NOTTA STEELER

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Great DIY post notta.. with pics and all!

Mods may want to sticky just that post for future reference..

I've experimented over the years and have done several different things , Borax is all natural and after being in the fridge for a year without freezing , they still smell like the day I got them. I've even left them in my vest accidently and got pretty warm ... still ...opened the top to smell nice and fresh .

I've done the same thing but in a watered down solution which works too , just not as well . The eggs look natural and they don't white out nearly as fast as not using a cure , therefore you use less roe on drifts and don't have to change the bag. The Borax naturally cleans the eggs and penetrates the membrane to further give it lasting freshness . They bounce if dropped , but when a Steelhead grabs the bag it smashes those eggs with the teeth . Some argue that the eggs should be soft and not bounce , but in nature , when those eggs are laid , the only time they are soft is when the male fertilizes them . Shortly after the eggs water harden and will bounce if you dropped them . They have to stand up to gravel and fish pounding them with their tails , my eggs are the same ...just disinfected .

Sunday Morning ...7 am .... cool and breezy , overcast .... fish must be sleeping ... oh , except for the Chub .

Sun hits part of the river at 9 am .... feel it's warmth across your face , takes the chill out . Begin again, drifting the large hole , very quiet ...no surfacing or wakes to speak of .

Put secret weapon on the hook .... running a 4 foot lead off the float , centre of hole ..... and ...... a bump and float is under , set the hook and the water erupts with thrashing head shakes .... the fish are awake !

Three friends , 9 fish landed , 5 fish lost .... all Chinooks . When you see your float bounce and wobble , then get buried like a Steelhead hammered it and up comes an angry Chinook .. almost as good as Steelheading .... but not quite .

After spending a great day with my fellow enthusiasts on two Lake O rivers in one day and spending hours in the hot sun , trying desperately to hang on to land just one of these insane Chinooks and at the end of the day having a single person able to hold a Lake O beast , way to go NADO.
Leaving the river , entering our awaiting chariots and dashing back home amidst millions of other motorists , to reach home in the dark as was the case when we left .

The next day waking later than usual and peering out at the seemingly cloudless sky , I think to myself , I wonder what the fish are doing ....like...ten minutes away .
On the phone texting away , well , who's up for round two this afternoon . On the river at 5 pm. off the river at 6:30 pm. = 3 Chinooks on 1 landed and a beautiful Steelhead about 6 lbs.
Can you see me grinning from where you are right now , oh ya ..... Steely time , this fish threw me a loop .. it pretended to be a jack ...head shakin' and twistin' .
Then ... as if another fish took it's place ... it went crazy , the line literally ripping through the water with that unmistakeable power and agility .
I turned and looked at James and said that's no Chinny ... that IS a bow !!!

Our story begins at 12:30 p.m. Saturday ,April the 14th.

Get to the river around 1 p.m. ( the afternoon shift ) , first drift with a 6 inch long dew worm and the float vanishes ... set the hook and we have lift off . A three pound steelie rips the surface and clears the water by 4 feet easily . Quick pic and release . Three more drifts = three more takes and lost 'em .
Fish are in the faster moving water , fish the deep holes and no one is home . Ray hits two more shakers and I connect with a White sucker.
On to another location where the river has rapids and faster pools ... fish the rapids , the eddies and come to a medium depth hole and that's where they all were .
Missed so many hits with the worm , then Ray connects with a beauty small male with a nice spot pattern and colour . He hits another drop back , this time a hen . Sunday , April the 15th. Cloudy and mild .Began fishing at 7:30 a.m. , started the day at a long hole on a bend in the river . After an hour of drifting we started hitting some fish , Ray caught a nice hen drop back which almost looked like a fresh fish .
We were amazed by the amount of small steelhead hitting , 6 inches to 14 inches in length . If you dropped your float at your feet it would start bobbing .
Moved down river to a large deep hole , figuring we would find some larger drop backs holding there . Using our preffered bait , the dew worm we started our drifts , down goes the float and I've got myself a 6 lb. silver redhorse sucker , beautiful yellow eyes and fought with power .
The river has dropped to low levels for the Notty and fish are more concentrated in the deeper sections of the runs, very clear conditions and water temps still very cold .

