After getting into some good steelhead action last Saturday and on Thursday, I woke up today just to see a super nice day. I was supposed to go to work...but heck...I run my own experiments...I set my own hours...and to be honest, my work can wait until tomorrow.
It was already 10:30am by the time I got to streamside. People often say steelheads don't like the sun (keep believing in that), and people often say when the water is super low and clear, you have to downsize (yeah, keep believing in that too)...
Well, to be honest again, most of the pools I fished today were just that - very little fish, and those that are around are avoiding my rig at all cost...and they would have none of it...
On my way from pool to pool, I met the guy whom I waded right through his little pool on Saturday. I was a bit embarrassed to see him again (since I feel so bad about messing up his pool, and then proceeding to go back and hit a number of fish from there after he left...I truly was sorry though). But we got chatting and found out he met Michael on Wednesday and signed up on our local forum. We exchanged names (his name is Thomas) and I told him I'm taking a hike and he's welcome to join me later...
I went all the way to the spot where we had some good success the couple of trips before...and nothing was hitting. All the fish there were super spooky - they were all swimming away from my float rig.
So there was little choice but to fish the Suicide pool.
This is why I called it the Suicide Pool. Try to land a fish here! You can see the pool is BLACK with steelhead!
On my first drift there...BAM! But of course I had to turn on the GoPro to film the action...and fish ran right into the lower tree. I had 3 seconds of video captured.
Okay...put that cursed camera away...
Went back after rebaiting...two drifts...minus the GoPro...and Thomas did a great net job for me. Got that fish at 12:15.
Hm...maybe just luck, right? Took a little time to revive the fish...and filmed it...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LPMajBHpQEs
Then I sort out the line again, rebaited, and position myself on the log again...a few drifts later...minus the GoPro...at 12:23.
Okay...this has got to be coincidence...again, revived the fish, rebaited, got back on the log...one drift...minus the GoPro...at 12:36.
By this point, I feel bad Thomas had been net boy the whole time while the fish above the Suicide Pool has been ignoring him. So I put my rod down and let him have a shot at the Suicide Pool.
It took a while to get a hit for Thomas. I was wondering why they were not cooperating for him. Then I noticed it...he rig was not set up right. You can actually see fish swimming away his rig. It's always the little details. We took off some split shots, shortened the leader and made sure the split shot on the fluorocarbon leader is as small as possible. After we adjusted everything...it took two drifts...I can't even lie about stuff like this...at 13:25.
Okay...things are going great. Let's take out the GoPro again...
Well...just watch the video. It's a pretty long video...so to save you time if you're in a hurry, focus on these segments...
2:00-2:20 - pay attention to the float
5:35-6:35 - pay attention to the float and commentary after
11:30-14:40 - pay attention to the rod tip and commentary after
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mn543vuH_oY
No, it's can't be the camera, right? I'm pissed...missed a hit, had a fish jumped off, and then one broke me off...put that damn camera away...
I went back without the camera...first drift...KO'd it in a minute...same size fish as the one that ran down to the tree and broke me off...got it at 13:39...I kid you not...add up the time and you'll see...
Interesting perspective...
It was this big...
Can't be the camera...took it out and try to film another bobber-down-hook-up-land-a-fish sequence...not a touch for another 15 minutes until the damn camera ran out of battery...or memory...I really can care less...
I snagged one of the cedar branch and snapped off, so it gave me time to put the camera away, grab a drink, and the retie...
This time it took a while longer...but still...14:25...
Stupid camera...I gotta visit a witch doctor or something...
Then it got real quiet for a long while. These fish can be funny sometimes. They will go on a little tear, then completely shut down...but if you have time and patience to wait, they may just come on again...
Well, Thomas didn't have the time to wait. So he called it a day at 15:30. Not longer had he left shouting range...15:35...they turned back on for no particular reason...
This time I had to net the fish in this impossible pool on my own.
I tried to revive the fish but it was having a tough time...so I put it into a little side channel right against a branch where there was a nice eddy for it to rest.
Went back to fishing and two drifts later, I had a fish snapped me off in the log. Okay...retie, rebait...two drifts later...15:51
This one had trouble reviving too...so it went to the resting area too...
Can you see the two of them?
Went back to the log, new bait...BAM! BIG FISH!!! It was a big dark male but full of piss and vinegar. I had him controlled for most of the fight but then he decided on one last kick and right under the log he went. I had to protect my rod since the rod tip was dragged under the log as well...so all I could do was to open the bail to free my rod tip...and the hook dropped out.
Well, at least I saved my rod and my rig. Put on a new bait...a few drifts...BAM...16:03
Then it got quiet again. Nothing going at the Suicide Pool at all! It was complete lock down.
So I went to fish the pool immediate upstream. Just at the tail of that pool where it enters into the Suicide Pool, the fallen log also had a ball of root that was submerged. I could see the head of a steelhead poking out. The rest of the fish didn't want anything to do with me...so I figure the hiding fish probably felt a little more secure and maybe hungry. Thomas had missed a fish there earlier in the same spot.
The first drift to that fish...it came out and slammed the bait! at 17:24.
Then nothing at the upper pool again. Lots of wary fish that swam away from my rig...so I've rested the Suicide Pool for about 30 minutes...let's just check it out...
Couple of drifts...I was holding my bait in the current letting it flutter in the flow in a sexy way...and a suspended fish came up and nailed it! At 18:10...
Okay...I really had to go soon...I was supposed to meet up with my buddies at 7pm to watch the Leafs game at the bar...just a couple more drifts...at 18:27, my biggest fish of the day hit. This guy was MAD!!! But I managed to pull him back from the log jam TWICE...and he was a handful at the net...
Okay...I have a 30min wade back, a 30min drive back...and I'm supposed to meet my buddies at 7pm...not going to happen LOL.
I arrived at the bar at 8:45pm after a shower and a 40min drive to Mississauga...and I was mighty late...but damn...11 STEELHEAD LANDED, 4 BROKE OFF...and I didn't even count the subtle hits I got here and there...
Plus, the Leafs beat the Bruins 4-2, had a pound of wings, good times with buddies...BEST DAY EVER!!!
Anyone want to buy a GoPro? I got one for sale.