Well I did not fish trout opener this year I opted for Chrome, Smallies and even a Atlantic Salmon. I had to scratch that itch, since we had such a cold winter. Only Chrome will do the trick sometimes and since the season has run so late this year, why not? Some rivers will have fish well into May if weather holds out. Most water temps are in the high 40's and 50's already. Below is a one of my favorite trout video trailers with some awesome footage dedicated to the love of trout!
For you you center pinners out there, check the video out filmed by Joseph Pricen from http://www.jpsguideservice.com/ he was in Alaska this year fun fishing. If this video does not get you going, you must not have a pulse. Some really nice fish were caught in this video.
I will be speaking at the Traverse City Steelheaders Club a chapter of the MSSFA. I will be there on Wednesday, May the 6th. The location will be 801 Front St. in Traverse City. Meeting starts at 7:00 PM and admission is free. Topic will be float fishing for Steelhead. I hope to see you there.
I posted some photos from this past weeks fishing trips. We used http://glsteelheadco.com/home/ (Great Lakes Steelhead Company Beads) and spawn sacks under a float. The natural colors were the ticket in size 6 MM and 8 lb leader. The drop backs were in pocket water and holes behind gravel.
The Manifesto blog has many cool things planned this year in 2015 and we hope you approve so stay tuned. As Steelhead season nears the end here in the Great Lakes we always have Smallmouth, Trout and Carp on the fly this summer. Have a great week everyone, I hope you get out this weekend and enjoy life a little. As always thanks again for your continued support.
Tight Lines.
Fish porn from this past week.
PLAY BALL with these CLEATS?
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TOP 5 secrets to become the BRUCE LEE of Float Fishing.
1.)Pay attention to your Float and the drift
itself. If your Float is ticking that means you’re too deep. Reel in and
adjust your float. Only a few inches at a time. Most steelhead are only 6-8
inches off the bottom.
Pay attention to your
float is it facing up stream or down? Your float is telling you what your
offering is doing underwater. It should ride straight up and down. The bait has
to be moving at the right speed. If it’s moving too fast and at the wrong
current speed = no bites. You may have to switch to a bigger float and add more
shot to slow your presentation down. I cannot stress this enough pay attention
to your drift and float.
2.)Watch your line and mend often if need be. If
your line is going ahead of your float you need to mend it and slow that
presentation down. Again current speed is crucial to getting bit. The fish know
how fast that meal should be moving down the river. Especially on pressured
fish and waters. Consider using a floating or High Buoyant type of mono line.
Today’s angler has many
choices these days. Just to name a few. I like Raven, Siglon F, Blood Run
Tackle Floating Mono and Pline’s Hydrofloat. These lines are super easy to mend
because they either float or feature high buoyancy and cause the line to ride
high in the water column. So when you mend your line, this means less disturbance to the bait, fly or lure.
They also come in some
cool colors which makes it easier to see in the water. Thus making line
management very easy. By keeping the line behind the float instead of ahead of
it, will result in more fish caught by the end of the day.
If you’re a die hard mono
person and if you’re not willing to try some of these new super float fishing
lines. Get yourself some fly float ant paste and add that to your line above the
float.
3.)Depth is so crucial. Steelhead always tends to
be near the bottom. The bottom is the sweet spot, remember that. If your bait
is not in the strike zone = a missed opportunity. A lot of guys are worried
about snagging bottom. Well here is the bottom line. The angler that loses the
most hooks, flies or jigs is the guy that catches the most fish. Why because
the bait, fly or lure is where the fish are. Hands down the float fisherman can
be deadly in a variety of situations and deliver many different offering with results.
4.)
Always check the water clarity before deciding what you colors and sizes you’re
going to use. If the water is low and clear than you should use smaller spawn
sacs and jigs in pale colors. If the water is dirty then use bigger bags and
baits with brighter colors. Do not be afraid to experiment with different
colors and sizes. Water clarity is extremely important to the steelhead
fisherman. If the fish can’t see it or smell it it’s hard to be successful. Do
not leave a well-known run that holds fish normally without trying something
different. These fish can be very color conscious or fussy.
Buy the Fish Head App for your phone
5.)
Bait quality is actually another overlooked item I think by a lot of anglers,
even seasoned guys. You will spend thousands on rods, reels, tackle, clothes
and equipment. Be it minnows, spawn or roe and even wax worms. The most popular
bait for the float fisherman is spawn. But I have seen some guys use old and nasty
spawn for bait. Always use either fresh or cured spawn that was handled and
stored correctly.
The Legend
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After seeing a post in a fishing forum, I was inspired to write this post simply to educate some on spawning. The young man did not even understand what the fish were doing or what the term drop back fish meant? Its that time of year when Spring consistently has rising tributary temperatures (into the 40-58 degree F range)
and the longer photo-periods in late winter and early spring (March-May)
activate the steelhead (many of which have been here all winter) to move onto the spawning gravel. Also with these higher temps it starts sending signals to new fish to move up the river and spawn on the gravel. This is the time we should leave those fish alone and let mother nature take its course. You should concentrate on the voracious eating
“drop-back” steelhead. This is one of my most favorite times of the year. The fish are very hungry and will hit anything.
Until the water temps get too warm (May-June/high 60’s and
above) at which point steelhead head back to the Big Lake's to return again to the river someday. After the past 2 winters here in the Great Lakes I have no doubt spawning will be taking place into the month of May/June on certain rivers and parts of the region. I have so much respect and love for the worlds greatest game fish, the steelhead. Even the hatchery fish, please let them spawn and leave them be. In Michigan natural reproduction is low in many of our rivers but it does occur and we need those wild fish. Every fishery does. We caught 2 fish last week with flies and hooks impaled in them. This makes me sick and I see it every year actually. So leave gravel alone this time of year and fish the holes behind the gravel and you will be rewarded with a legitimate bite and fish. Be good to the fishery and it will be good to you. May your landing nets always be heavy my friends. Fish On!
Awesome footage
Memes
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This weekend was a prime example on how weather can affect fishing. The photo below shows how fronts can affect the bite sometimes good and sometimes bad. Below is a chart of the barometric pressure from this weekend taken on my iPhone. I try to avoid fishing in extremely low pressure (anything under 29.50) or High pressure situations (over 30.10). Low or High pressure or up and down swings can put the bite off for extended periods of time. Especially during the winter time when fishing for Steelhead. If you ever get calm stable weather these periods are the best. No matter what you fish for? The fish will be in a co-operative mood with stable barometric pressure my favorite is 29.90 to 30.05. This means FISH ON! Hence why the plug fishing bite is a go too pattern for me during unstable pressure periods. I actually force them to bite on those days by invading their space in the run. Are you picking up on this nugget of info I'm laying down here? Steelhead can be finicky but catch able even in bad weather. I still managed to put in a few Steelhead in the net this weekend. Why because the water temps are finally trending upwards here in the Great Lakes and we are FINALLY getting FRESH FISH to show up! If this weekend would have happened during the winter and the water temp was in the lower end of 32 degrees it would have been really tough to get bit. The moral of the story pay attention to the barometric pressures and get the app for your phone. So many out there too choose from for the Droid and iPhone users. Hang tough and put your time in, sometimes you can always find a few players willing to play the game. Thanks so much for your continued support. May your landing nets always be heavy my Steelhead Friends!
DIME BRIGHT ON PINK CHOKER BAGS.
I PREFER THE PLUG LIFE!
Memes and Fish'Isms
Danny from OP with another GIANT!
LEARN THIS KNOT FOR JOINING ANY 2 LINES
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