Here's the Naughty ... Naughty part of my weekend . This day at this very same location , I had an unbelieveable take down ...set the hook and I swear I had the bottom .
Then the bottom started moving ever sooooooo slowly up river , my rod in a complete big C , first thought " sturgeon " ... then with alot of effort I managed to raise it a little .
Since the water was so darn clear , as I raised this fish that was in total control of me , my buddy James and I had total shock on our faces when we realized what indeed it was ...
Ray , who could not see on the angle he was on , looks at us and says " what is it " ??? Well , it wasn"t a sucker , it wasn"t a carp , it wasn"t a sturgeon ...
It was a 14 inch steelhead that nailed my dew worm ... then the Naughty fish nailed my steelhead ... as I sit here I swear the Naughty fish was a 40 inch Musky and at least 15 pounds .
He had my steelie broad side in his mouth and just as the video cameras came out , he spit it out and vanished . My poor steelhead was pretty mangled but alive .. Naughty Musky !!!
So , I drop it back in to see if it would return .. two seconds and the water errupts .. not the Naughty Musky this time . This time it was a larger and scarier looking Northern , it had to be ten inches deep , it made me jump back a couple of feet on the bank. It took a shot at the trout jumped out of the water and vanished along with the other Naughty monster , Mr. Musky .

March 28th . 2012

The Notty finally dropped and is clearing quite nicely . My friend Ray and I ventured out for some long awaited steelhead action on my name sake river .
We started off in a deep slow pool and with no takers moving our floats ... we decided to head down river and hit the rapids . I noticed an eddy close to the bank on the opposite side of the run and cast into it and slammed a high flying chrome football around four pounds . After five amazing leaps in the air , I was about to land her and she got free and disappeared into the rapids . Tore off the squashed roe bag and replaced it with a fresh chartreuse bag , flipped it back into the eddy and the float never got a chance to stand up before being sucked beneath the surface . A power packed - drop back hen was on the other end , she rolled and then booted it down river ... after stumbling about on slippery rocks , I managed to bring her safely to the shore ... and released to fight yet another day .

My first drift the float dropped and some impressive head shakes led to a screaming run and then the dreaded twist .
A large fish for sure but she won this time as she twisted that hook out and was gone in a flash . Ray shortly announced " fish on " and my float shot outa sight ... double header !
Stayed at the same location with 3 more large ones shakin' the hook and landed one more chrome bullet before callin' it a day ... a great day on the river .

Some of us are “pig-headed.”

If there is anything that defines sites such as O.F.F. with its diversity of interests, techniques, personality, and age is that we are conscripted by a specific drive—that is, the recrudescence of man’s primitive, predatory instincts.

Some of us are young, impetuous, needing “first water,”scuttling from pool to pool or river to river like an unappeased Magpie. Others doggedly working the same run, tirelessly and with purpose excavating each square inch of the lie. We know there are fish there, at times, rarely wanting to give up their fighting spirit to just anyone, and rejecting even the most well presented offerings. One angler (NS)—whose Georgian Bay tribs are his homewater—mentors a younger one, reins him in a little, to keep him from prematurely leaving a fecund potion of the river they had been working, “patience Grasshopper” he says. On another day I meet up with a member here (the tectonic D), excitable and jacked up; thrilled to be on the hunt. Sage-like he says “I could chase these fish for twenty years before knowing what I need to know!” I smiled and proffered, “and you still wouldn’t know it all…”

Perhaps it is the case that one “should have been here yesterday,” but we are pig-headed some of us. We don’t get skunked—ever. We hate to lose or be outsmarted by our prey so we dive into our kit (actual OR temporal) considering what might outsmart nature herself. So what is it then, that is more natural than the natural? How does it come about, that with all the entomon (insects) and other natural forage drifting by, a fish takes your offering—in particular a fly tied by your own hand? You have taken the Palm of victory from the very hand of nature herself, like Xeuxis outsmarting the birds with his painting of grapes.

