Steelhead Fishing- Subtlety Please!

[grumpy 2]

Exactly, Amen to that.I'm looking forward to meeting you in person Bernie and maybe wetting a line sometime.

Well lets all hope that Grumpy has the company of a good woman to lay beside tonight and maybe he wouldn't be so damn grumpy.(Remember these days they have lil' blue pills that helps in these sort of scenes)

I just passed her up she was naked in the hut tub not more than a 1/2 an hour ago. I was having too much fun with this.

Besides 4 kids is enough

and yes the savage will be breaking fish and fowl necks, this weekend

[Guest TerryK]

I just passed her up she was naked in the hut tub not more than a 1/2 an hour ago. I was having too much fun with this.

Besides 4 kids is enough

and yes the savage will be breaking necks, this weekend

I really hope you mean fish or fowl!

[Guest Big Moose]

I just passed her up she was naked in the hut tub not more than a 1/2 an hour ago. I was having too much fun with this.

This may be the problem right here priorities are all out of wack,Yah gotta take care of #1(the mrs.)then forsure you wouldn't be this grumpy we'd probably have to change your nick name to smiley or some crap like that.

[Guest TerryK]

lmao, I thought you said "smelly" for a second! That would be a whole different thing now wouldn't it?

[Guest Big Moose]

Not touching that one Terry.

[Guest TerryK]

Not touching that one Terry.

lol, you of all people I would think would jump all over that!!

[grumpy 2]

This may be the problem right here priorities are all out of wack,Yah gotta take care of #1(the mrs.)then forsure you wouldn't be this grumpy we'd probably have to change your nick name to smiley or some crap like that.

Now I really have to be careful here. I don't mind offending you guys but my wife is a diferent story. First off I have already gone to far by telling everyone about the hot tub. I sure hope that I don't find any of you guys with your fishing poles out lurking in the bushes any time soon.

[Guest TerryK]

Now I really have to be careful here. I don't mind offending you guys but my wife is a diferent story. First off I have already gone to far by telling everyone about the hot tub. I sure hope that I don't find any of you guys with your fishing poles out lurking in the bushes any time soon.

The way I see it, as long as we're wearing our waders, you have nothing to worry about!

[fisherdude 69]

i think all the info is pretty helpful..iv learned so much from reading all the posts on this site..its probably saved me alot of wasted trips out..not that any fishing trip is a waste..but its probably let me catch quite a few more fish...my point being i think that the info is very helpful to me, new people to the area, new fishermen/women and to everyone else that reads it..as for people keeping fish..theres limits for a reason..its legal..so theres no problem is there?as long as the limits are followed..and people are smart about it...keeping one steelie a year is fine with me...

on the other hand..i see where both sides are coming from...i wouldnt want everyone to know my''secret'' or favourite spot..which is probably a better word for it..but if your spots not doing so good...find a new one?...thats half the fun...lets all remember that catching fish isnt the only fun part...finding them is part of it..it can be frustrating but it willl pay off..but i think that helping new members is a good thing and you will feel good about it...i no when people ask me for info i always try my best to help out..thats just me though...

[Guest Big Moose]

lol, you of all people I would think would jump all over that!!

Not a chance!!

[Gone8to1248 158]

You know what just might be fun? Thats getting everyone involved in this thread together for a day of fishing TOGETHER! All in the same boat! Well maybe not that good of idea, might wind up with more deaths than the TITANIC! LOL Just kidding there, I actually think it would be an interesting day and everyone might learn a little more about the other guy's. There is another site that I chat on and they do get togethers like that a couple of times a year with guys from both sides of the border. Imagine 12 guys going out in 4 boats and then switching partners every couple of hours so that you fish with everyone in the group. You get to see how someone fish's and even learn WHY they fish like that.

