Fishing Season 2k15!!!!!!!!!!!!!
- Thread starter NCStateFisher
- Start date
Steelheading is what I live for. When they make their fall (which many people believe is a false run) and spring runs into the river, you can still catch them with the nice chrome colour with only the smallest hint of the red stripe. Even km's down river early in the season. Colour change is based on environment (nice open clear water vs. Muddy flowing river) and also diet (bait fish vs. Bugs). I have woken up at every ungodly hour, walked inhuman amounts, faced the most chilling cold temperatures, and driven the craziest distances just for the chance at getting one of these guys on the line in the river because they're so damn smart and hard to catch. True challenge. Pound for pound bass may fight better, but average Steelie is 5lbs, can't say that for the bass around here. Only thing I value more than trout is salmon, but as for taste I'm still undecided. People say steelhead taste better than rainbow (same fish) and there may be some truth due to the diet and the meat on a rainbow is less pale, but i personally don't tell much of a difference. As for the looks, which do you like better:
Mouth of the river early in the season, October or so.
Halfway into the season up river, in between, december.
Crap pic but the only one I have on this phone of a spring rainbow. Notice the deep green and bright red. This fish has came from the lake likely around November - January and got stuck in shallow water after breeding, caught last Saturday of last April, pretty much may. Hard to catch at that time, but not impossible. I actually site targeted this guy for over an hour in real shallow water with a spinner, t-shirt weather. Here's what happened to him when he breached the water and landed on shore
Lucky he was destined for the pan anyway. Can't wait till opener, maybe the mouths are thawed already...
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Mouth of the river early in the season, October or so.
Halfway into the season up river, in between, december.
Crap pic but the only one I have on this phone of a spring rainbow. Notice the deep green and bright red. This fish has came from the lake likely around November - January and got stuck in shallow water after breeding, caught last Saturday of last April, pretty much may. Hard to catch at that time, but not impossible. I actually site targeted this guy for over an hour in real shallow water with a spinner, t-shirt weather. Here's what happened to him when he breached the water and landed on shore
Lucky he was destined for the pan anyway. Can't wait till opener, maybe the mouths are thawed already...
Sent from my Z10 using MonsterAquariaNetwork App
Steelheading is what I live for. When they make their fall (which many people believe is a false run) and spring runs into the river, you can still catch them with the nice chrome colour with only the smallest hint of the red stripe. Even km's down river early in the season. Colour change is based on environment (nice open clear water vs. Muddy flowing river) and also diet (bait fish vs. Bugs). I have woken up at every ungodly hour, walked inhuman amounts, faced the most chilling cold temperatures, and driven the craziest distances just for the chance at getting one of these guys on the line in the river because they're so damn smart and hard to catch. True challenge. Pound for pound bass may fight better, but average Steelie is 5lbs, can't say that for the bass around here. Only thing I value more than trout is salmon, but as for taste I'm still undecided. People say steelhead taste better than rainbow (same fish) and there may be some truth due to the diet and the meat on a rainbow is less pale, but i personally don't tell much of a difference. As for the looks, which do you like better:
View attachment 1068316
Mouth of the river early in the season, October or so.
View attachment 1068317
Halfway into the season up river, in between, december.
View attachment 1068318
Crap pic but the only one I have on this phone of a spring rainbow. Notice the deep green and bright red. This fish has came from the lake likely around November - January and got stuck in shallow water after breeding, caught last Saturday of last April, pretty much may. Hard to catch at that time, but not impossible. I actually site targeted this guy for over an hour in real shallow water with a spinner, t-shirt weather. Here's what happened to him when he breached the water and landed on shore
View attachment 1068321
Lucky he was destined for the pan anyway. Can't wait till opener, maybe the mouths are thawed already...
Sent from my Z10 using MonsterAquariaNetwork App
I've done the fall run since I was five for salmon coming up from Lake Michigan to spawn and I will say that the best fighter by far were the trout. They felt like you hooked a tornado. In New Zealand we caught some real nice trout out of tributaries to Taupo and they were awesome to eat compared to stockies around here. The meat was cleaner tasting and also firmer.
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Those are some beautiful fish! Steelhead fishing is big where I live and there's always a lot of opportunity to get some big ones. Really huge natives as well. Cool thing is they plant the "extra" steelies in our local lakes as well. I hooked into a couple last weekend off the dock using a wedding ring lol. Both 18" or so so nothing huge. I find that the triploid trout fight a little harder but the steelhead taste better imo
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Trout are great fights cuz of the breaches and shakes, and how damn stubborn they are to net. But i dont think anything slams spoons or bait harder than salmon. Salmon at the mouths are beasts, they run so damn far and are hard to turn. Once they are in the river and are biologically degrading that's when they weaken and get like zombies, still not that bad though until they're done spawning, then you can pick em up with your hands lol. Wild fish beats hatchery released in taste every single time though I'll agree with that.
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You should try salmon on a fly if you're using a regular rod. It's a lot more fun.
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That's some skill right there man, salmon on the fly, they tend to bite more for aggression than hunger where I'm from cuz it's pretty much only in spawning mode you can catch em around here, lake huron doesn't get much of a run anymore, lake Ontario is a bit better.
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I hardly fish with a regular rod anymore. It's the same in Wisconsin on Lake Michigan. Nothing like late fall fishing. The best is when the reel freezes and you have to break ice off of the reel.
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I got a st. Croix fly and a pfleuger fly setup, but gotta say I don't use em much. I prefer a centre pin setup and just drift a caddis fly or yarn cluster that way, topwater is exciting and all but a ton of work and I gotta say it takes more skill than I currently possess for such hard to catch species. I need some more practise on bass first, cold conditions and finicky fish are not the best to learn on you know? On the bright side I'm picking up a 12 foot salmon centre pin rod this year, sounds promising.
