A Day on the Water

March 25, I landed only 2 out of a total of 6 fish I was pretty sure were fair hooked.  A couple of others seemed they were likely foul hooked. Plagued by Leader Line and Operator issues.  Only saw one fish that I lost, that was a sleek big bight hen who fought stubbornly, then ripped off a run with a slashing leap at the end.  She hit a #6 Golden Nugget Bubble Egg fish as a trailer 3 feet behind a bead.  All the other hits were on Jigs: #8 1/64 ounce Black Stonefly Jig, #6 1/32 ounce Brown Rubber...

March 22nd and March 24th evenings: 1 for 4, then 4 for 4 on small steelhead.  8mm BigHole UV Orange bead got all the hits.  First evening, using a barbed #6 hook held 1 of 4 fish. Next evening, using the lighter wire #6 hook with the barb broken off held all four fish hooked.   Biggest and last Fish.  These fish run out or Lake Erie and run younger and smaller because the feeding in Lake Erie is not very profitable.  We get lots of skippers.  A fish with a head as big as this one would weigh twice as much...

This time in late spring is when to expect, hope for a good bite on Little Black Stone Flies for steelhead or trout in Michigan.  March 12, I didn't see any bugs fluttering across the river but the guy bottom bouncing next to me got a big male steelhead on a #6 stonefly pattern.  I put a stonefly jig pattern under my bobber.  I had been pounding good water for hours with one steelhead hooked and lost on a dark Brown Rubber Legs Jig pattern.  The second cast with a black stone jig got the first steelhead and over an...

A few new bright fish have moved up river.  It makes sense for some of the dark fish that have held downstream for some time, to move up with them.  Not many angler an nothing happening until a skilled bobber fisherman arrived and quickly hooked 2 good fish above me and later got a small silver male.  He told me he got them on wigglers so I tied on a 1/48 ounce #6 Swim Hex Jig.  I finally got my depth right and got two hens.     This years fish are mostly big and fat with small heads.  When fish have been very successful feeding out in the lake, it makes them...