Waning Days of Sunshine

[zonker]

[cool]My fishies with the turned down lips aren't nearly as pretty as those trout Flygoddess had in her new net. But it's what I've been catching.

Here are a couple of recent customers. One is five pounds, one is six. Rod is a seven weight.

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I keep thinking we've seen the end of the sun but it keeps showing up, though the nights have started to get colder. Carping is slowing down.


z~
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[TubeDude]

[cool][#0000ff]Sounds like the fall/winter storms are delayed this year. At least the "goldens" are keeping you busy. Won't be long until you have to settle for those nasty trout, and maybe some steelhead.[/#0000ff]
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[smallmouth89]

Dave the scale patterns on your carp look just like the shadows cast by Joni's new net. Nice Fish!

I'm gonna start trying for Lake Ontario tributary steelhead soon. Zonkers should work well on them. Guys up here have started using pink plastic worms with success. I've got a 12 and a half foot steelhead rod rigged with my 9 weight bass line and a float suspending a small jig. Should work just as well in the river (if not better) as it does in stillwater. The only thing standing in the way of me doing some serious steelheading is my reluctance to put the tube away for the winter. I'd like to get out in it a couple more times but It costs now that the regular season is over and I bought a new acoustic electric guitar that I need to pay for in a couple more weeks. On the upside, it'll be a lot more fun paying for the guitar than it was for our new roof and furnace.
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[zonker]

In my experience a small jig fished below a float is deadly for steelhead - both summer and winter. Aside from flyfishing, it is my favorite method when fishing for them. Actually, if you scale down the size of the float to a castable "indicator" it is a deadly method for a flyrod as well. I got so wrapped up in it a couple of years ago that I tied up over 400 jigs for both summer and winter fish. I have a 10.5 foot rod that I use specifically for the application. You Canadians typically use the longer rods. We can hardly find the super long ones down here.

I would guess you have seen this book but Jim Butler's Steelhead Float Fishing is "the book" on this subject, written by a well-known neighbor of yours. He has a lot of good things to say.



[cool]The only thing is, Don, if you start doing this for winter fishing when everthing else is iced up you have to promise to come back to us float tubers and tooners in the spring 'cause it can be very addictive. Be sure to leave yourself a bread crumb trail so you can get back out again and remember your float tube roots.

Enjoy your new guitar.

z~
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[zonker]

[reply]
[cool][#0000ff]Sounds like the fall/winter storms are delayed this year. At least the "goldens" are keeping you busy. Won't be long until you have to settle for those nasty trout, and maybe some steelhead.[/#0000ff] [/reply]

I would have fished this way for carp a long time ago had I realized they would regularly take flies. Makes me wonder what else I'm missing because I've not been atuned to what is available right under my nose.

[cool]Back to the four weight from the tube soon. Hope to stick some more of those "other" goldens.

z~
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[smallmouth89]

Dave,
If I recall you live in Oregon. How close are you to the salt?
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[zonker]

[reply]
Dave,
If I recall you live in Oregon. How close are you to the salt? [/reply]

About two hours of fairly easy driving. I fish a few of the coastal streams when I chase steelies. The Alsea, Wilson, and Nestucca primarily. The other places I fish are tribs to the Willamette. The only thing I don't like about it is the crowd.

z~
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[zonker]

Don,

Here is a steelhead float making tutorial I wrote for another forum awhile back when I was chasing more steelies.

Our West Coast style floats are typically larger then you Great Lakes Trib fishermen use, mostly due to the heavier winter flows. Heavier rods, lines, and hooks, too.



[url "http://steelheadnotebook.net/forum/index.php/topic,350.0.html"]Float Making Tutorial[/url]

z~

P.S. TD, If I'm going too far afield here in talking about steelhead tackle here, just let me know and I'll tone it down.

('Course it is "float" "tube" fishing. He He.)
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[smallmouth89]

Actually I'm looking forward to steelheading as I live pretty close to the all year area on the Credit River. (Lake Ont.) and my place up in Wasaga is not far at all from the Nottawasaga R. (Lake Huron/Georgian Bay) Gotta do something when the tubing waters are cold and hard.
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[TubeDude]

[cool][#0000ff]It's all good. Let 'er rip.[/#0000ff]
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[flygoddess]

[font "Comic Sans MS"][blue][size 3]Reading about you guys wanting to go for Steel, I thought I would post something from a friend back east. He pm'd me about my furled leaders and said that he wanted to try them on SALMON. Well I am thinking maybe 36", so I did some research and came up with a formula for heavier furled leaders. I sent them to him and he reported back last week with some pictures of what he caught on them, so here they are, but cover the keyboard first, don't want to be responsible for the drool:[/size][/blue][/font]
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[font "Comic Sans MS"][blue][size 3]I guess it's safe to say, they worked![/size][/blue][/font]
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[Bluegillman]

WOWWWIE!! How big was it and it's weight? Oh golly, WOW!
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[zonker]

[cool]I'd say your furled leader passed the test. Very nice fish.

z~
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[TubeDude]

