Archive for March, 2010

Gene and his grandson Gene III came up for a day and we spent most of our time on a larger trib. We focused on getting Gene III into his first Steelhead and had him swinging Flatfish lures in front of fish against banks and in current. He was able to land a few nice fish after some good fights and long runs and he did it like a pro. We drifted skein, fly patterns, single eggs, and nymphs with a few hookups here and there.

The water is getting very low and the ice has blown away from the Erie shorelines but there is not much sign of fresh run fish in any of the streams. With no rain in site and very warm temps in the forecast it may be just about time to hang it up until the fall. It seemed promising after the late melt-off and colder temps but now that the conditions for a run have come and gone it’s starting to wind down for the season. Just a few chromers are being caught but mostly all older fish and they are into full spawning mode, making it tough to get their attention. It’s also not the most sporting type of fishing to target fish that are spawning. I personally wouldn’t want to be harrassed in the middle of that either!

Fish will probably remain in the streams in small numbers for a few weeks but the only real runs of fish to be had are in the Ohio streams where their Manistee strain fish run primarily in the Spring. We may see a few strays trickle in our waters the next few weeks but probably not many.

It was a pleasure spending the day with Gene and his grandson and I hope to see them on the water again. Here’s a few pics of Gene III’s fish.

Spent a day on the streams with Scott, Tom, and Josiah.  Winter joined us as the fifth guest until around 2 PM.  It was 22 degrees starting out in the morning and really didn’t get comfortable until the afternoon.  You could almost feel the ice on the lake hit you with the breeze. 

We fished a pile of fish on a smaller trib in the morning and had just a few that took jigs, nymphs, and single eggs.  We moved up high on a larger trib for the remainder of the day and pulled out a few more nice fish on jigs and single eggs again.  The fish that we could see early in the day would chase jigs but rarely commit to biting.  Even the smallest of offerings drifted perfectly in the pack were not getting much attention.  Moving to a deeper hole with more color proved more productive.

Josiah landed a 29″ hen that was a real horse and put up the best fight I’ve seen this spring.  It may have been a true Spring run fish.  Mostly silver and clean of any marks.  With the high water we had after the melt it would be no surprise that a Springer would have gone up as high as she did. 

The warmer temps that are forecasted will tell the story on what happens this Spring with any fresh run fish.   We are likely to get a few but probably not a huge wave of fish.  I would expect many older fish to remain in the streams until the regular Trout opener in a few weeks. 

Besides the nice fish Josiah landed the other highlight was another BIGTIME lunch provided by Scott.  He actually left for the truck and told us he’d call us when lunch was ready.  45 minutes later  he called and had basically setup his own kitchen around his truck!  On the menu:  Chicken Chili- the best I’ve ever had, Shrimp and Crawdads, Walleye with onions and peppers, and Walleye breaded and fried in a skillet.  I owe an extreme debt of gratitude for this lunch that not only was the best I’ve ever eaten streamside, but easily one of the best I’ve ever had period!  Eating this lunch when it was still in the 30’s with a numbing breeze from the lake is something I’ll be talking about for years to come.  This was easily a $50 a plate restaurant dinner and I’m used to chowing down a few granola bars and some almonds in a day of fishing.  In over 10 years I’ve spent thousands of hours on the streams of Erie.  The 1 hour I spent eating with these gentlemen was one of the finest as were the 8 we spent fishing.  Here’s a few pics I was able to get with my camera today. 

Jim, Cameron, and Luca came in from Indiana for a day of Steelhead fishing on a day that didn’t exactly seem like spring.  Dropping temps and rain made it tough even for me to not have body heat sucked out but the fish cooperated for the most part.  We aren’t seeing many fresh run fish at all so we are mostly hitting tribs that have good numbers of fall and winter fish.  Many are done spawning and are dropping back which does concentrate them in the lower sections similar to the Fall season.  Some are starting to turn silver in preparation for returning to the lake and these can be misidentified as fresh spring run fish.   A close examination will usually show markings and scars from spawning and the myriad of other dangers they face in the tribs throughout the year.  Ice, hooks, fins missing….these all will separate a true spring run fish from a drop back fish that is heading back to the lake. 

A look at the lake will also tell a story about what is happening this spring.  Lots and lots of ice remains and this can deter fresh runs from happening until it melts or blows out of the Erie area.  It’s possible something may happen with the warmup next week but if it does it will be a short 1-2 week period and that will be it. 

Jim was able to get into fish on jigs and nymphs and Cameron and Luca were able to reel in a few as well.  Flatfish saw a few chases and strikes but the cold has put a lid on the aggression levels of fish we have seen the last week.  We worked hard for fish and the rain didn’t really turn fish on like we had hoped.  Eventually the rain and temps in the 30’s late in the day put an end to the fishing.  It was a pleasure fishing with Jim, Cameron, and Luca and I look forward to fishing with them in the Fall.  I think Jim has convinced me to finally take that trip to Michigan for salmon this year and succeeded in giving me some reason to root for Kentucky in the tournament.