Some of us are pig-headed andrefuse to give up too easily (wisdom, experience, intuition—who can say?) We KNOW this section of water is holding fish (you alone noticed the tell-tale, smooth “V” wake of pods of fish moving through), you persevere and your diligence pays finally off. A couple of hens finally seduced by your offering in waterthat otherwise have thwarted other anglers that day. You’re gratified because it’s a tough river to fish (steep banks, much cover, few places to land a fish) and tough to get a respectable photo. Did get one though, one of my typical “portraits.”

CC ... go on ... I want to read chapter 2 , I bet you could put together some kind of entertaining book with all the info and antics that go down on this forum ... fictional characters and all.

When would the river/stream steel head finish in the spring roughly?. I know it typically starts in October,but not sure when they head back into the lake for the summer.Thanks.

Hi , how are ya.
Depending on water height , length of river or how early spawning takes place are all factors .
Bigger rivers will have fish in them usually through into the end of May and sometimes June . Where smaller tribs are concerned , it's possible for the majority to be back in the lake before opener .
The Credit for example , fish travel a great distance to the spawning areas . As they drop back they gorge themselves on what they can find to build up the strength for re entering the lake .
I've fished quite a few of the larger rivers with great success into June . After opener the crowds die back and you'd be suprised to see how many fish are still in the river .
A heavy rain can take them out faster , low conditions can stall them ... Get out and try your luck .

Well done , C.C. !!

Like the others have mentioned , we have all , pretty much had a situation or two to recover from .
The cuts and bruises , etc. . Well told and I could envision you doing those things as I read .

One of the main reasons I don't fish alone anymore is , I went down to my favourite hole and began drifting .
I hooked into a large Steelhead and as I walked down to the tail out to land him , I sunk down in the loose sand , and ...
I couldn't pull my boot foot waders out . I basically had cement shoes and too far from shore for leverage , it was November and freezing
conditions. My only option was to undo and pull out of my waders into the ice water , no phone , alas ...
Luck was coming , an old retired Italian man who fished with lures came down , I called out to him and he rescued me .
I don't fish alone anymore or without my cell and I did land the fish in my cement shoes . LOL

Went to sail Sat and went on a shopping spree and got a few early xmas presants too. Got a Rapala 3 man ice hut for $200 no tax tons of room to stand up and could probably almost fish 4 ppl. Also got an ultralite fishing rod and a Shimano Sienna 1000 to go with it...pretty darn sweet ice fishing rod for 40 bucks!

My last purchase is what I have questions about...I was looking at the reels and saw the Shimano Spirex. It has a double handle which im not really crazy about but I dont see it bothering me much I guess, what caught my eye with this reel was that it has a double drag system. If you see in the picture it has a rear drag but also has another quick drag nob right above that. So you can set your drag to a neutral setting and quickly tighten or loosen it as needed. Has anyone ever used this reel, i'm beginning to wonder wether it was a smart purchase or not. It was only 65 bucks with no tax.

To go with it I got a new type of line for me, Pline flurocarbon coated. Has anyone ever used this? What is its stretch like compared to mono?

Also got a pocket knife that will clip on to my vest, all in all very impressed with Sail. They have by far the best prices I have seen.

NADO , it's called a fighting drag lever , I have 4 shimano spin reels and 3 have the fighting drag . As you suggested , you can set the drag lightly or hard and it allows you to hit the lever to adjust drag in the midst of a fish on without fumbling with the knob of the main drag . To tell you the truth I really haven't utilized it for all it does , I simply like the reels for what they are . The double handle is unique , I haven't seen a spinning reel like that only the bait-casters . I am a Shimano user , reels and rods , no problems and good products .