planning Prevents Piss Poor Performance

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Guest loggerpete

First fish was Speckled Trout late 60`s with my family up spruce river road.Every summer till around 74.

First Steelhead was spring 74 at the Mcintyre.

First pike were caught on the old dock at the marina back in the 60`s whole bunch of us city kids back then used to catch HUGE pike every weekend.

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Guest Dan

I bump into Roman once in a while. He tends to fish the upper end of McVicars alot. I'm sure we've all met at one point or another considering how long we all have been at this! :D

Eyelander, your story brings back fond memories for me as well. My neigbour and I used to bike down to the Current river before school all the time. I also used to do the same at the MacKenzie when I lived on the beach road as a kid.

Roman was one of the best Steelheaders around in those days. Top 5 for sure IMHO.

My early Steelheading days were at the Neebing weir. I grew up only a few minutes walk from there. I practically lived down there when the run was on. The weir used to have two tiers, the metal one that is still in place, and some logs that made it like a set of stairs. The fish had a more difficult time getting over the weir back then because of the two tiers and hence the run lasted a solid 3 weeks or more. Now you have to be there on the right couple of days or you'll have missed it. Back then you'd have to get there well before sunrise to get a decent spot, but I rarely see anyone fishing there anymore. We also used to get smelts by the bucket full in broad daylight. Man, have things changed.

Eyelander, except for a handfull of times fishing the Jackpine, all of my fishing was done in town back then. Once the fishing slowed at the weir, I'd follow them upstream. And then we'd catch them post spawn just above the weir. We'd be catching from late March until mid June by following the fish. Those were the days.

Geez, I'm feeling old.... :blink:

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Guest Dobsey

I can't rember my first fish, even though I am still young I can't really rember back when i was at the age of 4 or so, but I do rember from when I was about 6 years old I went up to Long Lac with my dad to visit his brother and sisters and my cousins, and we went out fishing with my uncle and I out fished him by alot, he still sais its beginners luck, and can't wait till I go down there again so he can out fish me.

But my first ever fish through the ice I rember was a 6 or 7 lbs lake trout just off shore from camp, in 2000 or maybe 2001 which I threw back.

My first ever trophy Wall eye me my dad and my cousins were out fishing off shore of an island on Northern Lights and it was going kind of slow we did have a few fish caught and we were out trying to catch are limit to go have a fish fry back at camp with every one, so my dad sais lets go try the point by camp so we head over there and just sit about 50 feet off shore about 20 ft and I just drop my jig and minnow to the bottom and let it sit. About 5 minutes later bang i get a hit so i sit up let the kig sit on the bottom and wait for the line to go tight again when it does I set the hook and the fight is on it took me about 10 minutes to real it in. We take some pictures and put it on the stringer so we can bring it to the resort later and get it weighed to enter in the fishing pool that was happening at my dads work (that fish happened to be 12 lbs, i think it was some where around 36 inches. THen my dad also caught another big one that was about 8 lbs, on the same side of the boat as i was and every one else was fishing that same side so i decided to try the other side i got no action, so i went back to the other side and caught another big 9 lbs walleye, so we went to the resort to get them wieghed for the fishing pool, and released them back into the lake. Ill see if I can find the picture of my big 12 lbser, but I think it may be at camp.

P.S. I think me and my dad took first second and 3rd in the walleye division for the pool and also 1st, 2nd and 3rd in the bass divsion to :D

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fisherdude

I remember my first stealhaed...snce it was this year haha..took me long enough to catch one..but it was worth it..27 inchs at lake tamblyn... :D so far my only one to.. :blush:

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eyelander

Roman was one of the best Steelheaders around in those days. Top 5 for sure IMHO.

My early Steelheading days were at the Neebing weir. I grew up only a few minutes walk from there. I practically lived down there when the run was on. The weir used to have two tiers, the metal one that is still in place, and some logs that made it like a set of stairs. The fish had a more difficult time getting over the weir back then because of the two tiers and hence the run lasted a solid 3 weeks or more. Now you have to be there on the right couple of days or you'll have missed it. Back then you'd have to get there well before sunrise to get a decent spot, but I rarely see anyone fishing there anymore. We also used to get smelts by the bucket full in broad daylight. Man, have things changed.

Eyelander, except for a handfull of times fishing the Jackpine, all of my fishing was done in town back then. Once the fishing slowed at the weir, I'd follow them upstream. And then we'd catch them post spawn just above the weir. We'd be catching from late March until mid June by following the fish. Those were the days.

Geez, I'm feeling old.... :blink:

I know all those guys you are talking of Dan, or at least knew them back then.

Yeah, I remember those logs at the wier, they had been made in a triangularish shape and occasionally a fish would jump right into one and be stuck. Rescued a couple out of them and put them back in on the upstream side, lol.

Remember standing there one day with my dad, watching the fish jump over, the run was really on. Saw one big hen right near me jump the entire leap, landed on the upstream side, and I guess was still in jump mode because it came right back out onto the bank 10 ft. upstream of me. A couple of 8 yr. old kids tried to run up and get it, but weren't fast enough. I only fished there a few times over the years, my place was the Mac, McVickars, and further upstream on the Neebing. I think I have fished for steelhead on almost every foot of the Neebing above hwy. 11/17 up past Centennial Golf course, and well into June over the years. The Mac as well. The only place on the Neebing I did not fish was Cochan's, never got permission to fish there....asked, but did not receive.

The runs of fish, steelhead or smelts, are definately not what they used to be for sure. The one fish limit and size restriction has definately helped the local rivers. That 29 in. fish I landed this year is not my biggest, but my biggest from the Mac for quite some time, probably 15 yrs. at least and may be my personal best there as I never measured any of them back then. Never netted smelts at the wier, only at McVicars and the Mac below central ave.

Back then(mid to late 70's), we kept quite a few fish, within limits of course. When I got my drivers license, and a vehicle(79-80ish) and went out the north shore, I started limiting my catch intentionally, and would only bring home 2 or 3 from a weeks outing(the limit was 5 way back when). And some of those outings were many fish days. Now, and for quite some time, probably 20+ years, I rarely keep one for the entire duration of the run. If I am lucky enough to land about a 5 lb. male, I like to have it smoked(haven't had a rainbow smoked for 5 yrs. at least, damn, but I have a smoker now). I only keep a female when I need a spawn supply, which at the rate I fish now is about every 3-4 yrs.

I think I will try out CanadianCoppers tecnique this spring for a bit, see what happens.

Man, I "AM" old, :P:P:P

How the heck did that happen, and who is responsible??????

I gotta be able to blame someone.

Remembering a song by "The Spoons"

There was a time when we were young.......lol.


Prior Proper Planning Prevents Piss Poor Performance

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