[cool][#0000ff]No doubt about it, those are some big nasty male salmon. They look like fish from the Great Lakes, rather than Pacific fish though. Where did he catch them?[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Nice pics. He looks like a happy boy. Not sure what you mean by "furled leaders". Got any pics or detailed descriptions?[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]I have taken quite a few big nasties on the west coast. The biggest and meanest came from the Smith River, right out of the ocean. They are bright silver and still great fighters and good eating. [/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]Once they get up into the rivers for awhile they turn that darker color and both the battle and the quality of their flesh deteriorates quickly. Those larger males can be very aggressive and will chase and bite big bright flies. But, once you hook them it is more like a tug of war with a submarine rather than a flashy fight. Even on my big ten weight it sometimes took over an hour to coax one into the shallows. In heavy water they often just head downstream and you either follow them or pop them off...or donate line and backing.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Still, there is something primal about hooking one of those big uglies. It is like doing hand to fin combat with a dinosaur. If anyone ever wants to join the "10-1 Club" (catching a fish ten times the weight of your line test), large salmon offer that potential. Using 4# tippet you CAN land salmon over 40 pounds on waters that are not too swift or too snaggy. But, bring your lunch because you are going to be awhile.[/#0000ff]
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[flygoddess]

[font "Comic Sans MS"][black][size 3]Furled Leaders are a definit fly fishing thing. They are NOT! braided, they are furled like an old rope. They won't spray the water like a braided will, but, they will lay a small dry fly down with unbelievable grace. [/size][/black][/font]
[font "Comic Sans MS"][black][size 3]I make my own with a 10' board and pegs at a different possition down the board for different tapers and I use Uni 6 thread, but you can use Kevlar, Mono, Coats and Clark Nylon. And you can make them in various lengths.[/size][/black][/font]
[font "Comic Sans MS"][black][size 3]Kathy Scott has a site where you can order a very GOOD DVD on how to make these.[/size][/black][/font]
[font "Comic Sans MS"][black][size 3]I found this site on them: [url "http://www.furledleaders.co.uk/home.htm"]http://www.furledleaders.co.uk/home.htm[/url] [/size][/black][/font]
[font "Comic Sans MS"][black][size 3][/size][/black][/font]
[font "Comic Sans MS"][black][size 3]They also work fantastic with nymphs and streamers. For Dry, you do have to add floatant.[/size][/black][/font]
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[TubeDude]

[cool][#0000ff]I've looked, read and pondered...and I still don't get it. I have always been of the school of long tapered CLEAR leaders. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I guess I have just been LUCKY over the years by catching a bunch of dumb fish that didn't know about furled leaders.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]You and others have apparently done well with them and I will never argue with success. Keep on keepin' on.[/#0000ff]
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[flygoddess]

[font "Comic Sans MS"][black][size 3]You still use the clear leader. The furled leaders are anywhere from 3 ft to 12 ft. The ones I use are 5 ft long , then I add 2' to 5' of tippet (clear mono or in my case flouro)[/size][/black][/font]
[font "Comic Sans MS"][black][size 3]The idea is, that they lay down more uniformaly, smoother, softer and deicate, along with acting like a shock absorber. They last longer and are way cheaper then buyin leaders. $2.50 thread makes me 7 to 9 furled leaders, and like I said they last longer (knots are easier to take out[laugh]).[/size][/black][/font]
[font "Comic Sans MS"][black][size 3]Been around for a long time, but really taking off recently, specially for River FF's.[][/size][/black][/font]
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[TubeDude]

[cool][#0000ff]Aha! River fisherpersons. That explains it. A wacky bunch of Orvis dorks. Always gotta complicate things.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I don't buy expensive leaders. I make my own, out of good copolymer mono. And, I mostly fish stillwater...often where extreme clarity is not a problem. Can't remember the last time I tried to lay out a perfect cast with pocket lint (dries). I generally use shorter and stouter leaders, for presenting big meaty flies to big toothy critters.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]And, since I seldom have to make long delicate casts I can't really see a need to mess with the foo-foo stuff.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Now pardon me while I go pour some jigheads for ice fishing.[/#0000ff]
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[flygoddess]

[font "Verdana,Arial,Helvetica"][black][size 1]Post:[/size][/black][/font] [font "Verdana,Arial,Helvetica"][black][size 1][cool][#0000ff]Aha! River fisherpersons. That explains it. A wacky bunch of Orvis dorks. Always gotta complicate things.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]I don't buy expensive leaders. I make my own, out of good copolymer mono. And, I mostly fish stillwater...often where extreme clarity is not a problem. Can't remember the last time I tried to lay out a perfect cast with pocket lint (dries). I generally use shorter and stouter leaders, for presenting big meaty flies to big toothy critters.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]And, since I seldom have to make long delicate casts I can't really see a need to mess with the foo-foo stuff.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]Now pardon me while I go pour some jigheads for ice fishing.[/#0000ff]
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[font "Comic Sans MS"][black][size 3]That's us, wacky bunch of Orvis Dorks and proud of it![laugh][/size][/black][/font]
[font "Comic Sans MS"][black][size 3]Hey we experiment just like you do, but we do it foo, foo-ier[crazy][/size][/black][/font]
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[idahopanfish]

Where's the ice? I'm ready!!!!! I can feel and hear the rumble under me as she settles in for the winter.
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