As far as secret spots go? Well they probrably were fished before YOU found them so they can't be to secret! To me there is no such thing as a secret spot and if anyone wants to fish were I do I'll be more than happy to tell them just were to go and were to park the boat,what to use, and were to cast. A lot of you have kids that you take out camping and fishing and know how short thier attention span can be if not catching anything. So if I see you out there looking for fish then yes I'll tell you exactly where to go to catch them. As far as someone getting to close while I'm fishing. Well until we start getting lines tangled there is no problem. How many times have you and a buddy been out in a boat fishing together using the same bait and one of you are catching fish and the other one isn't. Good example is when 4 of us went out this past summer on te WolF River and were fishing the same hole. 2 of us caught fish in it and 2 didn't even get a strike. Out on Kashabowie (no secret that, that is where I spend a lot of time) I took STU out for a day and took him to all my favoriete spots and let him fish them and he caught decent fish in all of them. At the same time another group was there and I gave them my maps of the lake including hand drawn maps of my spots and they didn't do well at all. WHY? While I had Stu out I didn't fish at all for the first 5 hours I only drove the boat and showed him where to cast and fish. He asked me why I wasn't fishing and my answer was because you have this one day and I have all the time in the world to come back here.

To me personally one of the fun parts of sport fishing is to explore new waters and try to figure them out. In order to do that you first must have a basic knowladge of the species that your after and to me that is where boards like this come in to play, getting that basic knowladge. Or should I say the DO'S and DON"TS for that species. What is LEGAL and what is ETHICAL! Those two must coinceide with each other.When I got interested in fly fishing up there In the Thunder Bay area I did research on the internet and in books and surprisingly most of the rivers in the area are mentioned all over the place. Now I have a species to go after and a general idea of where to go. From talking with members on here I learnned that the amount of rain tells the fish to start thier runs. Some of the guys will even tell you the type of things they will hit on while your out there. With that I have the ,what,when,and where! The spots become my exploring! But the best of all is the proper ethics to use with all that information I've learnned from listenning to others.

Sorry for the long posting but just wanted to share my ideas with some of you. So when your out there fishing and the newbie comes along and sits down besides you, it just might be he thinks your a pro and wants to learn something. Give him some information and he JUST MAY move on to practice what you told him!

Gone8to1248

Bernie

[Guest About Time]

You know what just might be fun? Thats getting everyone involved in this thread together for a day of fishing TOGETHER! All in the same boat! Well maybe not that good of idea, might wind up with more deaths than the TITANIC! LOL Just kidding there, I actually think it would be an interesting day and everyone might learn a little more about the other guy's. There is another site that I chat on and they do get togethers like that a couple of times a year with guys from both sides of the border. Imagine 12 guys going out in 4 boats and then switching partners every couple of hours so that you fish with everyone in the group. You get to see how someone fish's and even learn WHY they fish like that.

As far as secret spots go? Well they probrably were fished before YOU found them so they can't be to secret! To me there is no such thing as a secret spot and if anyone wants to fish were I do I'll be more than happy to tell them just were to go and were to park the boat,what to use, and were to cast. A lot of you have kids that you take out camping and fishing and know how short thier attention span can be if not catching anything. So if I see you out there looking for fish then yes I'll tell you exactly where to go to catch them. As far as someone getting to close while I'm fishing. Well until we start getting lines tangled there is no problem. How many times have you and a buddy been out in a boat fishing together using the same bait and one of you are catching fish and the other one isn't. Good example is when 4 of us went out this past summer on te WolF River and were fishing the same hole. 2 of us caught fish in it and 2 didn't even get a strike. Out on Kashabowie (no secret that, that is where I spend a lot of time) I took STU out for a day and took him to all my favoriete spots and let him fish them and he caught decent fish in all of them. At the same time another group was there and I gave them my maps of the lake including hand drawn maps of my spots and they didn't do well at all. WHY? While I had Stu out I didn't fish at all for the first 5 hours I only drove the boat and showed him where to cast and fish. He asked me why I wasn't fishing and my answer was because you have this one day and I have all the time in the world to come back here.

To me personally one of the fun parts of sport fishing is to explore new waters and try to figure them out. In order to do that you first must have a basic knowladge of the species that your after and to me that is where boards like this come in to play, getting that basic knowladge. Or should I say the DO'S and DON"TS for that species. What is LEGAL and what is ETHICAL! Those two must coinceide with each other.When I got interested in fly fishing up there In the Thunder Bay area I did research on the internet and in books and surprisingly most of the rivers in the area are mentioned all over the place. Now I have a species to go after and a general idea of where to go. From talking with members on here I learnned that the amount of rain tells the fish to start thier runs. Some of the guys will even tell you the type of things they will hit on while your out there. With that I have the ,what,when,and where! The spots become my exploring! But the best of all is the proper ethics to use with all that information I've learnned from listenning to others.

Sorry for the long posting but just wanted to share my ideas with some of you. So when your out there fishing and the newbie comes along and sits down besides you, it just might be he thinks your a pro and wants to learn something. Give him some information and he JUST MAY move on to practice what you told him!

Gone8to1248

Bernie

Nice post and well said.

AT

[Guest TerryK]

It goes without saying, but you are a class act Bernie!

[Guest Wes]

Nicely said Bernie.

I can relate and would like to share an example.

This spring I was at "A River" for my first outing of the year and my first go at using my new OKUMA float reel my wife bought me. Anyway I couldn't get the hang of casting it. I looked like I was "Pulling the Goalie" with the left hand.

Anyway I noticed a few anglers down river from me also float fishing with similar set ups. The one guy I was watching was able to put his float across the river in the exact spot it looked like he was aiming for. I was trying to see what and how he was doing it. I walked over and just stood there and watched for a bit. Finally another guy came over and we started chatting. I mentioned I was a little frustrated with my float placements. He grabbed my rod and proceeded to show me a few different ways to cast out my float.

That is something that will stick with me forever. The fact that he took some time to show me I thought was pretty cool. After that I went to another section of the river so not to crowd them and proceeded to cast as he showed me and ended up banking a few steelies. I'll never go back to spinning gear again.

I, like Bernie, like to help out as much as I can. For instance. I was walking to my spot on "Some River" and noticed a few large trout sitting by the bank down from an angler. It looked like the angler was pulling his drift before it was even close to these fish. I figured he didn't know they were there. So I told him. Karma can be a Arf Arf or your best friend.

I also want to clarify 1 thing. In my original post I stated that I casted over that dudes line and then reeled it in and cut it. That came across all wrong. It wasn't intentional. Sure I was a little miffed he was so close, but what ever. I made it known, and had no place to say "Hey, this is my hole, beat it!" So I just continued to fish and tried to time our casts to avoid tangles. In the course of us fishing we became entangled and I didn't give him the chance to reel us in and cut ME off is all.

[Gone8to1248 158]

Hey guys I need more thread here! I'm only half way thru tieing my new fly! just kidding here. Hope to see some of you at the meeting thursday night while I'm up there. Looking forward to picking up more information about Steelhead (Rainbows) that night. You might even talk me into buying a drink that night! LOL

Bernie

gone8to1248

P.S. I'll be heading your way in about 8 hours and will spend the night in Duluth and then come the rest of the way tuesday mornning.

[Guest loggerpete]

If anyone asks me where to catch a specific kind of fish I tell them,I `m not greedy and I don`t and will never take the background out of my photo`s. If you don`t want that info out there then thats up to you but don`t go tellin me what I should be doin. Same thing with catch and release,I keep what I catch within the law.When the law says I can`t any longer then thats it for me.Just my two cents.

[Guest TerryK]

If anyone asks me where to catch a specific kind of fish I tell them,I `m not greedy and I don`t and will never take the background out of my photo`s. If you don`t want that info out there then thats up to you but don`t go tellin me what I should be doin. Same thing with catch and release,I keep what I catch within the law.When the law says I can`t any longer then thats it for me.Just my two cents.

I respect that pete. This whole issue stems from a bunch of us steelheaders that are catch and release only fishermen, added to the fact that we have just gone through 4-5 years of drought that killed off the majority of the young of the year. There is a lot of concern about steelie numbers for the next few years until they have a chance to bounce back. We are just trying to convince people to release all steelhead at least for a few years. Some guys just feel a little stronger about the subject than others! lol

[Guest Big Moose]

A lot of good valid points here fellas but if the numbers are so low why doesn't the ministry close rainbow fishing for a few years especially during the spawn atleast until the numbers start coming back.Seems pretty logical to me.Is this not the reason the walleyes are closed in the B,S,R.(NOT ENOUGH SMALL FISH) I mean is the MNR this blind? Or is it me that isn't seeing a clear picture? (it's happened from time to time LOL)

Anyone else have any thoughts on this?

[Guest Wes]

Holy Smokes, I nearly had a stroke there Moose. Close Steelhead, during the spawn?... Have you gone completely mad?

OK all joking aside. Thats crazy talk. I am good with C&R only, safeway usually has a nice selection of salmon I can throw on the Q. Closing it would mean after ice climbing, I have to stay home with the wife until walleye opens. She'll have me doing renovations or some other undesirable tasks.

[grumpy 2]

A lot of good valid points here fellas but if the numbers are so low why doesn't the ministry close rainbow fishing for a few years especially during the spawn atleast until the numbers start coming back.Seems pretty logical to me.Is this not the reason the walleyes are closed in the B,S,R.(NOT ENOUGH SMALL FISH) I mean is the MNR this blind? Or is it me that isn't seeing a clear picture? (it's happened from time to time LOL)

Anyone else have any thoughts on this?

Lets not go here

It would make more sense to make all rivers to the first barrier single barbless.

[Guest Big Moose]

I'm not a big fan of doing home renos at home either considering thats what I'm doing for a living but if the numbers are that low it might make sense for a few years.Besides you could always come spring bear hunting with me. (catch and release of course)Or do what I did go buy a Honda and rip'n'shred till fishing fires up again.

[Guest Wes]

I still can't see it moose....

But the more I think about this..hmmm

Single barbless is a good step, but why not take it just a bit further and make it C&R for a while.

At the last meeting someone brought up the point of once a limit is reduced, they will take a long time, if at all, to get reinstated.

As much as I look forward to my 1 and only steelhead meal for the year, I am not going to die without it. If it means protecting the numbers for a while thats OK.

Actually, after reading what Terry said about poor YOTY for 4 or 5 years. I think I am going to make the switch to C&R for a while. I really had no idea of the state of the fishery. Mainly because I have been a solo steelhead angler and really had no info until finding out about this board and the NSSA. I can't seem to convince my walleye friends that steelhead fishing is where it's really at.

Wes

[Guest Big Moose]

Good point grumpy single barbless hooks are a good start but I think it should be closed off for a few years to ensure the climb in steelhead numbers(but that's just what I figure)

After a bit of thinking and alot of reading I've decided in the last few weeks(better late than never) to strictly fish catch and release for steelhead.Like you Wes I used to keep one male fish a year if lucky enough to get even one for a nice feed off the que,But after realizing how much trouble the fishery will have in the next few years I've changed my ways of thinking and fishing.

However that being said I won't be the type to force it down everyones throat to strictly C&R for steelies,That is something that each angler has to figure out for themselves as I have done through listening and learning about the fish that so many people take for granted.

I strongly feel that education is the key to sustaining a healthy fishery and for those who would like to gather more info check out this board and flip back a few pages and you'll be surprised at how much knowledge is stored in our site. Eg.Portage Creek Steelhead Study READ IT Theres a whole report on the steelhead study.Something I think the locals in that area should read and understand.Then they may not be so pissed of because they can't fish it anymore.

My two cents worth

Moose

[NWO Fishing Bum 2]

Good discussion here guys. Wes.."I can't seem to convince my walleye friends that steelhead fishing is where it's really at." Add me to the list Wes. You will never convince me, but luckily the two can co-exist, with steelheading consuming some of the shoulder season between softwater and hardwater lake fishing.

NWO Fishing Bum

[grumpy 2]

I predict this thread goes to 6 pages, maybe 7.

I think this post might do 7-8 only if we incite another riot.

Single barbless to the first barrier all rivers from the U.S. boarder to the Sioux. What would the Salmon guys do in the Nipigon where this rule needs enforcement more than anywhere else. I am sure the mortality on the out of season brook trout would be cut more than in half and we would catch far less fish with deformed mouths.

Here is another good one why be able to kill a salmon when its in the river spawning. Who would want too the meat turns soft it stinks. How long does it have to go in the smoker to taste somewhat good. At least drop it down to 1 in the river. Do we not want these things to spawn to provide more opertunity in the lake.

I think the 1 fish limit on Steelhead is good as it allows the opertunity to fish the rivers all year. The fishery is good but we will have to see how the dry fall from last year has an effect on the fishery 2-3 years from now. Hopefull most the smolt found a nice deep hole to hide in or made it to the lake before the rivers dried up and frooze solid.